I had a request from an acquaintance who is very fond of bird’s eye maple (cherry too, but that’s for later), so I made this small dish. It measures 7 inches across but only 1.5 inches high. When I went to do the final interior sanding the chuck came off the lathe due to the lathe being reversed. I had tested the chuck and it was fine, until pressure was applied, so lesson learned: ALWAYS use the set screw to do reversed turning.
This is a small piece but it sure has a lot going on. There is intense bird’s eye figure and under a bright light and some rotation there is also some distinct tiger stripe, or flame, figure as well that demonstrates chatoyancy.
Bird’s Eye Maple Dish
The ShellaWax finish looks great on this piece and overall I am quite pleased although disappointed that it couldn’t have remained the original 2 inch height.
I have told the full story on Maple here.
Enjoy whatever turning adventures come your way!