Elm Vase

The wood is so beautiful by itself that, IMHO, the grooves cut into the piece detract from what might otherwise have been a luxurious turning. Again, it's' just my opinion, but this appears to me to be a case where fewer interruptions of the natural grain pattern would have been a better choice.

George - I agree with you. We don't get elm down here in South Florida and I had no idea how nice the wood was going to be. It's 16" tall with a hollowed depth of about 14". That's beyond the reach of any hollowing tools I own. I also wanted a thin neck, so I cut the piece in half, hollowed the two halves and then glued it back together, matching the grain. I wasn't too worried about the glue line because I planned to disguise it with carving. It was after cleaing up the outside of the hollowed form that I really noticed the beauty of the wood. Kind of late at that point to go for the "uninterrupted" look. After a lot of soul searching I went with the grooves. Next time I'll do it different.

Ed

very nice

Ed, I really like the way the sap wood looks as though it is separating from the heartwood. It gives the photo of the piece a three dimensional look. You are correct about the grooves, the piece would look much taller without them.

Thanks for the comments guys.