Big Leaf Maple burl - Need a little help from my friends!!

[John Keeton]

Among several blanks I purchased was this burl.
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It is too big for the 12.5" swing of the Delta (I know.....this is where that Mustard Monster would have come in handy!!!;)) And, in my inexperience, I may not have maximized it.
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But, in any event, I glued on a walnut tenon, and another piece so I could get a foot on it.

I originally started out with the idea to do a standard bowl - thin, and NE, but as I started working on it, it seemed there were other possibilities. And, when I got to here.....
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I was really struck by the figure and color of this thing. I slathered on some BLO, and figured I needed to stop and ask for directions.
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So, what do I do now????:confused: This thing is kinda wierd, but I kinda like it, too! It needs a little cleanup and a little more sanding.

Or, if I am the only one in the world that thinks it is neat, then it won't hurt my feelings to gut it out into a bowl.

FWIW, my wife wasn't impressed!!?!?

Whata ya' think? Wierd object.....or, bowl???

[David E Keller]

Beautiful wood... I'd clean out the rest of tha bowl and then shoot for a smooth, continuous curve that continues through the bottom... ie. No foot and no recess.

Really pretty wood... Please don't throw away the scraps.

[Charles Bouchelle]

John I am a newbie but that is one awsome piece of wood And I like what you have done so far.Does the center of the bowl rise up or is it the picture that makes it look that way? What way did you turn that? Is the bark side on the outside? looks great

[John Keeton]

Charles, I am a newbie, too! Join the club.

Yes, the center is domed. When I saw the figure, I had a hard time hollowing it out. That is why I stopped and posted for input.

David, I had originally thought about a very slight walnut foot, but obviously I could part it off without the walnut.

Don't worry on the scraps!! Already have plans for a piece of it.

[gary Zimmel]

Sweet chunk of burl john...
Me, I don't know if I would make it into a bowl.
Maybe take a bit of the center down and see what it looks like.
Just an idea.

As a side note
If the other burls are more than 12" I think they would fit on my mustard...:D

[Thom Sturgill]

Trim the outside so that it 'lifts' a little, then hollow it out. Call it a crowned hollow form!

[Bob Bergstrom]

John Too late to turn back. Follow the outside form. It looks good. Don't worry about wasting the wood out of the middle. The finished product is worth it. There are more burls out there. When the inside is finished, Reverse the bowl and pinch it between a dome shaped covered with leather or something to protect the inside and the tale stock. Finish off the bottom leaving a small knob where the tail stock is. Take it off the lathe and sand off the knob.

[Roland Martin]

My God! what a great burl you've got there. I'm a newbie, and it would really stress me out to chance going further, but most probably would anyway. Having said that, I took my last three bowls too far, a pile of kindling. Damn rookie! You've done an awesome job so far on this turning. I think, only my opinion, I would tend to go for a concave, leaving everything else as is. Great job and good luck! Can't wait to see what you decide and what you end up with.

[alex carey]

id go with a bowl.

[David E Keller]

John, did I see a natural edged goblet coming out of part of that scrap?

Try the walnut foot first... If you don't like it, you can always turn it away. You've obviously got a good eye for form based on the last 8 or 9 pieces you've posted.

[Paul Williams]

Beautiful wood. I vote for continuing to follow the outside, get rid of most if not all of the walnut, and call it a natural edge bowl.

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - beautiful work so far! If you complete the bowl you will have a real showpiece! However, if you feel adventurous - let your imagination run for a while and see what ideas you can come up with.

Seeing as how I posted this way before you fell into the vortex - here is an option for something a little out of the box. Just trying to throw you an example of something different. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=107191

Personally - I like the form you have and believe it would make a great thin NE bowl. Whatever you decide to do - I look forward to seeing the finished turning!

[Donny Lawson]

Very nice piece.Great work.
Donny

[Dick Strauss]

John,
Is there anyone close to you that would be willing to core out the center for you?

[Bernie Weishapl]

John I would go ahead and finish it as a bowl. If the rim was even I would be tempted to go in with a parting tool and cut me a lid out and hollow the rest out like the one Steve showed and make a lidded bowl. But with the edges uneven that would be a tough one now and I know I wouldn't try it now.

John that is going to make a beautiful bowl. Wow that is some awesome wood.

[Sid Matheny]

Great job so far John. I don't know that I would want to loose that figure that is showing or not.I think the walnut would take away from the item as a whole. As for your wife not being impressed, I have found that non-turning ladies don't go for NE turning as much as men. IMHO

Sid

[Keith Westfall]

There are about a million "bowls" out there!

