No. 9 - Delicate Claro Walnut bowl

[John Keeton]

For the last week, Mother Nature and I have been waging war!!:mad: Tried a piece of sassafras, and as I got it rough shaped, cracks started appearing everywhere!!:eek: I fought it for awhile, but surrendered - kindling!!

Then, I tried a piece of the spalted maple I found. I knew is was punky, but I was able to glue on a piece of walnut as a foot, which actually was going to look pretty decent with the color of the spalting. Got it down thin, with a very nice plain, rather contemporary shape. Left it in the chuck, and the next morning, it had cracked edge to edge. Tried epoxy, waged another battle with it - kindling!!

Mother Nature - 2 John - 0 !!!!:mad::mad::mad: F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N!!!!

Finally, I decided to chuck up one of the dry Claro walnut blanks I had purchased. I had not previously worked with Claro, or even handled any. And, I hadn't really looked at the blanks as they were heavily waxed.

It turned like a dream! Great texture, stable, and beautiful wood. To make things even better, the right angle drill, and the sanding stuff from
Vince came in this morning!!

This one is 6 3/8" wide, 2 1/4" tall with a 2" foot. Finish at this point is BLO and shellac. Probably will add a few coats of poly or lacquer, ending with a satin sheen.

The rim is about 1/16" thick, and the walls of the bowl are probably 3/32". It is extremely light and delicate - both in structure and appearance.

I wasn't really sure about the rim treatment, but it is growing on me. The wife says this is the best one yet, so here is No. 9.

[Joe Little]

That is really beautiful. I like the rim.

[charlie knighton]

John,

very nice, keep climbing

[Bernie Weishapl]

John that is a beauty. Really like the rim on it. Nice form and finish. Sometimes you win some and sometimes you lose some. Al Stirt told me something at the Richmond symposium in 2008. He said life is to short and there is to much good wood out there to fiddle with a bad piece. He said if it cracks bad throw it in the firewood pile and grab another piece and head on down the road. I have finally stopped trying to save everything I turn.:D

[steven carter]

John,

Really nice looking bowl. I like the rim very much. Did you check the moisture content? I was just wondering since you said it was covered in wax. You can turn wet to final thickness, and let it warp as some do all the time. Either way it will be a fine looking bowl.

Steve

[Michael Jasani]

John thats a great bowl! I love the exterior rim's form flow....superb

[David E Keller]

Very nice. I think this may be your best piece yet. I absolutely love the rim and detail. Beautiful piece of wood.

[Doug W Swanson]

John,

That bowl looks very nice. I wasn't sure about the inside rim at first but now I like it. It really makes the outer rim look much better.

Since I've only used walnut oil and tung oil for finishes, how hard is it to use the blo and shellac? Are you planning on using the bowl or is it just a 'looker'?

Thanks!
Doug

[Tony De Masi]

Very nicely done John and I agree that to this point this is your best. The next time you leave a wet or even semi wet piece of the lathe for an extended period of time, do yourself a favor and tie a plastic bag over it. It will help to slow down the water loss.

Tony

p.s. - I'm still going to attempt to "save" mine. ;)

[Brian Effinger]

Well done John. I like everything about it.

[Rob Cunningham]

Beautiful looking bowl John. I really like the shape and the rim. Nice finish also.
I've left a few bowls mounted overnight. When I do , I will either coat them with Anchorseal or wrap them in a plastic bag.

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - judging by the quality of your turnings - I can only guess that you are starting to like this turning thing!

Really like the exterior ogee shape but must admit I'm not 100% sold on the interior rim. Still, I will admit that it is different and when it comes to turning - different is good!

Very pretty wood! Glad this one held together for you!

Just as a side note - I always use a plastic bag to encase whatever turning I leave on the lathe. Creates a micro-climate and slows down the drying process. I did say always? Well, almost! That last Cherry burl hollow form I was working on.... it was dry and wasn't going to move, right? Wrong. Now I have to spend some time with glue and grounds and see if I can save enough of it to put back on the lathe!

[Mark Hix]

I like it alot. Keep 'em coming!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Just plain excellent in every way John! Just excellent!

[Bill Bolen]

A problomatic form but great execution. Very well done and a pretty piece to boot...Bill..

