| Project by Thomas Porter | posted 2671 days ago | 1633 views | 0 times favorited | 10 comments |  |
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I’m not that fantastic on the lathe yet, but I’m having fun learning. I made this little flower vase out of a piece of mulberry I milled from a tree I cut down in my yard. I had never seen it used before, but it’s a really neat wood. Medium to hard density, very colorful, and smells interesting when you turn it. I’m glad I milled all of the wood into lumber. I have to figure out more to make with it. You’ll notice the inside is black. That’s a piece of black acrylic pipe I found that I melted at the end and pressed into the piece. It makes it water-tight. This isn’t that nice a piece – I just thought I’d put it up to show the mullberry.
-- Thomas Porter, Phoenix, AZ, www.thomasporter.com
10 comments so far
dennis mitchell
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#1 posted 2671 days ago
Beautiful wood.
oscorner
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#2 posted 2671 days ago
Was the wood green when you turned it or did you dry it, first? That’s a great looking wood.
-- Jesus is Lord!
Thomas Porter
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#3 posted 2671 days ago
When I milled it up I coated all of the edges in a special wax from Rockler. It did okay, but next time I’m really going to pour the stuff on. It’s dry in AZ. really dry. The wood had one little crack in it from drying too quickly, but I did get a light mist when turning, so yes it was still sortof green.
-- Thomas Porter, Phoenix, AZ, www.thomasporter.com
WayneC
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#4 posted 2671 days ago
The grain is great. Lots of folks here will appreciate it!
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
oscorner
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#5 posted 2671 days ago
Next time try soaking the piece in water and dishwashing liquid for a month after turning. The dishwashing liquid reduces the surface tention in the wood allowing the water to pass through it thus causing the wood to dry evenly. I’ve used this method and it works.
-- Jesus is Lord!
Thomas Porter
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#6 posted 2671 days ago
That sounds a lot like what I’m doing for some veneers that I’m flattening.
-- Thomas Porter, Phoenix, AZ, www.thomasporter.com
MsDebbieP
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#7 posted 2670 days ago
aaaw this is so sweet. I can picture a set of 3—different sizes. Nice.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (https://www.facebook.com/DebbiePribeleENJOConsultant)
scottb
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#8 posted 2662 days ago
great wood, can’t wait to see what you do with the rest of it.
good to be reminded of the dishsoap tip, though I read/heard tell that something else, glycerine I think does the same job a little better (I think it must be in the dish soap, but is available by itself (a great additive for making HUGE bubbles last longer – the kind you make with a 6 foot loop of fabric).
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Van Gogh -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
John Gray
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#9 posted 2481 days ago
Does anyone know about this in Mulberry: It turns black when exposed to UV (the sun). And if so would a UV resistant spar varnish work? A friend is bringing me some Mulberry lumber.
-- Only the Shadow knows....................
palaswood
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#10 posted 254 days ago
Gorgeous wood…
-- Joseph, Lake Forest, CA, http://instagram.com/palas_woodcraft#
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