Be different!

Maybe make another 'little' bowl in the centre, leaving part of the roll that is already there. Just kind of roll over into it and create a bit of depression in the middle...

That would be different... :D

[Curt Fuller]

Well John, here's another reason why they call it the "vortex". Not only would the bigger lathe have been able to handle the entire burl but it also would be able to handle a coring system that would have enabled you to make a beautiful set of nested bowls. Then you wouldn't have felt like you were wasting all that beautiful burled wood. I turn on a 14" lathe and I've been in the same predicament more times than I can remember.
But the natural edged bowl you've started will be a beauty if you keep going with that idea. The idea Steve suggested, hollowing the mounded center would also be nice. You could also hollow it and make a nice skinny Cindy Drozda type finial, add a pedestal, and it would be a real nice use of the burl. Another idea would be to make a bowl in the center of the mound and a matching lid from some of the cut off wood, maybe a nice finial on that. Lots of possibilities, let your creative side go to work on it.

[Reed Gray]

For me, that would have been 3 or 4 cored bowls. I have seen some similar to yours that were turned into hollow forms. Maybe a black collar.

robo hippy

[Jeff Nicol]

John, I have a piece out in my shop that is almost like yours, but not a burl, just a chunk of hard maple. I made it into a hollow form and I think it will turn out very nice. I will get a picture of my rough out and post it later.

Jeff

[Mike Minto]

John, I like it; looks like a 'bloop' of lava coming out of a crater. One could core it, but as it is it is very unique - great burl, too.

[John Keeton]

There are about a million "bowls" out there!

Be different!
Exactly!!!

Steve S., very nice treatment of the cherry burl! I have not yet attempted hollowing, but that day must come, and what better opportunity than now!?!?!? If I screw it up, then it ends up a NE bowl!:D Or, more kindling!!:o

I don't know that I would want to loose that figure that is showing or not.Sid, that was exactly the reason I stopped when I did! Good point. This is what the bottom looks like...
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While it has some nice stuff going on, it is nothing compared to the top of the "dome."


You could also hollow it and make a nice skinny Cindy Drozda type finial, add a pedestal, and it would be a real nice use of the burl. Another idea would be to make a bowl in the center of the mound and a matching lid from some of the cut off wood, maybe a nice finial on that. Lots of possibilities, let your creative side go to work on it.


I have seen some similar to yours that were turned into hollow forms. Maybe a black collar.

robo hippy
Curt and Reed - thanks!!! I think this may be a plan! Combine the ideas, and hollow it, use a collar to hide my butchering of the opening, create a lid from scrap, with a finial, and perhaps a pedestal. If I am going to venture out here, may as well go whole hog!!!

This could take a while............

[Jeff Nicol]

John, Here is the one I roughed out in Sept. 09. Same sort if thing, it has some nice figure in the top that would have been lost if I turned it all away. Hard to see the grain in the pictures since it is covered in Anchor seal and dust!

Jeff

[Skip Spaulding]

John, Beautiful wood, great job so far, guess I would continue with a bowl. It will make a nice eye catching piece that can also be used as a candy dish or what ever. I find most of my hollow forms make great dust collectors!

[Baxter Smith]

Have been watching this thread with interest! I like the direction I think you have decided on. For me, challenges are the most fun!:) Your results should be out of the ordinary!

[John Keeton]

Baxter, the potential results span a wide swath here!!! All the way from firestarter :o to my most challenging project yet!:eek: All of this will be new territory for me. I have posted a WTB for the Cindy Drozda DVDs, so I can get educated on that topic, and I need to carefully wade in on the hollowing. So many chances for disaster here, so I don't have my sights set on the pinnacle yet!

Jeff, thanks for the pics - nice start on that one! I will go cautiously with this, and if all turns bad on the hollowing, but it stays in one piece, then I may still be able to salvage that bowl idea!

Skip, this thing is already too thin to use as any type of functional piece. The NE is just too fragile. So, it is a looker regardless of what I do with it. Might as well go for the gold! There are other burls out there. In fact, I have another of similar size, but with a little less going on in the figure.

[Dennis Ford]

I am probably too late to join in this fun but want to offer a different (weird) suggestion.

Keep the mounded center, cut the outside to match the inside then name it "Crater with Lava Dome"
\

[ed hoxter]

did he say walnut tenon ??? edsmyrna

[John Keeton]

did he say walnut tenon ??? edsmyrnaEd, the tenon is walnut, but you seem unhappy with that. In your opinion should I have used something else?? I have plenty of walnut scrap and it was handy and dry. Just trying to determine what you are asking??