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Thread: Turning the mesquite

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Texas Hill Country, USA
    Posts
    1,967

    Turning the mesquite

    I have been getting ready for some down time starting next week when I have knee surgery. YEAH! I have sold some of my turning supply rather than having it sit there for the next few months, but I did get a couple of things turned, albeit on one leg for part of the time.

    A mesquite bowl turned from a crotch piece of wood. It is 10.25" x 2.25" and finished with Danish Oil. It has the remnants of both limbs forming the crotch with some bark in between, sap wood on both sides, and a long dead limb right in the middle of the bowl. It looks kind of "westerny" in person. (Yes, I made up that word.)

    The second piece is a bowl 10.75" x 4.25" and finished with Danish Oil. The tracks in the side are from mesquite borers. I turned it so that the holes do not go all the way through, but are just for decoration on the outside. I guess that makes it really a bowl and not art. The borer holes are almost always just in the sap wood, so you can turn them out if you want to, but you end up with a smaller bowl and not much sap wood.

    Both pieces were turned from green wood from start to finish in one sitting. Mesquite is very easy to turn when green and it doesn't seem like it moves at all.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Wimberley, Texas
    Posts
    2,828
    Robert,
    Best of luck and wishing speedy recovery on the knee surgery. Still have most of my stash of your lovely mesquite and just got new hollowing system to use on some of it. Somehow got to messing with ribbons lately, which seems to take a lot of time, and is mostly messing and very little turning.

    New mesquite turners, for long term storage it might be good for log sections to debark and turn off the sapwood and the worms, as the latter will continue to munch on your prize wood for many months.
    Richard in Wimberley

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Harvey, Michigan
    Posts
    20,804
    Robert - I hope all goes well with your knee surgery next week and that you heal quickly!

    Nice bowls! Beautiful wood! Really like the simple form of the second bowl and the contrast of the woods! Hopefully you won't be away from turning for to long!
    Steve

    “You never know what you got til it's gone!”
    Please don’t let that happen!
    Become a financial Contributor today!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Benson, Arizona
    Posts
    433
    Robert good luck and get well soon. Hate to here you have to be away from the lathe so long. Time to stock up on some books and videos. Great looking pieces, just love mesquite. Wormy mesquite does have some wet surprises sometimes. I do love the worm tracks, natures own texturing tool. Good luck with your surgery, hope your back to turning soon...Bruce

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    DuBois,Pa
    Posts
    1,557
    Robert
    they look good. One of the pieces you sent me still had a dead bug in one of the holes. But the all got turned away.

    Bob

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Front Royal, Va.
    Posts
    1,480
    Well done there Robert and here's to a speedy recovery, AGAIN

    Tony
    Tony

    "Soldier On"

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