Maple Serving Tray / Platter *PIC*

[Randy in Langley]

With just finishing up the restoration/modification of my newly acquired Union Jubilee Lathe I HAD to put something on there larger than I have ever turned before. I mounted the largest piece of maple I had and turned it into a serving platter. The finish is BLO, Shellac and Bee's Wax. It finished off at 19" x 2 1/4".

Comments and critiques appreciated.

Thanks for looking



http://www.woodcentral.com/content/vpix_tu/pic89588.jpg

[Kevin T in T Bay]

Nice work Randy, is this done on the lathe that you posted a while ago? cheers KevinT in T Bay

[Drew Peacock]

[Randy in Langley]

Yup. It's the first thing that I have turned on the Union Lathe, which I must say is very enjoyable to turn on. I do have some modifications in mind to make the lathe even better though.

[Bill "Hickory&am]

Nice! Interested in the Stippling you did on the rim. (hope that is stipple and not "Oops") What did you use to accomplish this effect?

[Frank D.]

Looks great Randy. You want a critique? It sucks! But I still think it looks great.

[Rusty]

nicely done. The texturing and beading sets it off, not to mention the missing bits. How did you do the texturing?
Why did you choose such a finish?

[Bri in Mtl]

..but, I dunno, er....aren't some pieces missing? like maybe the top and bottom??
Anyway, it isn't round...[i]duckin and running...

[J.P.Rap in Hamilton]

WOW!! That is sweet.
As was mentioned, the treatment around the rim really sets it off. Without it,I don't think it would look nearly as nice. I have turned a few things with natural edges and voids but I don't think I would have ever thought of turning a tray quite like that. I likely would have made something smaller out of that particular piece of wood.
Thats what I like about it...now for the rest of it.
This is of coarse, my personal opinion but I don't care much for the edge on the bottom of the pic.
When the pic first loaded, I only saw the top 2/3 or so and I immediatly liked it. When I scrolled down and saw the lower edge, I was a bit dissapointed. I think what I don't like about it is that it's so straight. It almost looks as though it was cut off. Had there been some bark on it or if the edge weren't so straight, I think it would look better (to me).

All that said, I still like it and would be glad to have it displayed in my home.
You really made something beautiful from a piece of scrap wood
J.P.

[Bri in Mtl]

[Randy in Langley]

Hickory,

The stippling or texturing along the rim was done with a ball end burr in a Dremel. I wondered what it would look like, did a small bit on a scrap piece of wood then went at it on the platter. I think I'm happy with the end result.

Thanks for the comments

[Randy in Langley]

Gee, thanks Frank, I guess? http://www.canadianwoodworking.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Brian@Muir]

I Like it. It does not fit the norm for a serving tray but it is that different shape that makes it unique. A true art form.
Brian

[Randy in Langley]

Rusty,

Thank you for the compliment. I chose that finish because the wood has quite a bit of figuring in it, although you can't see if very well in the photo and I was hoping to bring out the figure in the wood by using the BLO. I'm not too fond of bright shiny finishes so Polyurethane was out of the question, I've tried Lee Valley Turners Polish with limited success so I avoided that and I really like how easy Dewaxed Shellac is to work with. So the BLO + Shellac was to bring out the figure in a non complicated way and the wax was used to give it a smooth soft feeling to it.

The texturing was done with a Dremel and a round Burr, which is likely to get a lot more use than it has in the past 8 or so years.

Thanks for looking

[Randy in Langley]

J.P.

I appreciate your honesty and I agree with you. I was disappointed that the bark came off the bottom edge of the piece. In case you weren't sure, that piece was turned from the crest of a log, the bottom side still has some bark on it, I'll post an image of the bottom tonight when I have a chance.

Your feedback has given me some ideas for a future piece. Thank you.

[Bill "Hickory&am]

" done with a ball end burr in a Dremel." would that be one dimple at a time or with the lathe turning or what? Please elaborate with a tutoral for us poor dummies.

[J.P.Rap in Hamilton]

Randy. Did you treat the bark with anything before turning? I usually drip on some CA glue were the bark meets the wood. It has to be applied a few times while turning. As you remove some thickness, you apply more glue. It works very well but you still run a risk of loosing some bark. In some cases you can glue the bark back on with CA glue...provided you can find the pieces you want among the rest of the chips. LOL
J.P.

[Randy in Langley]

One dimple at a time Hickory. I took it off the lathe, made a fresh cup of coffee and dimpled for about 90 minutes straight. I had to do each dimple twice, once to make the impression and a second time to clean it up of fuzz. Standing at my work bench hunched over the top for 90 minutes doing detailed work took a toll on my back. Next time I'm going to try and sneak the turning into the family room and watch the Canucks make fools of themselves while I do texturing in a comfortable chair.

[Randy in Langley]

Didn't do any gluing J.P. I should probably consider it now that things are finished and I want the bark to stay on.

Thanks!

Here's a pic of the bottom.



http://www.canadianwoodworking.com/chat/pics/pic175071.jpg

[Fred in Windsor]

Looking good. I like it. Being not too experienced with turning myself I am amazed at how you can turn something with a void like that and not get any blowout. Well done.

[J.P.Rap in Hamilton]

When you apply CA glue to the dry bark, it soaks right in very quickly. I don't know how well it will do with the finish on but since it's on the bottom, it can't hurt.
J.P.

BTW...About 6 weeks ago I was turning a vase from an off-cut from a walnut bowl blank. The bark was pretty thick. About 1" in places. Anyhow, the vase split do to stress in the wood and its been outside in the sun, rain and snow since then. I just had a look at it and the bark is still intact. I think that says a lot for the effectivenes of the CA glue.

[Randy in Langley]

You have Snow?!!! ;P

[Cyril in Maple Ridge]

Hey Randy,

What a difference that edge detail makes, to bad there wasn't a way to do that while spinning???
Looks great, is that Thor's maple?

I'm off to the midi jet for another round with my green bowls....

Cyril

[J.P.Rap in Hamilton]

...but it's gone now.
Still cold enough to keep the brass monkeys inside though. http://www.canadianwoodworking.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif
J.P.

[Bill "Hickory&am]

"One dimple at a time" ECCH!!!!

Looks nice but I'm not in a hurry to try that.
Thanks anyway. Must be a labor of love.....