Hackberry--with spalting

[David Hill]

I enjoy taking the local "trash" trees and making nice stuff out of'em. The ranchers around here have real contempt for Hackberry trees- "they grow up looking for a fence to fall on.." is about the nicest I hear. In my last round of cutting slabs I did cut a couple of hackberry logs into blanks. Here's the first bowl from that group.
I knew it had spalting but had no idea how much. The bowl is 9 x 3, finish is lacquer applied as friction polish. A little rough in a couple places because of some grub activity, but not bad.
It's really fun watching them hold the bowl and postulate what wood it is---then watching the expression when they find out---priceless!
The dark line in one of the side views is a large bark inclusion.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Nice job on the hackberry. Yes , it does spalt pretty quick.

 

[Jerry Bailey]

really love the grain effects the spalting hackberry and maple have
to me, just as beautiful as burls .......

nice job with the bowls, wish those trees grew around here like that

 

[Harry Robinette]

David nice bowl I love spalted wood too. I'm not quite finished with this yet but looks alot like yours.

 

[Kenneth Harris]

Trash Wood???

Wow David!!! If that is 'trash wood' then I can only imagine what some of your other turnings look like... :>) It's amazing what 'Mother Nature' does to wood and such a shame that sooo much of it goes for 'firewood' instead of turnings.... :>( Beautiful turning and wood! Thanks for sharing and safe turning to you!!!

 

[David Hill]

David nice bowl I love spalted wood too. I'm not quite finished with this yet but looks alot like yours.View attachment 7079View attachment 7080

Looks good! I might turn the other side of that log this weekend.

 

[David Hill]

Thank y'all for the comments. More coming soon.

 

[gary rock]

David-

I would take the time to pick and clean the bug holes. If you want to emphasize the holes you can fill them with colored epoxy, colored stone, powered brass, aluminum or copper. I prefer to leave the holes as they are after they are cleaned out.

Gary

 

[Rob Wallace]

"Worm" holes.....

Here is a little piece I did that celebrates the collaboration between beetle larvae and me, in which I celebrated the tunneling efforts of these little arthropods by cleaning out the debris in their contorted passages through the wood, painting the 'inside' tunnel walls with black gesso, and air-brushing aniline dyes to heighten the contrast as part of my developing "aposematic coloration" (red-yellow-black) series of pieces. It was actually accepted into a juried exhibition in 2013, much to my surprise. The piece's title "Worm Works" makes note of the "endo-artisans" that first worked on the wood (Bradford pear) long before I started working on the piece. All "worm" holes do not have to be filled....!!

Rob