My spouse's cousin recently had a largish Chokecherry tree cut down as it was near the end of its life and was interfering with the power lines besides. Much of the trunk had been cut up and was piled for disposal in the back yard so I grabbed a piece to see what I could make out of it.
The piece wasn't very large and had some cracks and maybe a bit of rot, but I decided I'd try to make a turning out of it since fruit trees often have interesting grain patterns and I didn't have any other projects on the go. The wood was still pretty damp and there was almost no sawdust with the shavings. It did dry out a bit and crack further but I had in mind that I could fill any cracks. Unfortunately when I was almost done, the turning tool must have caught one of the cracks and with a big bang the wood disappeared off the lathe. I found it on the floor by the lathe. And on the floor by the door, and on the floor by the drill press.
The good news was that it broke cleanly into three almost-equal pieces, so I grabbed the epoxy, stuck it back together and re-turned it to even things out. So it has some ummm...character lines, but if you squint enough they are tough to see. The way-too-many-pictures-for-a-simple-turning page is
here.
| Material: | Chokecherry |
| Construction: | Turned |
| Finish: | 3 coats Miniwax Wipe-on Poly, clear Satin |
| Size: | 4.0" dia x 10" tall |
| Done: | November 30, 2016 |
