Robinia Bowl

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Neil Farrer

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Robinia bowl 3.JPG
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Bought myself a christmas present, the Art of Turned Bowls by Richard Raffan. I have now consigned my previous attempts to the "B for Buckets" in the filing cabinet! Brilliant book, if like me, you are a complete design numpty. It helps you understand balance, symmetry (or not!) and opens the doors to a range of shapes and sizes that my brain cant cope with as mine performs from the function end first with form taking up a secondary position!

Found a rather interesting crotch piece of Robinia in my wood pile, which of this species is quite large, about four and a half tons to be precise but decreasing rapidly. There's a bit of history to the wood which dates back to the Victorians obsession with ornamental gardens and the LNER line that was pushed through my home town in about the 1850s. As recompense for cutting swathes of chalk from the local scenery and digging up all the local grazing ground the railway company gave to the town, and planted up an ornamental park. Thi ornamental park now has a range of vey mature trees, some of which are coming to the end of their lives, as were two very large Robinia trees, that I felt it was my obligation to remove free of charge from the park, which I did, around twenty five seven seater car loads (with out the seats!)

Anyway here's the bowl I made recently, Its sanded with wet and dry using blo as a lubricant. It was turned and finished wet and as with all the robinia I have turned from these two trees, it hasn't shifted a mill. Sanded, burnished with a thin coat of blo, left for 24 hours and then waxed and buffed. Its around 3mm thick, undercut rim to around 15mm and is 4mm throughout +/- 0.5mm. Its 6 inches wide and 2 and a half deep.

All criticisms welcome, some may be ignored, particularly if the author comes from Lesmahgow, be as critical as you like as he who never made mistakes never made anything!
 

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All criticisms welcome, some may be ignored, particularly if the author comes from Lesmahgow

Well I never, don't know who you could mean by this scathing remark Chunky!!!

Actually, I rather like the outside shape of the bowl Neil & the undercut rim -
One of your better shaped productions Neil


be good once it's finished :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:



Nice one.

From Lesmahagow
 
Neil

Its a wonderful shape, and the grain has a very pleasing impact.

May I kindly ask some questions, at the risk of looking dim:

Do I take it that blo is boiled linseed oil?
Did you have to reverse sand the bowl?

I've just purchased the Raffan book, I need all the help I can get.

Kind regards

Aden30mm
 
Aden30mm":777rn2pn said:
Neil

Its a wonderful shape, and the grain has a very pleasing impact.

May I kindly ask some questions, at the risk of looking dim:

Do I take it that blo is boiled linseed oil?
Did you have to reverse sand the bowl?

I've just purchased the Raffan book, I need all the help I can get.

Kind regards

Aden30mm

BLO boiled linseed oil, correct. No, i didn't reverse sand the bowl but I doubt that it would have had too much benefit on this occasion with Robinia, particularly as it was "wet". Big mistake when sanding with oil is to try and do it to fast and with too much oil, put it on with a cloth, get an even covering and then start sanding through the grits, by the time you get to the third or fourth grit there's little if any oil left anyway. It does tend to get through the paper much faster than otherwise but it has health benefits in keeping the dust down in the shed.

That's my experience, I hasten to add, not my advice, I haven't been at it long enough for that!!
 
That's my experience, I hasten to add, not my advice, I haven't been at it long enough for that!!

Don't listen to him, All pi.$ taking aside, I've seen his pen stall & it was one of the most professional stalls I have ever seen with a cracking display of really well turned & professional looking pens on it.
His knowledge of wood is second to none & his advise is usually sound about most things wooden
But.....................................................


He can't turn bowls for toffee mind ( that must be the first one he hasn't put a hol in the bottom :D :D :D ), but his pen making is excellent. Just kidding Neil. If I ever get stuck on bowl shapes / finishing / tool use etc............. I'll ask Woody :D :D :D

Well, you didn't expect total flattery did you Neil ??
 
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