LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Project Information

I finally got this vase finished this afternoon. Started off with a 10in length of 3×3in ply and added three laminations of 1/2in ply on all sides so finished with a 6×6in blank.

The finished object is 9 1/4 high, 5 3/4 in the middle and 5 1/2 at the top. The wall thickness is 3/8in, I wasnt game to go much thinner.

Inspiration for this piece came from a member of this site, so thank you.

The finish is three coats of *************** with a very light sanding between coats.

Thanks for looking and I hope you like it. C & C welcome.

Bob.

Gallery

Comments

· In Loving Memory
Joined
·
365 Posts
A great looking vase Bob, you got terrific effects with the laminating and a great finish. Like this one.
Welcome to plywood club.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
949 Posts
It's amazing how just a few pieces of plywood can become such a beautiful vase. It must be like a cloudscape of patterns as you turn it. Nice work Bob!

Edit… I meant to say kaleidoscope … LOL!!!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
69 Posts
I am getting a new appreciation for plywood :)
 

· Registered
Joined
·
6,000 Posts
This is just amazing, but I have to ask… Since there are so many variations of plywood (quality), are there any suggestions/tips on choosing the best medium for turning? FWIW, I have had some ply come apart before I could even build anything with it.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
141 Posts
HorizontalMike, The 3in centre is part of a structural beam and unfortunately I have no idea what it is made from, BUT being structural I would think that it is a pretty good quality. It was very hard on my tools. In Australia we have basically 3 grades of ply;-
Marine - is really tough
Construction - mid quality ( what I used)
Cheap ** - not worth the time of day, especially for turning.
The biggest tip I can give you is Color variation between the ply's and reasonably good quality.

Hope this helps.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
28 Posts
Way to go Bob, better watch out, this stuff can become addictive. The plywood that you have in Australia, is much nicer looking than ours. I have found some nice construction form plywood, that is sandwiched between two layers of MDF that has great color variation between ply's, but too expensive for my budget, around $80.00 a sheet, best hope here,is to beg a few scraps from the Const. Foreman. Another good source is to get some flooring samples from Habitat for Humanity, or maybe Lumber liquidators.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
6,000 Posts
Thanks Bob. I'll remember that tip. This looks like a bunch of fun to turn!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
82 Posts
It's always nice to see others turning plywood. I've seen several examples in the last year on LJ that always amaze me including this one.

HorizontalMike,

I agree. Too many cheap quality types of ply from the "Orange Borg" type stores. Not worth turning IMHO. I used either Russian or Finnish Baltic Birch from Woodcraft, till they closed the local store. More plys and better quality overall. And not as many knots (but a few). I cannot remember the last time I found any voids in the layers anywhere.

Now it's to the local hardwood dealer two cities away where they sell "Appleply". Not quite as good as Baltic Birch, but still way better than what they sell at the Orange Borg.

See Some Other Plywood Turnings

-Dave
 

· Registered
Joined
·
141 Posts
Thanks for the feedback, it is always fun to try something different. I wonder how something like this would look in colored "Spectraply", probably too over the top. Might just have to try a little one.

Cheers.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
709 Posts
Very nice work, looks great.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
259 Posts
Fantastic bowl! You make plywood look stunning, beautiful patterns and the finish set them off. Superb turning!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
2,584 Posts
Beautiful vase. I liked the way you stacked the ply on 4 sides. I was thinking of trying it myself. Good work.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
955 Posts
Tony, I just got done turning round a log of Plywood to attempt something like this. And, you're right, it's a cloud of something.

Bob, my billet wasn't nearly as broad as yours (4.5×4.5. So, now that it's round, a little less than 1/2 of the side pieces are still here. That is, two of them. The two that were face-to-face with the original beam blend right in - the four corners of the beam aren't visible like yours here, in the end-shot. See, I glued three pieces of 3/4 face-to-face, then surrounded that with four more of the same, butt-joined like yours. Next time, I'll cut my initial boards wider. I'm going to keep at this one and see what magic comes. I just cam to have another look at yours mainly to make sure I don't shape it too much like yours. It'll definitely have less girth. Let's see, shall we?
 
Top