gifts for friends

[woodfarmer]

Last 2-3 days I have been making gifts for two friends. Different bowls for two very different people. The yew is still too wet to polish but has been coated with wax as has the oak bowl (turned from a fork so it has three sets of end grain.

 

[Dalboy]

Two nicely shaped bowls.
The first oak one I like best, is that same lines on the onside or is it the way you photographed it.

The yew bowl should be nice once you can get a finish on it, how thick is it

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

all good Woody.....one observation....generally I think its true to say that turners will aim to have the wall thickness even throughout the piece and aesthetically thinner walls tend to be more pleasing to the eye. Of course its all a matter of taste but if my turning club were judging one of my pieces they would want those walls to be quite a bit thinner than that. The thinner you go the more elegance starts to spring from the piece. I like the shape of the oak piece and the natural edge is a more complex turning so well done on that. I would simply go about another 10mm or so on the walls.

 

[woodfarmer]

Two nicely shaped bowls.
The first oak one I like best, is that same lines on the onside or is it the way you photographed it.

not sure what you mean

The yew bowl should be nice once you can get a finish on it, how thick is it

The Yew is literally dripping wet so left it thick hoping it won't split and leave enough for me to "true" it up when it is drier. Because it is so wet it won't take a shine. Finish is straight off my 1/2 bowl gouge but I have rubbed wax on it to slow the drying process. There is a potential split low down on one side of the base (see first photo) so left enough wood for it to survive this if it happens. It is 3/4 inches thick (20mm) at the rim and 1 1/4 (32mm) inches thick where the split might happen.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

ah I see why you've left them thick deliberately now, you'll re mount when dry. I think what Dalboy meant by "is that same lines on the onside" was "is that some lines on the inside".

He was referring to what look like tool marks which is of course an unacceptable finish but now you've explained they're rough turned it makes sense ie you weren't advertising them as finished. Think wrong end of stick was got

 

[Dalboy]

I think what Dalboy meant by "is that same lines on the onside" was "is that some lines on the inside".

That's what I was meant to type should read my posts before posting :lol: :lol: :lol:

I thought that the oak one was finished and only meant to ask was "is that some lines on the inside or a trick of the light" sorry for the confusion

 

[CHJ]

....... There is a potential split low down on one side of the base (see first photo) so left enough wood for it to survive this if it happens. It is 3/4 inches thick (20mm) at the rim and 1 1/4 (32mm) inches thick where the split might happen.

Good to see you using the tools and tackling the new wood pile but I would advise caution on working too many pieces that wet to that thickness. I would estimate that there is an 80/20 % chance of the yew piece splitting quite severely unless you do something more than just a wax rub to control the speed and direction of the drying stresses.
Leaving the base thicker than the sides is not a good idea, it will dry out slower and as the sides shrink in circumference something may have to give.

 

[Grahamshed]

I love the shape of the second one and the figuring is outstanding.
Yew cannot beat a bit of you.

 

[winemaker]

very nice bowls

 

[woodfarmer]

I think what Dalboy meant by "is that same lines on the onside" was "is that some lines on the inside".

That's what I was meant to type should read my posts before posting :lol: :lol: :lol:

I thought that the oak one was finished and only meant to ask was "is that some lines on the inside or a trick of the light" sorry for the confusion

Sadly on the oak bowl there are lots of tramlines from the bowl gouge. There are also "rounded" grooves which seem to be caused by a change in hardness of the wood. sometimes in one place where they follow the tools movement around the bowl sometimes almost a spiral where the cut is varying due to a change in the texture in the wood. I have found this nearly always means the tool needs sharpening again. I am amazed how quickly tools lose their edge. I have old "tool steel" tools on my metal working lathe that run for months before they need sharpening and that is cutting really rough steel, welded bits and rust. generally running the gouge on its side with a steady uninterrupted cut will leave a decent finish. where it all goes wrong is on deep straight sided bowls (especially natural edges ones with wings chopping by my fingers) where I cannot swing the gouge to run on the bevel and then I get a horrible looking surface.

 

[Dalboy]

I always give my tools a final sharpen just before the final cuts so that it helps clean up the surface. I also have 2 bowl gouges one with a fingernail grind and the other with a much shorter grind which is better with bowls that have steeper sides. I sometimes use a scraper which also helps.

 

[woodfarmer]

I always give my tools a final sharpen just before the final cuts so that it helps clean up the surface. I also have 2 bowl gouges one with a fingernail grind and the other with a much shorter grind which is better with bowls that have steeper sides. I sometimes use a scraper which also helps.

Good idea, I am visiting the UK at the end of the month and have already ordered another bowl gouge. plus a load of steel to make some tool rests. the gouges I have are straight across. The sharpening angle is 45 degrees.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

+1

Woody you need another bowl gouge with a grind that's closer to the factory bevel grind. That will present the bevel at a better angle on bowls with steeper sides so you can keep the bevel rubbing and therefore control the cut. All the problems with spiralling etc you describe are due to losing control of the cut. Also a round nose scraper can be useful in those situation as Dalboy says. Or indeed one of those long handle Robert Sorby style multi tip tungsten carbide scrapers that have a lot of beef behind them to keep stable further into a deeper bowl interior.

Also, echoing Dal...always resharpen before the final 2 or 3 cuts. The difference it makes to the finish is worth a couple of grits of sandpaper.

 

[woodfarmer]

+1

Woody you need another bowl gouge with a grind that's closer to the factory bevel grind. That will present the bevel at a better angle on bowls with steeper sides so you can keep the bevel rubbing and therefore control the cut. All the problems with spiralling etc you describe are due to losing control of the cut. Also a round nose scraper can be useful in those situation as Dalboy says. Or indeed one of those long handle Robert Sorby style multi tip tungsten carbide scrapers that have a lot of beef behind them to keep stable further into a deeper bowl interior.

Also, echoing Dal...always resharpen before the final 2 or 3 cuts. The difference it makes to the finish is worth a couple of grits of sandpaper.

Bob, the 45 degrees is the factory grind (crown cryo set + a 1/2 bowl gouge) for the rough spindle gouge and both bowl gouges. next one wont be ( from peter childs)

 

[woodfarmer]

....... There is a potential split low down on one side of the base (see first photo) so left enough wood for it to survive this if it happens. It is 3/4 inches thick (20mm) at the rim and 1 1/4 (32mm) inches thick where the split might happen.

Good to see you using the tools and tackling the new wood pile but I would advise caution on working too many pieces that wet to that thickness. I would estimate that there is an 80/20 % chance of the yew piece splitting quite severely unless you do something more than just a wax rub to control the speed and direction of the drying stresses.
Leaving the base thicker than the sides is not a good idea, it will dry out slower and as the sides shrink in circumference something may have to give.

I did write you a long post, but it disappeared

I did not expect this bowl to survive for a week as it is a branch which has a double stem with two lots of pith running through the centre, just turned it to see the figuring potential of the wet wood. it is now two months old and lives by the wood burning cooker at around 30 degrees C. both little spindle turned tea lights fell apart after a week or less. There is a hairline crack appearing from the centre of the left hand pith on one face.

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

When I rough turn bowls I generally pack them away in a Primark or Lush paper bag with the date & weight written on, surrounded and filled with the wet shavings. I don't touch them for a few months, then start weighing them until the weight stabilises.
If the bowls start to crack, out comes the superglue and bicarbonate. If they continue to crack, I usually give them up as a bad prospect.

Lovely bowls though. The yew one will look particularly amazing when finished.