Something Different

Well we got some rain last night, finally, and that cooled it down to the early 70's today - great weather to be out in the workshop. I'm applying finish to a few bowls and thought I'd do something different on the lathe today, something I haven't done in awhile.

I'm making Mushrooms!

Started with some spalted maple I had lying around. This was a curvy branch about 6' long and I cut it into appropriate sections on the CMS (compound miter saw), then I mounted one of the sections on the lathe.

This piece is about 5-3/4" long x about 3" in diameter.

This is the most dangerous part - stripping off the bark. The bark is very fibrous and tends to come off in chunks and flies around the shop like shrapnel. Sometimes I use the faceshield if I believe it will be too dangerous. Usually the worst that happens is the spinning fibers thrash my left thumb for a few seconds before the chisel removes them.

This picture shows the spalting in the end grain.

Nice, no?

Here's a close up.

Again, the spalted areas are much softer than the non-spalted area so it can be challenging and great care must be excercised. I've turned about a hundred mushrooms over the past few years so I sort of have it down pat.

About 15 minutes later look what emerged from that rustic timber - a mushroom!

That square is about 4" tall and it will give a sense of scale. The shroom is about 5" tall.

Didn't lose much from the height but did lose some diameter due to the bark removal.

This is a close up of the spalting at the base. 

I'll apply a couple coats of poly to the shrooms I turn today and soon they will be available for purchase over at the Brown County Shops website. 

The large chunk of wood on the lathe is also spalted maple, given to me by my neighbor across the road from a tree he cut down a few years ago. It had been sitting around drying in the workshop all this time and I decided to do something with it. Maybe you'll get to see what it turns into soon!