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BernieP
14th September 2006, 05:59 PM
Hi all,

Spent some time in shed trying to do a goblet and I think this one has turned out a bit better (third time lucky?) Made of Silky Oak 14cm high, 5.5cm wide and 2mm thick. Probably still a bit thick but maybe next one. Other one Campour Laurel bowl. Appreciate critisms as usual.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
14th September 2006, 06:45 PM
Good job! IMHO goblets are one of the hardest forms to come to grips with, end-grain hollowing combined with a thin stem can lead to major headaches.

Without actually being able to handle it, it's difficult to offer any constructive criticisms... the finish inside the bottom of the bowl and it's thickness are the areas where most people need more practise.

Visually, I think that a short stemmed goblet looks best if the bowl is about as wide as it is tall... eg. a brandy snifter with a "balloon" type bowl. A tall, narrowish bowl such as yours, really needs a long slender stem to balance it out and stop it from looking top-heavy. Of course, the longer the stem (and/or the initial blank) the harder it is to turn. So don't just jump in and try to turn a 12" stem... miracles don't happen. ;)

I'm not a great fan of straight(ish) sides, either. If it's not tapered out into a wide 'V' like a martini glass, I like a bit more of a taper in towards the top, to around 2/3 of the widest part. I also like to flare out the lip into a tulip shape, as it adds a degree of elegance although it makes it damned awkward to drink from. :rolleyes:

These aren't intended as criticisms of your goblet, although you can take it that way if you wish. :D You've made a good start, and the above are suggestions of the sort of form to work towards. As with any shape, you'll improve with practice. Even if you can't see it... just sit your 1st, 5th and 10th goblet side by side (if and when you finally turn that many) and the difference will pop!

The fruit platter looks good, too. Ya might have to make the sides a bit deeper to stop the fruit from rolling off onto the table like that though... ;) :D

BernieP
14th September 2006, 10:37 PM
Hi Skew,

As usual all your comments taken onboard and appreciated if people don't suggest what they think and share their expertise I won't benifet from posting here, thanks again
Bernie

powderpost
14th September 2006, 11:15 PM
Many years ago I had trouble in making a goblet the "looked" good. Made up twelve different shapes and sizes, everybody that ventured near was put upon to arrange them from nice to upta putty. It was a very interesting exercise, try it, I would like to hear the result. From that I learned about proportion. Since then, if I make a goblet, the bowl is about half the total height with it's diameter about two thirds the height of the bowl. No beads or coves, just simple lines. For bowls and platters, I like to make the foot about half the diameter. Having said that I did make a bowl without a foot of any sort, in fact the bottom was curved so that it would rock on the table. Interestingly, any fruit would roll to the bottom and the bowl would sit nicely on the table. The bottom line here is not to be afraid to venture outside the square. There will be some failures, but there will be a hell of a lot of learning along with some surprises.
Jim

TTIT
14th September 2006, 11:46 PM
Good work Bernie! :) Skew and Jim have pretty much summed it up. It looks like you've got technique under control so form should improve with experience. :D

Skew ChiDAMN!!
15th September 2006, 12:13 AM
I went to take a coupla pix of my better pieces to show what I meant by "brandy snifters," "martini glasses" and "tulip shaped" but discovered the camera has gone on hols with SWMBO. It's great to be home alone, but not so good when they take all the other creature comforts too. [sigh]

So instead, here's a pic I posted some time ago of my "junk" shelf which is just inside our front door. It's where my bits'n'pieces tend to be dumped when I come in from the shed. Most of these are just little "fiddles," things I knocked up in an hour or so when trying a new idea or just plain bored (some people turn out bowl after bowl... I do goblets. [shrug]) and I won't claim they're shining examples of goblets as these ones never were intended to be! A couple are downright fugly! :D

However I have noticed that several have gone AWOL of recent weeks... it's a back-handed compliment and tends to p!ss me off (All they have to do is ask!) but I'm taking it as a compliment just the same. Not that I have much choice, as it can only be family or friends. :mad::(

The two in the middle are the "tulip" form, while the one in the lower LH side is similar to the form I prefer for shorter stemmed goblets. As was the lidded bowl on legs in the RH side... the stem snapped :eek: so the foot became a lid. :o

Keep in mind that these forms are my preferences. Which are slowly changing over time anyway. A while ago I did nothing but the "V" shaped bowl, similar to the spalted thing at the back LH side but without the rounded bottom. I should add that the end use also plays a major factor in the final shape... there's no joy in drinking from a "dribble" goblet.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/attachment.php?attachmentid=26480&d=1152948925

BTW, if you follow Jim's idea of getting people to line 'em up in order, I'd be interested to hear the results, too. :) I've found that mine tend to be arranged in order of age (funny thing, that!) although people occasionally surprise me. Thank God for that, it'd be a boring old world if we all had the same tastes! :D

And TTIT summed up succinctly exactly what I failed to say. :o :D

Touchwood
15th September 2006, 12:21 AM
Skew - I really like the pale wood one near the Insight books - with the flare out - and the jarrah? one - although in your nick of the woods it could be red gum (which is a white wood over here:confused: :confused: :confused: )

BernieP - they look fine to me - well done!

JD
:)

rowie
15th September 2006, 12:47 AM
Skew - I really like the pale wood one near the Insight books - with the flare out - and the jarrah? one - although in your nick of the woods it could be red gum (which is a white wood over here:confused: :confused: :confused: )

BernieP - they look fine to me - well done!

JD
:)nice work Bernie & Skew;)
Jen, looks like some sort of oak or ash burl?

Skew ChiDAMN!!
15th September 2006, 12:59 AM
It's a heavily spalted mystery wood from the firewood pile, Jen. :) It looks like a very fine-grained oak but the bark put the lie to that. [shrug] Apart from that, there's one in Red-gum, one from a Mulberry limb and the rest are Pittosperum.

Just scraps I had lying around that'd not be a great loss if my fiddles didn't work out. Here, Jarrah's hard enough to come by in large enough pieces that it's reserved for my more "serious" pieces.