Centering grain

[Baxter Smith]

Here are a couple more plum bowls. After splitting the branch with my chainsaw, I could see that the heartwood in one half wasn't exactly round. I should have reoriented the blank but it would have resulted in a smaller bowl and I figured, close enough. Guess I was getting a little bowled out!:) I regretted not taking an extra 5 minutes the rest of the time I was working on it. Its ok but could have been a pretty bowl. Maybe! Brought it in to show my wife, her response. "Nice ashtray! Prettty wood though.":)
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In the other half, the heartwood was round/centered so that wasn't a problem. Took a haviland sauce bowl out of the china cabinet to use as a pattern this time. The wifes response, "Hows that one different? You got it centered though!":D
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[David E Keller]

Wow, you're wife is a pretty tough audience. I like them both, and I don't mind the grain not being centered. That's really pretty wood.

[Brian Effinger]

Brought it in to show my wife, her response. "Nice ashtray! Prettty wood though.":)

The wifes response, "Hows that one different? You got it centered though!":D


WOW!!! :D Tough isn't the word to describe the response. I'm glad mine keeps those comments to herself. ;)

She might be tough, but I think they are nice. I really like the color of this plum. If you ever want to unload any, let me know. :rolleyes::)

[Joe Adams]

They are both nice bowls - not ashtrays! I wouldn't worry too much about the one that is "off center". I'm referring to the first bowl, not your wife.

[Richard Madison]

Baxter,
Your wife has a good and perceptive eye, and may be a good resource in aid of your turning progress. After a few years of coaching and encouraging my wife's interest in my turning, she has become an excellent critic of several aspects of my work. She knows what will sell and what will not (regardless of how well I like it), and some more like that.

Nice bowl BTW (the second one).

[Steve Schlumpf]

Baxter - I like them both! Nothing says you have to center the grain.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Baxter that's very nice wood again, the turnings are nice but they could use something to to set them apart.
I think a crisper rim that offsets it from the bowl would look better, I quite often try to do that, I'll show a few pictures, some are a bit plain and some a bit more elaborate, but just give them a look, and you might find some use for these shapes of the bowl/rim combinations, if you do, the price is right ;) :D

This one is a Plum root-burl, I still have to finish it, got a slight warp :rolleyes:
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[Dennis Ford]

I agree that your wife is a tough critic, that is what most of us need. Most of time I hear; "Oh that is nice". It is good to get some encouragment but suggestions for improvement are also needed. I would never have called the first bowl an ashtray, it has a nice shape with pretty wood. The offcenter grain did detract from it though. The second bowl looks more balanced. I also like its soft curves.

Grain patterns do not have to be centered but when they are slightly off center it just doesn't look right. It is possible to put the grain pattern far enough off center to be a design feature.

[MIKE E BEE]

Nice work Baxter! Ashtray??? Gee wizz. Tough crowd there. I do like the second one a little better when you put them next to each other but they are both really nice. Definately salad worthy!! Put them right in the cabinet.

Ashtray.....ssshhhheeeesshhhh.

[John Keeton]

Baxter, I like both, but in this case I agree on the grain pattern. However, for my eye, I believe the grain pattern must "mesh" with the form and style. A couple of the bowls shown by Leo demonstrate this, and the grain became an element of the design.

BTW, you are soon gonna be "plum" outa that wood!!!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Baxter both are really nice bowls. I agree that sometimes that the wives can be good critics of our work. Mine has pretty much come to be like Richards as she knows what will go and what won't most times. No matter how proud I am of them she will tell me that well I don't think that one or this one will make it. Normally she is pretty much spot on.

[Bill Bolen]

I've been critisised on more than one board for not having the grain centered giving that "bear rug" appearance in the bottom. Sorry to the pro's but it never bothers me as long as the grain fits the form of the bowl. Yours look just fine to me. And Leo,you sure posted some mighty fine work there...Bill..

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I do totally agree with you on the centering part Bill (oh and thanks).
In the opinion of having to have the grain centered, than every piece of wood that isn't "the same old same old", straight and even grain would not qualify to make a better bowl.
In my opinion (whatever that's worth :rolleyes:) the most amazing bowl and other turnings are made from wood that isn't "the same old same oldplaingrain"
Even if they don't hold soup/porridge ;) :D

[Jarrod McGehee]

wow that plum looks a lot like some cherry!