[Roland Martin]

Fantastic John! I've used Claro Walnut quite a lot over the years building aircraft cabinetry but haven't had the opportunity to turn anything with it. You found a very nice piece and have certainly done it justice. Great form and rim details. If the cost of creating a beauty like this is giving Mother Nature two, you win!

[John Keeton]

Thanks for taking the time to look, and for the supportive comments.

I enjoyed this piece more than any of the others. The wood was great, and having the drill/sander to get the finish right really added to the experience. Seems no matter what I did before, I could not get rid of all the sanding marks. Turning is so much different than flat work in that regard.


Since I've only used walnut oil and tung oil for finishes, how hard is it to use the blo and shellac? Are you planning on using the bowl or is it just a 'looker'?

Thanks!
DougDoug, this is a "looker." I put the BLO on while the piece is spinning, buff it with a paper shop cloth, and immediately apply shellac. Let it spin dry for a couple minutes, buff with 0000, and a paper cloth. Then apply another coat, and follow the same. I used Cole jaws to do the bottom, and just repeated the process on the bottom of the piece after sanding to 400.


The next time you leave a wet or even semi wet piece of the lathe for an extended period of time, do yourself a favor and tie a plastic bag over it. It will help to slow down the water loss.

Tony

p.s. - I'm still going to attempt to "save" mine. ;)Tony, Rob and Steve, very good advice!! Tony, I hope you are able to save the maple without further injury!!


John - judging by the quality of your turnings - I can only guess that you are starting to like this turning thing!

Really like the exterior ogee shape but must admit I'm not 100% sold on the interior rim. Still, I will admit that it is different and when it comes to turning - different is good!Steve, this piece really did add to my enjoyment level. On the rim, I am still not sure either. I happened to flip through Raffan's book last time I was at Woodcraft, and there was a drawing in his book that was similar. Wish the book had been handy as I was turning - should have bought it!! I thought the rolled/beaded rim, with the undercut would add a little flair - or, as you said, make it different.

Steven, I didn't put a meter on this piece. By weight it felt dry, and when I started turning it became obvious it was bone dry. I know everyone likes wet wood, but so far in my limited turning my most enjoyable times have been with a dry piece.

Thanks, again, for commenting!

[gary Zimmel]

Another great looking bowl John.
Well done.
You may have to take a break from the lathe and consider making a display cabinet....

[Matt Ranum]

Very nice, and dont ya just love Walnut.

BTW-hows that new lathe working out for ya?

[Baxter Smith]

From what browsing I have done through the various galleries on this site I can't remember seeing one shaped like exactly like this!:) From each angle there is something gracefull and unique. I will have study it a few more times before I can decide if it's a 9 or a 10. Pretty wood and finish. Well done!

[Curt Fuller]

Excellent!

[Dan Forman]

John, you're getting pretty good at this. Lovely bowl. As others have said, never let a wet or damp piece sit out for very long unprotected. Most times wrapping in a few layers of newspaper or brown paper bag will slow the drying process enough to prevent cracking.

Dan

[Robert McGowen]

It looks like your skills are definitely headed for a higher level.......

[Roger Bullock]

I wouldn't give mother nature such a high score John. Even though you gave the first two up to the fire gods, I'm sure they each taught you a little something and gave you insight on what to look for in your next bowl. Consider them as practice of tool control and form.

I believe Thomas Edison once said "I've successfully failed over a thousand times."

BTW I like the walnut bowl. Great photos too. I wish more SMC posters would take your approach to telling their story with photos as you always do.

[Ken Glass]

John,
Very nice bowl. Walnut of any kind is very forgiving to lathe tools, I have found. You have captured the best with this piece and you should be proud. The first two practice pieces are just that, practice. Without failure we have nothing to look forward too. You have come far in a short time. Keep at it and keep-um coming.

[Jim Slovik]

John,
I really like the bowl especially the rim. Very unique. Great job.
Jim

[Donny Lawson]

That is a very nice bowl. I've got a nice big walnut log that's about 20" through and about 7ft long. Hopefully I can find some great bowls in there.
Donny

[Joe Adams]

I know everyone likes wet wood, but so far in my limited turning my most enjoyable times have been with a dry piece.

John,

I'm just starting out as well and must admit that I find more enjoyment in taking a dry blank all the way to a finished bowl than roughing out green wood. Perhaps it's my flatwork background. I hope I don't lose my turning learner's permit over this!

By the way, that's a really good looking walnut bowl.