"Arch" wrote: (clip) For me, a good woodturning ought to be (clip) Please
suggest some ideas for making my turned wood mountings more than mere
backgrounds to my rebar 'art' (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Each part is what you make it, Arch. If you are thinking of the wood as
just a stand while you are making it, it will come out just a stand. If you
invest as much esthetic guidance into the wood parts, they will have their
own beauty. This thinking may be part of the problem. The wood and metal
should be seen and felt as a whole. If you make the metal object first, and
then look for a way to turn the "holder," you will inevitably relegate the
turning to second rate status.

Some antique tools, made of both wood and metal, are gorgeous, because of
the way the materials are blended, and because of the obvious respect the
maker had for both.