Appearances can be deceptive...!

[robutacion]

Hi everyone,

With the hot summer in full swing (up here...!), I have been using the little energy I have been having lately, to cut all the tall & thick grass on the timber storage paddock (about 4 acres) and clean/remove all the excess fuel (cut grass, twigs, branches, etc.,) about. The last thing I need/want is a cigarette thrown from the road side, or anything capable to start a fire, turning most of my timber stock into ashes:no:

Anyway, while cleaning the paddock I found "something" that I've picked-up from another place where I did cut and collect some timber a few months ago. It nearly got me again when I saw it through the grass, thinking...! cattle, here?:?. I then realise that the "item" was familiar to me so once again I picked it up but, this time I put it in the waggon.

The reason why I got "it" in the first place, was with the intentions to try to turn "it" and see how it would go..!:o I didn't put much though into "it" since as I though that I had lost "it" but, now that I found "it" again, I'm going to give "it" a go...!:doh:

I know, there are lots of "it" (s) in this post, as I would prefer for you to tell me, what you thing "that thing" is! I'm ain't going to tell until I get some guesses. I'm not sure if this is going to be much of a clue or help to anyone but, once someone said, "if it walks like a duck and sounds like one, the chances are, it is a duck...!" :;

I don't think is green either, is very light and looks very well dried (cooked) to me...!:rolleyes:
What should I try to turn out of it?

Don't worry, all possibilities considered...!:D

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

[Rum Pig]

My guess is the base of a coconut palm:? It is upside down :rolleyes:

[ElizaLeahy]

dried elephant foot...

Hollow it out and you have an umbrella stand!

[Sawdust Maker]

petrified cow pat :rolleyes:

[Brendan1152]

Looks like a dried fungus to me.

[texx]

3000 year old big mac

[RETIRED]

3000 year old big macNope. With the preservatives it would still look fresh.:wink:

[Mollywood]

Is it a branch bark collar?
With the stubb of a broken branch still attached?

[joe greiner]

Before I got to the pictures, I knew what it was.

Called a "meadow muffin" in farm country. In Oklahoma or Texas, or someplace like that, they hold tossing contests, like Frisbee, with two tosses allowed. There was proposed a requirement to lick your thumb between tosses, but I don't think it was instituted.:D

You could pretend it's a burl, I suppose.:rolleyes:

Cheers,
Joe

[corbs]

I think I know what it is.... whatever you do, don't step on it:;

(I really don't know what it is:no:)

[petersemple]

If it's what I think it is, I would be making sure my dust control was VERY good if I was going to turn it. I would not be surprised if there's still a decent load of bacteria in it.

Peter

[OGYT]

It's a poopiewaffle!! My grandson's been around cows before. :D

[Ed Reiss]

It's an advance scout for an alien invasion!!:o

[robutacion]

Hi Ladies and Gents,

Some damn "interesting" guesses people, some a little more "smelly" than others but, only one person is close to the fact!.:wink:

Appart from what can happen when I actually put it in the lathe, and that is going to be very interesting :oo:, is no reason why we can't have a little fun identifying the object:U

I had another couple of pics but they didn't turn out very good, appart from this one, which shows how the "object" looks like on the bottom/base/underneath/underside. This alone should be enough to eliminate some mentioned possibilities, and at the same time put people in the right track for the correct answer.

Sorry to all the very "inpatient" people out there, patience is indeed a virtue, and to become a woodturner, this is a "must" to learn and perfect, (unless you don't do green turnings) :o :D! I'm I right...?:doh::;

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

[ElizaLeahy]

So probably not an elephants foot...

[Gil Jones]

RBTCO,
I reckon it is either one of these>> http://www.pbase.com/artistchick/flora_and_fungi, or a termite mound. Good luck turning it. If it is the “one of these”, I hope you have a good breathing apparatus.
:)

[new_guy90]

what ever that thing is it looks bad .......................my guess is its from the base of some tropical tree .............ok im dieing to know what is it?

