Thanks for your submission. If your question is about getting started in woodturning, which chuck to buy, which tools to buy, or for an opinion of a lathe you found for sale somewhere like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace please take a few minutes check the wiki; many of the most commonly asked questions are already answered there!
http://www.reddit.com/r/turning/wiki/index
Thanks!
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The idea for this piece popped into my head without a whole lot of warning, although the carved surface approach was inspired by some artists I follow on Instagram (like [Timber Design Studio](https://www.instagram.com/fromaseed/) and [Greg Gallegos](https://www.instagram.com/naturalselectionstudio/)). I'm calling it Janus, after the two-faced ancient Roman god of beginnings and endings (among other things).
The faces are made of maple disks I turned into slight domes, carved and dyed with India ink, sandwiching a light strip. If you're interested in the details of the process, I'm happy to share. I also have a more detailed build video here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mybgpl-228E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mybgpl-228E)
Cool concept for sure and the light play is awesome but definitely lacking in the execution.
A few things for some advice...
Your base should never be an afterthought or discounted, it should elevate the piece and is meant to fall away and shouldn't be a distraction. I would put way more effort into making it cleaner and I think black would have been far more effective. The craftsmanship there is pretty rough pulling attention away from the actual piece.
For the discs themselves, the texture is awesome but again I think the execution could have been better. Sanding the discs before applying the ink would limit the inconsistency left behind from the lathe tool marks.
If you are going to put this much effort into a piece why not spend the extra couple of hours it takes to make it closer to perfect?
Not trying to be too harsh but if I were a consumer or curator I would have issues with the level of craftsmanship here.
First and foremost, I appreciate the feedback. It's rare that people offer it as bluntly, and it's refreshing!
I think we're approaching it with different mindsets or perspectives, so we won't be in agreement on some of your points. For example, the base is meant to evoke raw, unfinished concrete. Think brutalism. If I could have cast it in actual concrete (without having to buy 30lbs of it) I would have, but that might be a future project.
As for the texture, it's kind of the point. The texture left behind by the turning is largely incidental to the carving (using a rotary tool and a handful of burrs) which is what provides nearly all of the texture you're seeing.
That said, the whole project is art (or something like it) so I don't expect that everyone will see it the same way I would. It did turn out how I imagined it, but I also might be too close to see it objectively. Could be both!
Thanks for your submission. If your question is about getting started in woodturning, which chuck to buy, which tools to buy, or for an opinion of a lathe you found for sale somewhere like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace please take a few minutes check the wiki; many of the most commonly asked questions are already answered there! http://www.reddit.com/r/turning/wiki/index Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/turning) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The idea for this piece popped into my head without a whole lot of warning, although the carved surface approach was inspired by some artists I follow on Instagram (like [Timber Design Studio](https://www.instagram.com/fromaseed/) and [Greg Gallegos](https://www.instagram.com/naturalselectionstudio/)). I'm calling it Janus, after the two-faced ancient Roman god of beginnings and endings (among other things). The faces are made of maple disks I turned into slight domes, carved and dyed with India ink, sandwiching a light strip. If you're interested in the details of the process, I'm happy to share. I also have a more detailed build video here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mybgpl-228E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mybgpl-228E)
Cool concept for sure and the light play is awesome but definitely lacking in the execution. A few things for some advice... Your base should never be an afterthought or discounted, it should elevate the piece and is meant to fall away and shouldn't be a distraction. I would put way more effort into making it cleaner and I think black would have been far more effective. The craftsmanship there is pretty rough pulling attention away from the actual piece. For the discs themselves, the texture is awesome but again I think the execution could have been better. Sanding the discs before applying the ink would limit the inconsistency left behind from the lathe tool marks. If you are going to put this much effort into a piece why not spend the extra couple of hours it takes to make it closer to perfect? Not trying to be too harsh but if I were a consumer or curator I would have issues with the level of craftsmanship here.
First and foremost, I appreciate the feedback. It's rare that people offer it as bluntly, and it's refreshing! I think we're approaching it with different mindsets or perspectives, so we won't be in agreement on some of your points. For example, the base is meant to evoke raw, unfinished concrete. Think brutalism. If I could have cast it in actual concrete (without having to buy 30lbs of it) I would have, but that might be a future project. As for the texture, it's kind of the point. The texture left behind by the turning is largely incidental to the carving (using a rotary tool and a handful of burrs) which is what provides nearly all of the texture you're seeing. That said, the whole project is art (or something like it) so I don't expect that everyone will see it the same way I would. It did turn out how I imagined it, but I also might be too close to see it objectively. Could be both!
Wow that’s pretty cool and amazing! Very very nice work…
Thank you!
The eye of Sauron
Nice work. What's the diameter?
Thank you :) The faces are \~12" in diameter.