[OP]
Member
This HF is Willow that I turned this week. It is 12" diameter X 4" tall (came from a hollow tree and was only 4" between the bark and interior). I normally do not turn willow due to it being soft and fuzzy but this piece was too pretty to pass up. Finish is rattle can lacquer. Comments and critiques welcome.
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When failure is not an option
Mediocre is assured.
Member
Wow, that is too pretty! I like it a lot.
Member
Nice form and nice wood. Most willows around here are pretty small. I have seen a few large weeping willows in peoples yards.
Fred
Member
Pretty! I have avoided willow, but this might change things. Did you spot the curl from the outside?
Contributor
Beautiful piece! What techniques and lessons learned did you experience with Willow? I have never turned any of it.
Dick Mahany.
[OP]
Member
Jon: I was cutting the tree down as a favor for a landowner who had given me a red oak, I saw it had some curl and brought a piece home. It was dying and he was concerned that it might drop limbs on his cattle. I plan to return and get more of it. Plain grain willow is not worth the trouble in my opinion; I will be on the lookout for willow with figure in the future.
Dick: Willow holds lot of water when wet and is easy to cut while wet. It fuzzes up some when it dries and is stringy and difficult to cut when dry. The wood is quite soft and easily dinged up. When sanding it; start with a finer grit than you would normally because it sands easily but coarse grits can leave scratches that are hard to get out.
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When failure is not an option
Mediocre is assured.
Member
Easily the purtiest piece of willow I have even seen. Looks like BL maple. Great shape and finish to boot.
Guest
That is some gorgeous quilting.
Usually I save willow for the BBQ (it makes a fantastic steak) but I can see why you made an exception here. Good eye on picking that out.
Contributor
Beautiful wood. That is an interesting form. It reminds me of a space ship or what a UFO might look like.
Thank you,
Rich Aldrich
65 miles SE of Steve Schlumpf.
"To a pessimist, the glass is half empty; to an optimist, the glass is half full; to an engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be." Unknown author
Member
I've made furniture from willow and it's better than many folks think, BUT this willow is astounding. Good job & good eye
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Member
Me, too. I also like the form. There are so many willows. Do you know which it was?Originally Posted by Jon Nuckles
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"[H]e had at home a lathe, and amused himself by turning napkin rings, with which he filled up his house, with the jealousy of an artist and the egotism of a bourgeois." Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary
Contributor
Yes, Dennis, willow is not often coveted. But it really can produce some very pretty blanks. This one is no exception. Simply beautiful, and I really like the form!
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