Thistle finial and base for summerhouse

Description

This thistle finial is a decorative item turned for the apex of a pentagonal summerhouse roof. A customer in Edinburgh had seen my acorn finial and asked if I could turn something similar in the shape of a thistle. I based the design on a simplified thistle, similar to what might appear on the end of a spurtle - too much detail such as the criss cross design often seen on the ball part of the thistle would be lost up on a roof, and would also increase penetration by water, dirt and moss.

The piece was made from cedarwood, and left untreated, as the customer wanted to stain it to match the rest of his summerhouse. Cedar wood is very resistant to rot. The finished finial, stained to match the summerhouse, is shown below.

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