Elm hat

[Den-Den]

This is for the Texas Forestry Association annual meeting auction; I will be trying to turn another one as a demo later today.

 

[21incher]

That is just amazing! Thanks for sharing.

[WmFritz]

Beautiful!

[r.man]

Beautiful work, now to show how little I know about things like this, can you wear it?

[thecfarm]

Den-Den did you do that!!!!

[coxy]

WOW that's awesome   it would have been in the stove if i tried to do that   

[WDH]

Superbly done.

[LaneC]

That is very nice. Watch out for the  woodpeckers :D

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Do you make them to a certain size? Very nice Den.

[Bill Gaiche]

Nice indeed. bg

[yukon cornelius]

if I had to make an elm hat it would just be a regular hat and I would write elm on it. That thing is amazing!

[LeeB]

What size is it and what's the minmum bid?

[LeeB]

How did you shape the brim? is it steam bent? I'm not normally a hat wearer but I would sport that with pride.

[mesquite buckeye]

Cool. ;D

I want to see one made from some good Texas mesquite. ;D ;D ;D

[Den-Den]

Thanks for all the compliments.

Den-Den did you do that!!!!

Yes, I made it.

Beautiful work, now to show how little I know about things like this, can you wear it?

Yes, they are wearable but tend to be warm.  Many people are surprised that the weight is no more than a felt hat.

Do you make them to a certain size? Very nice Den.

I have made them to fit a certain person, but it is a little more complicated than just size; the hat needs be shaped to match.

What size is it and what's the minmum bid?

The size is 7-1/4.  It was sold in a live auction; went for $225 (less than half value in my opinion)

How did you shape the brim? is it steam bent? I'm not normally a hat wearer but I would sport that with pride.

The hat is turned from fresh cut wood and clamped in a jig while drying.  Elm is a good choice as it shrinks quite a bit and bends without splitting.

[jueston]

What size is it and what's the minmum bid?

The size is 7-1/4.  It was sold in a live auction; went for $225 (less than half value in my opinion)

i have had the same thing happen several times, i put something in an auction and it goes for very little, and its almost always someone i know well who buys it, and i would have made one for them had they asked. but every one of my big several thousand dollar sales has been as a result of people seeing my work at auctions, so you shouldn't get to down about the price, people may be contacting you saying they saw the hat you made and they want something just like it. or like in my case, they want 50 or something just like it.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I would have bid $300 if it fit my noggin. 

[WmFritz]

I would have bid $300 if it fit my noggin. 

I'm sure it could be sized fur yer noggin real easy.
It just needs a couple holes drilled in it for yer horns.   ;D

[thecfarm]

That looks better than mighty nice!!

[LeeB]

I would have bid $300 if it fit my noggin. 

I have a couple of 5 gallon buckets.  :D

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I would have bid $300 if it fit my noggin. 

I have a couple of 5 gallon buckets.  :D

Tough crowd tonight.

[Magicman]

That is a true eye popper Den-Den.  You do beautiful work. 

[sandhills]

jueston is right, my wife saw it and well.... Very nice work!

[mad murdock]

Very impressive handiwork!! that is incredible

[low_48]

Beautiful job, somebody stole it at that price!

[phinds]

That's really impressive work. Beautiful choice of wood, too ... REALLY fits the project perfectly with the heartwood/sapwood combination. I admire your skill.

[rooster 58]

Now how did he do that say_what

[low_48]

Now how did he do that say_what

Johannes Michelson is the woodturner that has pretty much spread the word and knowledge of hat turning. Great guy and he sells DVDs and tools so you can make your own. Takes a 150 pound block and get it to a couple pounds or less when done.  I think you can buy one for around $2,000, but that might be on the low side now. I could have bought one for $500 when I first saw him at a symposium in St. Louis in the late 90s   http://www.woodhat.com

[JohnM]

I would have bid $300 if it fit my noggin. 

I have a couple of 5 gallon buckets.  :D

Tough crowd tonight.

:D :D

[petefrom bearswamp]

Beautiful hat.
You are truly talented
Went way too low IMO.
I once made 2 Cherry end tables for the church time and talent auc that went for 75 bucks.
I no longer do this I would rather give $

[phinds]

I have a wood ID web site that is very familiar to folks on most wood forums, although I think not so much on this forum. Anyway, in the 12 years I've maintained the site, I have previously asked on exactly one occasion for permission to use a woodworker's specific pics to add to the 15,000 or so that I have taken myself (and the other 25,000 I've lifted from various web sites). This was a wide variety of nicely turned bowls by Tom Pleatman, showing a lot of different domestics.

I was so impressed by Dennis's hat that I decided to do it (ask for pics) again and he kindly sent me pics of several of his hats. Very impressive work. I like the hats for the same reason I like bowls ... they show off all different angles of wood grain, flat cut, quartersawn, end grain and so forth. And of course, the hats also have the advantage of more artistic flair than bowls.

Thanks for the pics, Dennis. I was going to post them here in modest-sized form for all to see but I would have to put them in "my" gallery and that just doesn't seem appropriate. I think you should post them, though. You work deserves more bragging than you are doing.  ;D

Oh, and by the way, they'll go up to my site the next time I do a site mirror.

[WDH]

phinds,

Your website is awesome.  Best on the web for seeing and understanding wood structure.  I refer to it a lot. 

[phinds]

phinds,

Your website is awesome.  Best on the web for seeing and understanding wood structure.  I refer to it a lot.

Glad to hear it. Thanks for the feedback.

[lowpolyjoe]

That's amazing.  Beautiful work