Critique, please - maple burl box!

[Mike Minto]

This is the first of it's kind that I have turned, a box of big leaf maple burl with a handle made from Gaboon (Gabon?) ebony. It sure does polish up to a nice, glossy finish. The lid is a fairly good fit, a little loose. Size is about 5 1/2 inches wide, a little over 4 inches tall (without handle) and the handle is about 1 1/4 inches by 3/4 inch. Thanks for the earlier advice on requesting a critique - here's a few photos of the piece. Comments, please! Mike

[Mike Peace]

Very nice box! I like the form for that size and the contrasting handle.

What kind of finish did you use?

[Bill Bolen]

Nice box Mike! Great form and verrrrry pretty wood...Bill...

[Mike Minto]

Mike, I have to stop and think...I believe it's just shellac, which is my favorite finish, both for ease of use and the way it lets the beauty of the wood naturally show. I also polished it on my homemade 3 buff, similar to the Beall system. Thanks, Mike

[Clara Koss]

mike, i love to look and give compliments... i think beauty is in the eye of the beholder and there are many tastes and preferences...soooooo, i LOVE the box and it is sooo pretty that the black top does not do it justice... it should be more artsy fartsy and more finial like...the black is a good contrast to the light wood, its the shape of the black thingy that i feel should be more interesting...

[Mike Minto]

Clara, thanks. I appreciate what you said, and agree, haha. I really like maple burl, but it's so expensive. I tried, like, 3 times to make it, but kept ripping the 'finial' off the lid, so I settled for this one. I was just glad to have it stay on! I'll keep trying!

[Jim Underwood]

Mike,
Do you mean you were actually turning the finial on the the lid?

Why not turn it separately to fit a mortise in the lid? That way you could try a bunch of different styles of finials to see which one you liked the best.

[Danny Thompson]

Gut reaction: Shorten the finial.

Beautiful burl and turning.

[Mike Minto]

Jim, yup, that's what I was doing. Didn't think of doing it any other way, haha. As I said, I'm kinda new to this turning thang...thanks for the idea. I'm learning all the time! Mike

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking box Mike. Great wood and form.

[Ron Bontz]

Hi Mike. If I may. I love the burl and think the size of the finial goes well with the box making it look more functional as opposed to a fancy conversation piece. For some reason I keep seeing a walnut burl base on it. French provincial profile with a cove to balance out the top. Either way it makes me want to go play on my lathe instead of the other thousand things I should be doing. Very nice.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mike - that maple burl sure is some pretty wood! Looks like you did a good job on tool control as I don't see any tearout or bruising of the wood. The finish is built up enough to offer a nice gloss and does highlight the figure in the burl.

Couple of observations - in the photos it looks like there is a small gap between the bottom of the box and the table it is resting on. Could be just camera angle but it does make it appear that the bottom of the piece is not concave or flat and something is holding the box slightly off the table. If that is the case - you would know as the piece would rock when placed on a flat surface.

Other item - I have to agree with Clara in that I believe the piece would be enhanced if the handle/knob/finial was a little more defined. You have the start of a nice cove on it - what would it do to the look of the box if the cove was more pronounced and became more of a flaired mushroom shape? Just food for thought....

Overall - very nice work! Fit and finish look great! Form is always something that is in the eye of the beholder - but also means there will always be someone out there that will just love it no matter what!

Have fun - looking forward to seeing more turnings real soon!

[Joseph Peacock]

Cool box.