The purpose of this exercise was to try and incorporate metal art that I've been creating on my machine shop equipment (mill/lathe) - into wood art that I made with traditional wood working equipment to create a multi-media Indian themed vase. I know that this project is not for everyone, so the wood purist can skip the post. But, I've been around a long time checking out what people are making and I have to say that I've never seen anything like this before. I've turned a lot of wood projects some years back and won several ribbons at the O.C County Fair in So Cal for my work.
This is the first wood turning project that I've made in 13 years now. I found that my wood turning skills were a little bit rusty but it came back pretty quickly once the chips started flying. I also remembered what I DON'T like about working with wood, it's always moving and doesn't hold tolerances or concentricity for long.
After starting on this turning, I decided that it would have to be done in an unconventional manner. Instead of gluing up all of the wood and turning it, I had to turn it in 3 pieces to about a 98% completion and then do the glue-up and finish work. This was primarily for fear of catching the tool and running it across my finished inlay rings.
I used Curly Maple for the main body and Bubinga for the end caps. I used black veneer to better define the edges of the rings. I used a diluted water base Pecan stain to bring out the Maple grain and natural Danish Oil to provide protection, a nice amber color and the mat sheen.
I hope that you find it as interesting looking as I did making it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Rick