Baschoue sans nom

Baschoue sans nom

Baschoue sans nom (Basket without name)

One the my first “basket” works. Since spring of 2009, I have been experimenting with “supported turnings” – various ways of turning delicate structures by using a temporary medium for support. I call this particular process – where I assemble stacks of thin veneer and then turn them – “basket work”. Ribs or spacers are placed between the layers of veneer in an alternating pattern causing the layers to undulate, creating the appearance of being woven.  Different arrangements of  ribs between the layers creates interesting variations in the appearances of the resulting piece.

The construction of this piece started with a 3 1/4” thick spalted maple blank. I then cut 27 slices of veneer being careful to maintain order and orientation. From the same blank ribs or spacers are milled creating 1/8” x 1/16” strips. The veneer layers are stacked with the ribs arranged radially 3 out of 6 per layer, alternating on each layer. The end result is the woven layer look. Maintaining the sequence and alignment makes appear that perhaps it is still a solid piece of wood.

This piece has been accepted for the AAW Maple Medley – An Acer Showcase exhibition which will premiere in Hartford CT at the 2010 AAW Symposium.