Nice bowls and all the rim variations Leo

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks Jarrod :D, That Cherry-like looking warped plum bowl, is from the tree I ate some plums from, it grew at my son's place, but a big White Pine was shading it out, and it just died.
So it was removed rootburl and all, I did get all the usable wood, a lot of it was not very good (carpenter ants had moved in also), but I still used some of the smaller pieces for Birdhouse ornaments, still got a bunch of small chunks, sure likes to split though :D

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks for all your input. I left early Friday morning with a van load of kids for the Yale high school track and field invitational in New Haven. Just got back this afternoon.

Need to learn how to copy what some of you said and reply to each in the same post.

Perhaps the uncentered grain bothered me most because of something Leo had written in a different post. A piece of advice I have been given and had tried to follow. "...don't settle for second best, try to make each piece as perfect as you can....". For this piece I had chosen the just get it done route early on and knew it.:) The combination of grain, color and guilt being slightly off center was just too much for me I guess! If everything was way off I think that would have been fine.

The offcenter grain theme was something I brought up to my wife. The ashtray look was all hers!:D Could see her point and made me realize that it might not be a desirable shape to do again if you wanted someone to want it!

Thanks for the suggestions and pictures of rims Leo. I seem to be rounding a lot of the rim edges. Sometimes it has been been because of a concern for drying and a point for a split to start.

If anyone could point me in the direction of a thread on how to copy or quote things people have written (which is highlighted in blue) then respond, it would be appreciated! I haven't come up with the right search topic yet to find one. Have read about the quick reply button but don't know if that is what I am looking for in this case.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Baxter you can click on the "quote" tag, right bottom corner, that will get the quotation of the thread you click the quote on.
You also can go back and find a thread, the address to the thread is in top bar and you can drag and drop that to get the whole thread you are addressing.
You can also go into that thread and click on the number that is in the right hand top corner, next to the little triangle sign, if you click on that number the address for just that post will be in the top bar, and again you can drag and drop it into your post.

Hope you can follow that, clear as mud maybe :eek:

like these,

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=129427

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=1309809&postcount=10

[Baxter Smith]

Baxter you can click on the "quote" tag, right bottom corner, that will get the quotation of the thread you click the quote on.
You also can go back and find a thread, the address to the thread is in top bar and you can drag and drop that to get the whole thread you are addressing.
You can also go into that thread and click on the number that is in the right hand top corner, next to the little triangle sign, if you click on that number the address for just that post will be in the top bar, and again you can drag and drop it into your post.

Hope you can follow that, clear as mud maybe :eek:

like these,

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=129427

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=1309809&postcount=10
Thank you Leo! Have tried a few things but can't seem to delete all but the first sentence of what you wrote without putting my response and it together.

I will continue to try with the other options. Thanks again!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thank you Leo!
something to write

Have tried a few things but can't seem to delete all but the first sentence of what you wrote without putting my response and it together.
and some more to write

I will continue to try with the other options. Thanks again!

Do you mean like this Baxter ??

I think I misunderstood your question before, you type the "quote" between brackets and the bracket slash quote bracket for the end of the line that you want to quote.
Just look at the picture :D

[Baxter Smith]

something to write

and some more to write


[Do you mean like this Baxter ??/]
yes
[I think I misunderstood your question before,/]
No you didn't.

[you type the "quote" between brackets and the bracket slash quote bracket for the end of the line that you want to quote./]
That just led to my next question you answered as well.
Just look at the picture :D

I don't have the hang of this yet but want to let you know I am working on it and appreciate it!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Ok, I'll try to put this another way :D.

You first put this bracket [, and then the word "quote", then the other bracket, this one ], in front of what you want to quote, then on the end of what you want to quote, you do the same as in the front, except for the slash /, it is added in to end the quote.

You can keep doing this for ever word or sentence you would like to quote, HTH :D

[Baxter Smith]

Ok, I'll try to put this another way :D.
Thank you!


You first put this bracket [, and then the word "quote", then the other bracket, this one ], in front of what you want to quote, then on the end of what you want to quote, you do the same as in the front, except for the slash /, it is added in to end the quote.
I think I understand it now!


You can keep doing this for ever word or sentence you would like to quote, HTH :D
I appreciate all your help!:D