Eucalyptus Series

**ticklingmedusa** · 19th March 2012, 03:20 PM

Link to a series of 10 photos
Tickling Medusa - Woodturning by John Lopez
This series of hollow forms are made from local urban timber.
In 2007 what was most likely a massive Banksia or Grevillia came down in my neighborhood.
My best estimate of the age of the tree would be 80 to 100 years.
I spoke to the homeowner and he was happy to be rid of some of it.
If I had known what I would find inside I would have taken more.

1. Bigger natural edge hollow form, At about 9 o'clock there is a vein of magenta ...
when it was freshly machined it was much brighter. It's faded some after a year.

2 & 3. This one was a bandsaw cutoff that I tried after prepping &
roughing out the others and seeing the potential in this timber.
I did not hollow to a particularly thin wall on any of them.
When I have wood this special I begin to not trust my skills and steady hand.
It took me a few years to do this series because I'd pause often and think about
my next move.
(Of course I was doing other projects on the side.)
Laid on it's side this one transforms into a birdhouse.

4. A smaller hollow form from the same nugget of timber.

5 & 6. In spite of the damage on the top of this one the bottom had enough
going for it that I thought the contrast between the surfaces might be interesting.
I used a Kirsten Kone to finish turn the bottom on this one and the birdhouse.
I've turned mandrel type jigs to finish turn bottoms and they work .
A Kone makes the process nearly foolproof , which compensates nicely
when my impaired hand function is added into the mix.
The latest version has more adjustable capacity so I tried one.
The scrawl on the bottom was done with a Dremel engraver.
I'm not real happy & may fork out money for a burner.
Even wearing a leather glove I seem to end up with blisters.

7, 8, 9. Another old Eucalyptus this one was a windfall at Balboa Park in San Diego,
California. A homeless man ran up and helped my brother throw the log into the truck.
Most of you may know a little about eucalyptus and how it came to be here in California
This link might be interesting to some.
http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journ...eucalyptus.htm

10. ET takes his girlfriend to the movies.
Not really, just checking.
Thanks for taking a look.
John

**Cliff Rogers** · 19th March 2012, 03:23 PM

**TTIT** · 19th March 2012, 10:40 PM

Very nice pieces John.
Hope you don't think I'm being picky but I think the link might be going to the wrong place - nothing like any eucalypt I know - in fact I've never seen a euc' with a visible medulary ray

**Old Croc** · 20th March 2012, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by TTIT

Very nice pieces John.
Hope you don't think I'm being picky but I think the link might be going to the wrong place - nothing like any eucalypt I know - in fact I've never seen a euc' with a visible medulary ray

Hi John,
Beautiful work,

even more impressive after visiting you. Have to agree with Vern, one or two of them look like Silky Oak or Coastal Banksia?
Regards,
Crocy.

**Tony Morton** · 20th March 2012, 09:00 AM

Nice work John but like the others I am thinking banksia .

Cheers Tony

**ticklingmedusa** · 20th March 2012, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Tony Morton

Nice work John but like the others I am thinking banksia .

Cheers Tony

Arghhh!
Good calls Tony & Verne & Croccy,
humble apologies , I must have been misinformed.
The good news is that if it is the Silky, I didn't have an allergic reaction .
J.

**dr4g0nfly** · 21st March 2012, 05:52 AM

What can I say that's not been said?

However I do like the ability of some people to turn an object and have the courage to not need to turn it all or finish every part, not natural edges, but using the natural as part odf the effect.

Very nice

**artme** · 22nd March 2012, 12:49 AM

Hey - Nice work all round!!

Most likely Silky Oak - Grevillia Robusta. Banksia tends to have a much coarser grain structure.

**NeilS** · 23rd March 2012, 03:22 PM

**ticklingmedusa** · 23rd March 2012, 05:00 PM

Eucalyptus has always been around me.
I know the difference between a Red Ironbark & a Silk Oak

tree.
I'm learning the difference the embarrassing way as far as turning blanks are concerned.

Thanks to those who pointed out my mistake .
Wood is a great medium to work with because you can do so
much with it.
Most of the wood I'm using these days is urban timber...
trees that come down in storms or have to be removed from
somebody's yard .
I get really beautiful stuff that way from landscapers often.
Sometimes I come home and find a pile of wood in the driveway.
Doing that kind of work is highly addictive...
something magic happens when I apply a finish like oil
or wax to a piece and the grain pattern & colors pop.
I'm thinking a great deal about the recipients as I make them.
I love what happens when I put one in someone's hands.
We have had a major storm over the last week with big winds & maybe a foot
of snow by now in our 6000 foot mountains 50 miles from here.
I've been sitting inside and hand sanding & applying coats of tung oil on another one for a few days now.
Tung oil is stinky when wet but I'm happy with it as a finish.
In a few more days another pile of wood will spontaneously appear in the driveway due
to the storms.
Some pieces will go into the firebox and some to the shop.
Thanks again for the responses,
John

**mimpi** · 26th March 2012, 01:11 PM

very nice work John and appreciated the article as well. A nice interesting read on the history of the eucalypti over the sea.

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