An Experiment

So, this was a bit of an experiment. I’ve had this left over piece of maple that from stat to finish has been a joy to work with. Being green, it turned very well with little to no tear out, even with it being very figured. The wood started out almost white and difficult to see any of the grain, but once a finish is put on it, the figure really pops out and takes on a light brown and grey cast in areas. The real experiment with this piece though was the bark. After applying several “coats” of thin CA glue to soak in and secure everything, I cut the blank and there was a patch of bark about 2 inchs long on one side. I had hoped for a larger piece of bark remaining when I was finished turning, but had to settle with what you see here. I’m not disapointed though, I’m still thrilled with the results. Once rounded off, I used a skew to get the final shape, applied a little more thin CA glue (particularly at the bark) and finished it with friction polish.

I’ve got a little more of this wood left with the bark on it still, and I plan on doing a few more of these.

-- "At its best, life is completely unpredictable." - Christopher Walken