Finished a Mistletoe...

[TTIT]

Eventually got one done.:D Very different to turning anything I've tried before. The mistletoe is quite soft and oak-like compared to the good old rock-hard Black-butt.
Pic 1. Chose to mount it on a screw chuck in the soft end (Mistletoe) first to allow a spigot to be turned onto the hard (Blackbutt) end.
Pic 2. Glued a spigot from a past project on to avoid wasting anything of the mistletoe and started flooding the weak spots with CA.
Pic 3. Getting some shape and starting to see the interlocking of the two species.
Pic 4. Hollowed to about 7-8mm thick and glued the last few loose bits in place. Over all size ended up about 110W x 80H.

[TTIT]

Finishing turned out to be a real problem!:eek::confused::( The first coat of Danish oil seemed to react with something in the margins between the two timbers and stayed tacky for days. I tried all sorts of oils and stuff to seal it but it still doesn't feel right. Ended up with some good old O'Cedar to clean the tackiness off and left it at that.:)
The final product is fascinating to look at - very weird the way the two timbers combine. Out looking for some bigger ones next weekend!:D

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Nice. Very,very nice.

So, ya gonna let us in on your secret source? ;)

[hughie]

The final product is fascinating to look at - very weird the way the two timbers combine. Out looking for some bigger ones next weekend!:D


TTIT dunno about wierd I would say damn nice looking and very good treatment of a unusal piece. All in all it came out very well. I would be more than happy with such a result.:)

hughie

ps if you get to many.............

[RufflyRustic]

Lovely TTIT! Very unusual - I really like how you've kept some of the bark(?) edge but kept it to it's shape. Lov-er-ly!!!

Cheers
Wendy

[rsser]

Terrific TTIT.

Would've had your heart in your mouth towards the end I'd imagine.

I wrap duct tape around the outside while hollowing a structurally weak piece.

[ptc]

Fantastic ! well worth all the effort

[Terry B]

Very nice.
I have quite a few of those pieces laying on the ground at home and I might try the same.
Do you think dead or alive ones will be better?

Terry B

[Gil Jones]

TTIT, great looking Mistletoe piece!
OZ Mistletoe sure is bigger than the Georgia variety,
which is a green stem, leaves, and small waxy-whitish berries.
Also, ours is a parasite on trees.
http://people.howstuffworks.com/mistletoe1.htm

[dai sensei]

Amazing TTIT. Can't say I've ever seen a mistletoe big enough to turn. Have you got any pictures of the originals?

[TTIT]

Amazing TTIT. Can't say I've ever seen a mistletoe big enough to turn. Have you got any pictures of the originals?
Dai - Check this post (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showpost.php?p=323969&postcount=6) - it's the one on the far right.


Also, ours is a parasite on trees.
Ours are parasites too Gil - the pieces I have are from trees that are dying/dead from the strain of supporting the buggers.:(


Do you think dead or alive ones will be better?
Don't know Terry! Haven't tried a green one yet but I imagine they would move, shrink, be quite sappy and generally misbehave. For myself, I'll stick to the dry ones for now!:D

Thanks all for your much appreciated comments.:D:):D:)

[Auzzie turner]

Ohhhhh! the shape is perfect, the wood excellent choice for that shape, and the finish looks mar-free(from here). Hope to see more from this source,

REgards.........Joash

[Gil Jones]

Guess I will go rummage around in the forest (across the road) and see if turnable Mistletoe is in the offing. I know we have lots of Mistletoe up in the Oaks, but I cannot recall ever seeing it large enough to turn a pen from.

[Hickory]

Amazing!!! Are we talking about the same plant here.... Around this segment of the world Mistletoe is a small Parasite plant thay grows high in the top branches of old tall trees. A stem of our green plant (with white berries) is no more than 1/4" at most. can't say that I ever saw a piece big enough for any turning or woodcraft.

And the turning you did is excellant,

[Terry B]

Amazing!!! Are we talking about the same plant here.... Around this segment of the world Mistletoe is a small Parasite plant thay grows high in the top branches of old tall trees. A stem of our green plant (with white berries) is no more than 1/4" at most. can't say that I ever saw a piece big enough for any turning or woodcraft.

And the turning you did is excellant,

I think the plant is very different. I have attached some photos of the plant. The first one is of a dead plant on the ground. The second is a very alive one about 15m up a tree and the 3rd is a smaller dead one still attached to a small tree.
Terry B

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I don't think it's the plant itself he's turning, rather the burlish type junction between the two... which would be a challenge to keep intact.

Of course, I'm usually mistaken...

[Terry B]

I don't think it's the plant itself he's turning, rather the burlish type junction between the two... which would be a challenge to keep intact.

Of course, I'm usually mistaken...

That is exactly correct. I have collected a few of them (up to 20cm across) & will give it a go in the fullness of time (to quote Sir Humphrey)

Terry B

[TTIT]

That is exactly correct. I have collected a few of them (up to 20cm across) & will give it a go in the fullness of time (to quote Sir Humphrey)
Terry B
Looks like you've got some good ones there Terry! :D What sort of trees are they on? You'll find the plant is basically the same as what they have in the USA but their trees apparently don't react to them the way some of ours do. We also have many trees here that seem to happily co-exist with the mistletoe developing no burl at all.:)

[hughie]

[Looks like you've got some good ones there Terry! :D


I would be interested in tree type as well, Eucalyptus?


hughie

[Hickory]

Looks like the same plant but as was said previously, doesn't react with a burl etc. Different climate, species , etc. Rather Mundane in these parts. Thanks for the lessons.

[OGYT]

I second the statement made by Hickory; Thanks for the lesson...
I've gotta start looking closer at things when I get around a forest again..
Thanks,

[Terry B]

I would be interested in tree type as well, Eucalyptus?


hughie

The tree type is just my forrest full of stringybarks.

Terry B