Well, almost. I turned these over a period of about two weeks (interrupted by other tasks, turning and otherwise). I got the outside of the bowls close to identical by using a captive wire adjustable template, working back and forth between the two blanks, and trying to duplicate my mistakes of each on the other. In hindsight, this would have gone better if I'd left the log intact instead of cutting the two blanks at the outset. I turned a tenon/spigot for the bottom of each blank. To facilitate several cycles of re-mounting, I marked the numbered jaw positions on each blank; this worked well to reduce wobble, especially with tailstock assistance.
They were intended to be short goblets or vases, but during the exercise I found a couple votive candle lights at a garage sale, so the mission changed to candle holders. I excavated the bowls to mate with the candle inserts.
I was less diligent about matching the stems. The design is loosely based on classical Roman forms. Turning the short stems, with the included bead, can be prone to disaster, and I didn't want to push my luck.
The wood is mulberry, which I got from a fellow member of my woodturning club. It exhibited nice chatoyance (glistening, sort of) even short of the final sanding. It does, however, seem to have weak fiber-to-fiber cohesion in spots, and I got a couple instances of breakout, which I probably won't patch. Tearout was also a factor in attaining the matching form on the outside of the bowls.
Dimensions are 3.5" diameter x 5" high (90mm x 125mm). The finish is shellac, appled with a brush and immediately buffed until dry; this is almost French polishing (according to my weak understanding), but not quite; topped with paste wax, also buffed on the lathe.
After completion, I found some mulberry scented candles at another garage sale. I accepted this as an omen of confirmation.
Joe
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