Small Sycamore Bowl

[KimG]

Perceiving a possible need for a greater variety of utility bowls in my efforts to attract a purchase or two, I am embarking on a period of making a few up, trying in the process to improve my technique and design work and hopefully ending up with some relatively eye catching, if simple, items.

First up then is this 7" X 2" Sycamore bowl finished with Shellac and buffed to a gloss, but I found it difficult to get a really top notch finish this time which was a bit frustrating, I am inclining to do a few to a more satin type finish for a while.

 

[Grahamshed]

Thats a lovely bowl with some exciting figuring. I have never seen sycamore that dark before, all mine is almost white.

 

[CHJ]

Putting the sphere turning practice to good use generating those flowing curves there Kim, careful how far you go with the drift to satin finishes, next it will be texturing and down that way lies Bodrighy rustic land if you fall too far.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Stunning finish as usual Kim. I really must get the chestnut buffing wheels. Its literally a mirror finish, I can see you reflected in the top piece

 

[n0legs]

Beautiful grain on that one. Brilliant finish, very nice.

 

[EnErY]

Again Kim Well turned beautiful finish cannot fail on anything well done =D>
Bill

 

[Woodmonkey]

Very nice.

 

[Paul.J]

Nice looking bowl Kim,still not sure about the foot though :?

 

[EnErY]

Nice looking bowl Kim,still not sure about the foot though :?

Paul I agree the foot looks out of place with the bowl upside down but when it is righted I think the form compliments the foot the shape of the bowl flows into the foot contrasting a very nice form which gives a very good finish my opinion but not all of us think the same not meant to offend anybody
Regards
Bill

 

[KimG]

Thanks for the comments peeps! Appreciate you taking the time.

Maybe its just me, but I think a foot on a bowl just looks right, I like 'em, this one is fairly broad as the bowl is intended for fruit, a broad foot gives a sense of stability, yet it is not too deep, given the impetus, I could perhaps deepen the angle on the lower part to make it more acute, I think that might look a little better, but as it is I am happy enough with it.
I do appreciate though that we don't all feel the same way about design and form, that's actually a very good thing, it's what drives us to try something different and I enjoy reading all the comments.

 

[Dalboy]

A nice flowing bowl the foot to me needs to be there but a little less in the bottom section, I like the idea of the steps in the foot

 

[CHJ]

A nice flowing bowl the foot to me needs to be there but a little less in the bottom section, I like the idea of the steps in the foot

The more I return to it I must say I have to concur, although in the flesh and normal viewing perspective I daresay it is invisible.

 

[KimG]

An element of new toy and blank size enters into the fray here, I have a new set of 3.5" jaws for my chuck, the next size down is the 2", preferring if possible to have the dovetail tenon as close to the correct size as possible so that I can actually grip the foot and not mark it, so with this piece, a 2" foot would have been too small, I could have gone 2.25 or 2.5 but then the jaws would mark the foot by virtue of not gripping the full circle, so I went for the 3.5, I was obviously keen to try them out anyway. I could of course have made an additional tenon and turned it off, but then I would have lost that much from the depth as well as having to reverse the bowl to complete it, this way I finished the outside in one hit and reversed it for the inside, when it came off the lathe it was complete and there were no marks on the tenon.

Design is pretty frequently determined by practicality and circumstance as well as by aesthetic concerns.

Thanks for the comments everyone, I do enjoy reading your thoughts.

 

[CHJ]

...I finished the outside in one hit and reversed it for the inside, when it came off the lathe it was complete and there were no marks on the tenon.
...

I realised you had left the holding tenon on Kim by the direction of the taper, just think it would meld better into the stepped base from a profile view if it was shallower (same depth as the other steps) as Dalboy mentioned.

 

[Grahamshed]

Sorry to keep doing this to you Kim, can I just check what I am seeing again ?
Starting from the bowl.... the first two steps are just ornamental. The third step is in fact the tenon for the chuck.... Are the next two lines just ornamental or is there a recess there ?

 

[KimG]

Just ornamental Graham, though the centre is slightly recessed for stability, no problem about your asking though!

I would not have confidence in the grip if it was much shallower Chas, as it is the tenon is only 4mm and sycamore is fairly soft, faced with a solid lump to hollow out I would be tentative and fidgety cutting the inside, that would likely lead to more problems. Not that I had considered that aspect at the time mind you, I just went for what I felt happy about within the constraints of the design. But the concept is worth bearing in mind for future ref, say with a Beech or Oak bowl which would likely stand up to a thinner tenon.

 

[CHJ]

Can't remember his name, but one of the demonstrating turners at Yandles a couple of years ago was turning a series of large diameter shallow bowls with some nice flowing curves.
He was incorporating a very shallow tenon (2-3mm) on the rear face of a series of bowls as part of the design/decoration, he was using jumbo jaws about 150mm dia. which left the tenon ridge about a third of the way up the rear face.
The diameter gave the holding capacity and the shallow depth was not obtrusive when left on the rear curvature of the bowl, it just looked like a decoration feature.

 

[KimG]

That's worth knowing Chas, something to aim for!