Curly Ambrosia Maple and Honey Locust Platters

Today’s platters are Curly Ambrosia Maple and Honey Locust.

I’ve worked a great deal with Maple of different types and this piece worked quite easily, cutting relatively smooth and sanding out in quick order.  The curl is pronounced and is enhanced, if your tastes run in the same direction, by the ambrosia effects.  To my disappointment, there are two very deep ambrosia beetle holes in the center of the piece, but if one understands that this is just the appearance of ambrosia Maple then they won’t be viewed as flaws.

Curly Ambrosia Maple 11 x 2

Honey Locust is one of the greatest turning woods you’ve probably never heard of.  It isn’t a common timber tree so sources are scare but if you can obtain some I highly recommend it.  The wood is a reddish pink, almost Cherry in appearance with a pronounced and wild grain pattern.  I greatly enjoy working with Honey Locust and will always grab it up whenever I can find it on the market.  It is a relatively hard wood that cuts cleanly and sands out smooth with little effort.

Honey Locust 10 x 2

All major cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool system on my Robust American Beauty lathe, although I do use Robert Sorby bowl gouges for light final passes before sanding.  Forward chucking was in a Nova Chuck, while reverse chucking was done using a Nova Chuck with Cole Jaws and the Big Easy Jaws from Easy Wood Tools for the oversized Butternut piece.  Sanding was with Gold and Green Wave sanding discs from Packard Woodworks.  Final finish is Shellawax.

As always, I wish all my readers a great experience in whatever your wood working interests happen to be and to those who like working with lathes especially, do a good turn today!