Checking in with you real turners...

[Mark Marzluf]

Hey..... Mark here. Been lurkin around upstairs in the WW section mostly but thought I'd get my feet wet here in the turning section and introduce myself.

I don't by ANY means consider myself a "turner" but have been known to play on my little lathe from time to time between furniture pieces for relaxation.

Here are the only pieces to come off the lathe last year. The first one is a small piece of Cherry Burl saved from some builders taking over the wooded area behind our property. It's about 6" in dia and 4.5" tall.




The next two are Walnut from a tree that the electric company was shredding. I got there just in time to salvage a couple sections. These are my first attempts at adding some carving details. Again, they're not going to any shows or anything, but I do enjoy spinning up the lathe from time to time.







T

[Jeff Myers]

Mark,
You just need to forget all about Flat work!!! I love the carving details
you added to those pieces, that really adds to the work! Keep turning
and send more pix, pretty soon you'll be watching the dust gather on the
flat lander tools.

[Lee DeRaud]

If you're not a "real turner", what the heck does that make me?

Seriously, that is some nice stuff.

[Mark Pruitt]

Oh yeah, sure.....not a "real" turner. RIGHT!!! If that's what you call "playing around", I'd like to see what happens when you're serious!

Those are some fine, fine turnings! I especially love the walnut pieces. Good work! Hope you'll post here more often.

(another) Mark

[Frank Chaffee]

Awesomely cool turnings Mark!

Maybe we should start an “Unreal Turner's Forum"?

Frank

[Mark Cothren]

Nice work, Mark! What tool(s) are you carving with?

[Doug Jones]

The bottom one are just wicked SICK (as in good),, the middle one is ok but not as good as the other two.
My opinion only

[Mark Marzluf]

Thanks guys !

The bottom one is also my favorite. It was a design by chance sort of turning though.. I had a lid with finial turned for it that would have made it another 5" taller or so, but when parting it off it flew across the shop and shattered. After that, the base looked REALLY thick and out of place. I looked at it for a bit and thouhgt, "heck, that kind of looks like a tree, I think I'll give it some roots. Then I painted the "ground" with a blackish green acrylic paint.

Both walnut pieces were carved with a dremel and a small 1/8 ball head burr. I've looked at the Forester? carver but can't seem to bring myself to spending the $$ on something that will see little use.

I don't have the patience for hand carving either, so the dremel works for now. Thanks for the compliments, but when I open up the turning magazines, I realize how far out of the loop I am. Maybe if I had a larger lathe I would do it more, but mine has too many limitations to make anything more comlicated any fun.

[Mike Ramsey]

Mark, I think all 3 are fantastic!!

[Frank Kobilsek]

... you are a natural! Excellant work.

Frank

[George Conklin]

Welcome, Mark.

All three are beautiful. The bottom is my favorite. That golden brown look of the walnut is fabulous. Almost an English walnut look???

The carving done sets it off nicely.

[Jim A. Smith]

Looks good Mark. Beautiful

[Ken Grunke]

I like all three, Mark. Hopefully you've been doing a little turning this year, as well? Looking forward to seeing more, soon!

[Keith Burns]

Great stuff for a "non-turning flatlander". You definately need to turn more

[Dennis Peacock]

If you're not a turner, but a flatworker....then I'm hanging up my turning tools. Excellent work!!!! Very pretty indeed.