cottonwood bowl

[David Christopher]

this is a piece of cottonwood from Utah that I got when me and the wife went on vacation..

nothing special but I thought the grain and color was kinda cool

5" X 7" with mohawk lacquer.......thanks for looking

[Bernie Weishapl]

David that is a beauty. Really like the wood and finish looks really good.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

That's a beauty! Love the color and the finish; it looks like marble.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Pretty cool bowl David! Really like the bark areas and all the cracks - just adds a little more character of the piece!

[Eugene Wigley]

David, that's really nice. I like the grain and the finish.

[Walt Caza]

Hi David.
Another cool bowl... you're really cranking them out!

If you would be so kind... can you offer a rookie a clue?

My first effort when I got a fresh sour cherry branch can be seen here:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=119523

Yes, my basic blob form and poor sanding aside...
including the pith has resulted in radial cracks.
They look kinda cool, similar to that cherry coin cut-off pic,
from when I was trimming out end checks when sawing my blank.

Of course, I'd rather learn to better deal with pith.
If I had a larger branch, I would have removed it.

Oh ya, plus you hollowed yours... and I just used a big forstner bit!

blah,blah...
My question is: Do you expect your pith to crack?
What steps did you take to avoid it?

I'm trying to see a bigger picture and learn,
thanks,
Walt

[David Christopher]

Hi David.
Another cool bowl... you're really cranking them out!

If you would be so kind... can you offer a rookie a clue?

My first effort when I got a fresh sour cherry branch can be seen here:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=119523

Yes, my basic blob form and poor sanding aside...
including the pith has resulted in radial cracks.
They look kinda cool, similar to that cherry coin cut-off pic,
from when I was trimming out end checks when sawing my blank.

Of course, I'd rather learn to better deal with pith.
If I had a larger branch, I would have removed it.

Oh ya, plus you hollowed yours... and I just used a big forstner bit!

blah,blah...
My question is: Do you expect your pith to crack?
What steps did you take to avoid it?

I'm trying to see a bigger picture and learn,
thanks,
Walt

Walt, as far as the pith goes I seal it with sanding sealer as soon as possible and hope for the best