Big-leaf Maple Burl Natural-edge Platter

Nice project and a great use of that piece of Burl. I wish my lathe would turn a piece that big. I have a piece 13×17 that would make a nice platter. thanks for posting.
Robert

-- Robert, so much inspiration here, and so little time!

Ken: A great piece of wood. Nice job.

-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Man Ken, is that a gorgous platter or what!! Thanks for sharing

-- Chuck Emery, Michigan,

Great looking platter Ken, what a challenge turning a piece of burl that size.

-- Bob C, Australia. I love sharing as long as it is not my tools

I think this platter is amazing looking. In fact, the grain makes the finished platter appear anything but flat. It looks like the surface of the moon or something?

-- Homer : "Oh, and how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain."

the wood spectacular of course. I like the bottom, more than the top.. I understand why it’s flat for display Quite a challenge at that size. The wood cost more than my lathe!!!

-- We call the destruction of replaceable human made items vandalism, while the destruction of irreplaceable natural resources is called development.

Umm, wow!

That is stunning. I bet if you stare at it, it looks like a shimmering pool of water.

Ken, absolutely beautiful… absolutely!

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."

Wow! That is a masterpiece!
Very Very Beautiful!
I only see one problem with it! Or maybe it is not a problem! I don`t care what cheese it is… this will take center stage, not the cheese!
Thanks for sharing.

-- Robert B. Sabina, Ohio.....

Just one question, what is the purpose of cutting the centerpiece out of the platter; Is it to attatch to the lather? What did you use to re-glue that piece back into place?

-- GX

Thanks for the kind words everyone. The customer came by today, loved it and bought it. A great start to my Labour Day weekend studio tour. For Gabriel and others who wondered, because I couldn’t screw my faceplate directly to the burl (screw holes would show on the flat top) I glued an auxilliary faceplate to the top surface and screwed the faceplate to the aux faceplate. I then turned the underside of the platter including a recessed portion into which I stuck the jaws of my chuck and held the platter in expansion mode. This way I could turn off the aux faceplate and finish the top. I then held the platter with the top face against my jumbo jaws using my tail centre to keep it in place and cleaned up the base except for a 3/8” spigot which I cut off by hand and sanded the base using a sanding pad in my drill press. To calm myself during the final phase on the lathe I kept repeating my mantra: “hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…don’t screw this up…hummmmmmmm”.

-- Ken in Sharbot Lake, Ontario