Woodturning Unique Two Piece Mushroom
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Mushrooms are a favorite project for woodturners. In fact, I did a series of posts on mushrooms many years ago.
One risk from those projects is the tight intersection between the underside of the cap and the top of the stem especially if the cap is cut back concave. Another issue is the top heavy nature of mushrooms. A mushroom in the wild has roots. A turned mushroom on a shelf does not have this convenience.
The unique birch branch provided inspiration to address both of these items. Instead of turning one solid block of wood, I cut a short slab for the cap. Then, I could treat the cap much like a small bowl. From the adjacent section of the branch. I cut a piece long enough for the stem then rip cut that in half. From one half, I turned a short simple stem with tenons on each end. The other half when trimmed back provided a base – the root system for my mushroom.
No finish for this mushroom. Any kind of finish would have distrubed the bark on the cap and the base.
In the end, I have a 2 piece mushroom with a bark edge plus a matching base
Enjoy!
Great project as usual Alan
Thank you Martin
Alan
Very instructive presentation for the Double Trouble Celtic Knot vase. I would be very interested to know how you prepare the hexagon stock! Any chance you might share your approach?
Respectfully,
William Railey
I covered it briefly. But the shapes at the ends is key to the process. Hexagon will produce 3 or 6 nodes; Pentagon will produce 5 nodes.
Pull out your computer to draw the hexagon or pentagon at the correct diameter (mine = 3 inches)
Print it and glue to a piece of thin plywood or such.
Rough cut the outline. Then sand to the line on a disk sander.
Simple?
Alan