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Planet Mesquite - Finished

John Tisdale

John Tisdale

Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
460
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462
Location
Dallas, TX
A few of the forum members have been interested in this effort - finally - done.
Old Henry David remarked: "I have found that no exertion of the legs can bring two minds much nearer to one another." This forum testifies to that truth - our bond is genuine. We share our craft and peculiar insights with dear friends we've, in most cases, never met.
Which leads me to a favorite Keynesian quote: "It is astonishing the folly one holds true if one thinks too long alone" - I am truly blessed to have friends that would listen to ideas, call me a dumb-ass, and help resolve what needed resolving.

So with that in mind, here goes.
It took a bit over five years - seems ridiculous, especially to me. The log was plopped down on my driveway a few months before my 70th birthday and just before I started realizing my strength was beginning to wane and my mental quickness right behind, maybe a bit ahead. I came to realize this would be an exercise in serial problem solving - just as well - multi-tasking was never a strength. In the coming days I plan to detail those serial tasks as well as the painful mistakes.



Planet Mesquite Done.jpg
 
What Odie said. And, the fact that you kept everything in one piece is quite an accomplishment. My limited experience with large pieces of mesquite is that it is sort of like a three-dimensional interlocking jigsaw puzzle just waiting for the opportunity to come apart.
 
Glad you took it on. That is an amazing piece. Love your comments about aging, so true. Well done, you won that one.

I hope that it will be on display in a gallery or certainly in a place where the public can see it for many years. (with your age attached)

Congratulations, inspiring.
 
we all followed this....maybe a pic index from the start
 
Wow! Quite the masterpiece!!
Mesquite is my favorite to turn because of it's unpredictability and wide variability in grains and colors, you sure got the features to show.
 
I've followed your progress on this piece - thanks for posting the complete 'history' of the planet. Its been great to see how you solved the myriad of problems such a project presents as it moves along in its journey.
 
@Kevin Jenness shared this link with me in another thread, but I wanted to post my comment here, so that the thread would be bumped to the top. Hopefully this serves to highlight this incredible piece for new members to see (myself included).

What an amazing and impressive piece @John Tisdale - The name Planet Mesquite is certainly fitting. The form, the finish, the stand, everything is top notch. I see a ball of mesquite, but also a planet on the verge of destruction. Maybe analogous to the process of turning this beast.
 
Well, if I could visualize a piece like that, I guess it would take me about 5 years also. Well done!

robo hippy
 
Michael Anderson: Thanks for bringing to the forefront.
David Hill: The log came out of Karnes County - walking distance for you.
Everyone: I'd be totally tickled to walk anyone through the process. Problem for most, except David, is the material. Our course a 1200-lb spherical log is a rarity, even in Texas Hill Country or the salt grass areas surrounding the King Ranch. With that in mind, the form to "walk through" would be a "tall". While the tall doesn't require the extremes of tooling, it does have it's unique requirements - a big boy lathe for starters. The piece pictured is around 15-lbs but it started at over 300-lbs and grossly off balance - you can burn through some friends and neighbors mounting and the inevitable adjustments as turning commences.
Just click CONVERSATION and give me your phone number - will enjoy the chat.


Y150926 DSC_4350 (3).JPG
 
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