A Venture into Bowl Turning.

[Slim]

I have had a lathe for a while now, but have only once tried bowl turning and the less said about that saga the better. At the Yandles show this year, I walked throught the rooms with the racks of turning blanks and thought "why not" I'll give it another go. So here are my first three bowls.

Eucalyptus Burr 6" diameter

Padauk 11" diameter

Zebrano 10" diameter

 

[Paul.J]

Three nice looking pieces there Simon
Love the colour,grain,shape of the first.Did you manage to hollow the middle out o.k.
Nice photos too.
Bought a piece of Zebrano meself when we were their.
Can't wait to have a go at it.
Lets see some more
Paul.J.

 

[PowerTool]

Nice work - finish looks excellent;what did you use ?(last two look waxed )

Andrew

 

[CHJ]

Well you have obviously been wasting a lot of spinning time if that's your starting standard Simon.

The burr would not be my first choice for working for a start in trying to master tool control but you have managed to keep some consistent detail in what must have been a variable density piece of wood.

The Red Padauk would have been a baptism in fire dust, and the Zebrano stood a good chance of adding it's own aroma to the proceedings.

You obviously already have an understanding of abrasive use and finishing as I cannot see any of the usual telltale tool marks or abrasive scratches expected on early pieces.

Looking forward to more of your efforts.

 

[Bodrighy]

Wow, that burr is pretty fancy for a first effort innit? Looks as though you may have some competition creeping up in the bowl scene Chas :lol:

Pete

 

[CHJ]

....Looks as though you may have some competition creeping up in the bowl scene Chas :lol:
Pete

Competition's more than welcome Pete, it's about time I took a bit of a back seat* and let a few more get a look in, hopefully someone with a bit more patience than me for artistic development will emerge from the woodwork to give us all inspiration.

*the thought of someone else’s house getting stacked out with bits of polished wood cheers me up no end. :lol:

 

[Slim]

Wow thanks for the nice comments guys. That has certainly encouraged me to continue with bowl turning any try to develop my technique.

Love the colour,grain,shape of the first.Did you manage to hollow the middle out o.k.

Well Paul, the answer to that is no. I found it very difficult, but I put that down to bad technique. I used a freshly sharpened bowl gouge but I was unable to stop it digging in. I eventualy moved to a round nose scraper which I found mush easier to use. I used the bowl gouge on the other two pieces though and had no problems at all. The problems were probably to do with having to hollow out the bulbous shape.

Nice work - finish looks excellent;what did you use ?(last two look waxed )

Thanks Andrew. All three pieces are waxed, but only the last two are buffed to a shine. I did buff the first piece but decided that a shiny finish didn't suit it, so I knocked it back with a webrax pad. The other two, I tried to get as glossy a finish as I could.

The burr would not be my first choice for working for a start in trying to master tool control but you have managed to keep some consistent detail in what must have been a variable density piece of wood.

Thanks for your kind comments Chas. The burr was very difficult. I actually bought that blank at the Harrogate woodworkin show last November. But after 10 months drying in my workshop and god knows how long before that, it was still soaking wet. Whenever I turned the lathe on, I was sprayed with the moisture in the wood. Since I have turned the eucalyptus, it has moved quite considerably. However, I think the wrping has added to the pieces character.

The Red Padauk would have been a baptism in fire dust, and the Zebrano stood a good chance of adding it's own aroma to the proceedings.

Yep, my clothes, hair, skin and workshop turned bright red. I have a Trend Airshield though so my lungs were not subject to the same treatment... thankfully.

Wow, that burr is pretty fancy for a first effort innit? Looks as though you may have some competition creeping up in the bowl scene Chas

Hmmm, not sure about that. I don't think I will be starting a 30 page thread showcasing my work anytime soon. Chas' output is phenominal.

 

[Slim]

Here is my 4th attempt, which I am extremely pleased with.

Chestnut, 8" diameter

 

[CHJ]

Here is my 4th attempt, which I am extremely pleased with.

And so you should be, the finish and proportions look good.

Some might say the base could be a little narrower but the fact that you have taken the waisting low forms a balance that I would be happy with.

 

[PowerTool]

I agree with Chas - the whole thing looks good,and wouldn't be out of place on a posh sideboard (would be happy with it on mine )
Very nice.

Andrew

 

[Paul.J]

Lovely looking piece of wood there Simon
I like the top half but the stem spoils it for me.It looks too out of proportion with the base.
Similar to a piece i made recently where the stem was also too wide for the piece.Just my thoughts :roll:
Paul.J.

 

[Woodmagnet]

Nice one Simon, i prefer things to look solid/chunky, if you know what i mean.

 

[Slim]

I've moved into Christmas present mode. Here is the first. Sorry for the poor quality photo's, my camera seems to be packing in.

Pestle & Mortar, Imbuya and Maple. 9" diameter.

 

[CHJ]

Solid looking proportions Simon, good finish, what surface treatment did you use?

 

[Paul.J]

Nice looking piece Simon
Lovely piece of wood.
Paul.J.

 

[Bodrighy]

They look really good but I would check out the properties of Imbuya for a mortar (or pestle, never can remember which is which) as it can have a negative reaction with some people and it takes a fair old pounding in usage. I have just done one and did it in beech and left it totally bare, no finish at all, just a lot of sanding.

Pete

 

[Slim]

Thanks for the comments fellas.

Chas, I finished it with Chestnut Food Safe Finish.

Pete, I did ask on the forum about the suitability of Imbuya for this purpose, and I was reasured that it would be OK. To be honest, I wouldn't expect it to ever be used. I think it will just sit on display in the recipients kitchen.

 

[gaz8521]

really like the Zebrano. What country is that from,is it expensive to buy

 

[Slim]

Hi gaz,

I believe Zebrano is African. That blank cost about £20 with 15% off as I got it at the Yandles show.

 

[santiniuk]

Very good work there Simon. The Chestnut piece is really impressive.

I have never seen Zebrano before but it looks incredible. Definately a talking piece that one.

Cheers

Shaun