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Practice Turnings - Mulberry

Project by Thomas Porter posted 607 days ago 366 views 0 times favorited 9 comments Add to Favorites
Practice Turnings - Mulberry Practice Turnings - Mulberry Practice Turnings - Mulberry Click the pictures to enlarge them

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


9 comments so far

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

3048 posts in 852 days


posted 607 days ago

View oscorner's profile

oscorner

4573 posts in 848 days


posted 607 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!

View Thomas Porter's profile

Thomas Porter

114 posts in 668 days


posted 607 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

View WayneC's profile

WayneC

5684 posts in 635 days


posted 607 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

View oscorner's profile

oscorner

4573 posts in 848 days


posted 607 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!

View Thomas Porter's profile

Thomas Porter

114 posts in 668 days


posted 607 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

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

12282 posts in 698 days


posted 607 days ago

aaaw this is so sweet. I can picture a set of 3—different sizes. Nice.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View scottb's profile

scottb

3060 posts in 864 days


posted 598 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. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

View John Gray's profile

John Gray

883 posts in 423 days


posted 418 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....................

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