Patrick

[artme]

At first glance I thought "it" was the remains of a defeeted elephant!:D:D:D

Second lot of photos have made me realise that "The Blob" has returned.:p:p

[Sawdust Maker]

Is it any good sautéed and on toast :U

[Mobil Man]

Looks like a burl of some sort.

[robutacion]

OK everyone, here it is...!

Found it on a old & dry log of Black Wattle, that was still standing up. There are a few others attached to the log, the bigger one did come out, when I cut the log of the butt.

According to the info that Gil Jones gave us, the closer one I can match with is, the "on tree bark" fungi. I've seen lots of this fungi before, different size colours and shapes but, they normally brake appart as soon as you touch them. This one seems to be more dense with some internal interesting structure. Still extremely light, has no smell associated with it, and if hold in the hand, it really does look and feel like dry cow poo...!
I'm not sure when I will turn it (well..., try...!) but, I will use dust musk, just in case!:;
Don't rush me, please...!:~:U

I hope that everybody has had some fun with the guessing, congratulations to those that got it right...!:D

Time to go...

Cheers
RBTCO

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

That puts paid to my theory that 'twas a DIY electrician... :rolleyes:

[NeilS]

That black wattle might have some very nice spalting waiting for you, George.

Neil

[robutacion]

Hi everyone,

As promised, this fungi "chunk" was going to get turned the one way or the other. Indeed, I did turn it,(semi-finished and sealed with sanding sealer) some time before I started rough turning all those olive green blanks I made from my last olive cutting marathon.
I was limited to the shape (big chunk missing on one side) and I obviously wanted it round(ish), and also with the texture of this solid fungi, which was the closest thing one can have from a natural piece of tree cork skin of about 3" thick. There were 3 distinct areas, where texture and rigidity would change considerably, making turning this material, a not so easy affair. In reality, its best appearance or when it looked at its best, was just before I coated with a good sanding sealer, hoping to stabilize and harden the hole thing a little more. It had this "corky" colour and rough feeling to it, with the top edges appearing naturally much darker then the rest, but as soon as I touched it with the sealer (later on find out that even just water would do the same), the whole thing got really dark immediately, and it did not change after dried.
Anyway, I left it for some weeks and today I decided to finish a couple of small pieces I had ready. With this fungi piece, I finished with (soaked in) Floorseal as this is a very hard floor finish which will seal the soft texture of this fungi structure. I decided to expose a small portion of that natural cork colour & texture by cutting a recess into its flat wall, and leaving it as is.
I believe, in between the "soaking" in sanding sealer and the Floorseal, the penetration of these products was sufficient to stabilize the expose surface material of this fungi, making it difficult to contaminate by touch.
During all work done on this fungi, protective equipment was used during all stages as a precaution. Not being certain of its possible toxicity and or possible allergy reaction to certain persons, this piece will be numbered, sign and processed as any other piece I've made but, it will not be sold but kept instead at my display shelf in my computer room, just to be sure...!:D

Is not a lot more I can say about it, apart from being a very unusual colouration, texture and material, as for the shape, lets just say, was one of the possibilities...!:;

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

[ElizaLeahy]

That has to be one of the most unusual things I've ever seen!

I still think it's an elephants foot. In fact, I'm more sure then every that's what it is!!!

:)

[Ed Reiss]

...whatever it is, I hope you got your shots RBTCO !!!!!:q

[Paul39]

It looks something like the bracket fungus I have seen growing on dead trees and stumps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, USA. You folks might have a variety that grows round.

The ones I have messed with were quite hard and tough. Would be interesting to see what the inside looks like.

Post photos.

[Paul39]

Didn't read all the pages before I posted.

So it was a fungus amung us.

[Rum Pig]

it is a pity it turned black on you. Where you have made that cut out would nice polished (if it didn't turn black)

[Mrs Woodpecker]

I'm with Sawdust Maker. :U:U

[robutacion]

I'm with Sawdust Maker. :U:U

Hello stranger, where have you been?
Hope your hubby is doing better!

Back to turnings again?

Take care
Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO