Dual Bowl Critique

[Terry Murphy]

This is the first time trying to make a real bowl, and one to match.
They are both 4"' Dia and the thickness is 5/16".
They are still plenty wet.
What can I do to improve them?
I will have to wait till they dry more, but I am open for any suggestions.

Terry
ps: slap me in the face if you must!
And they are maple.

[Terry Murphy]

another view!

[curtis rosche]

they look pretty good. why did you fill the inside with shavings? i thought to dry stuff out you wanted to keep the moisture on the outside. which is why when you take something out of DNA you only wrap the outside up, not the inside?


i like the shape. but in your picture they appear to be fuzzy. if they are, it is time to sharpen your tools.

[Dick Strauss]

Terry,
Do you know Russ Fairfield in Post Falls, ID? He is a wealth of knowledge and seems like a good guy from our conversations. If he has some time right now, he'll might be able to give you lots of hints and help. Here is his site for his contact info... http://www.woodturnerruss.com/

Your climate in CDA is somewhat dry so you'll probably want to slow the drying by bagging them (posssibly even two bags). At least put them in a cool place out of drafts if possible. I bag my stuff even in humid Ohio to slow the drying.

Shape will come with time. If you find pieces of art that have a pleasing shape, I suggest you start there. You can copy it and eventually find your own style for your turnings.

[Frank Kobilsek]

Terry,

First as a beginer trying to make to matching anything is much harder than it looks, especially if those two things need to set next to each other. So don't get discouraged on the pieces not matching. Very slight variations of curve can be dramatic.

I try to tell new turners to turn shapes that are very open to help in learning to ride the bevel on the inside. A plate is 'open' or a shallow bowl with very gradual slope. The vertical walls you have turned into these pieces is hard to turn and ride the bevel. I suspect you enjoyed or will enjoy a great deal of time sanding the bumps and tear out from the inside wall. A coffee can shape is very difficult and often attempted by new turners and the most common reason is the think they are getting the most from the wood.

So my message is go easier on yourself. You'll learn faster, and enjoy it more. And you thought turning these two bowls was fun.

Frank

[Dennis Ford]

As far as them matching, there is not much you can do for improvement at this time as they will each warp into their own shape when they dry. Personally, I would not worry about that. They clearly belong together and will still do so after warping.

You have already recieved some good advice about slowing down the drying. If you plan on changing the shape, it will probably be too late once they dry. 5/16" is too thin if you want to re-turn after drying. You could turn them thinner while still wet if you want, this would increase the warping effect and also decrease the chances of cracking. They are probably thin enough to prevent cracking IF you control the drying rate. It sounds like you had some challenges but these turned pretty good, keep at it!

[Terry Murphy]

Thanks for all the input.
At this stage, I think I will keep them bagged in their own saw dust
and check on them at a later date.
In the mead time, I will find more wood and keep making a mess.

Terry