This woodturning project is a natural edge mushroom in apricot. A viewer questioned how I oriented the turning axis on the last video. Since I didn’t have a defined answer, I decided to do an experiment.

With three apricot branches, I will orient the turning axis differently in each one: one straight thru the pith; one diagonally thru the bark line; and one half way between. We’ll see what differences there may be.

As usual, the challenge is in the mushroom’s cap. With the natural, irregular edge, it’s hard to find the edge or to ride a gouge’s bevel.

The finish is mineral oil and beeswax in a 75%/25% ratio. This is Eli Avisera’s recipe. Beeswax has a fringe benefit of smelling like honey when you use it. On this mushroom, I used the oil/wax also as a sanding compound. It both lubricates the sand paper and captures the dust that would otherwise go into the air.

I’ll be making more and larger mushrooms – two more for this experiment; size will always depend on the available wood.