From the vortex: first bowl

[Alan Zenreich]

My first completed bowl.

It's ambrosia maple about 6" wide, 3" high.

This is all good practice... trying out new toys and techniques.

I'll make better photos later. I'm may fuss with the finish a bit.

http://www.zenreich.com/ZenWeb/shop/images/projects/ambrosia_bowl_b.jpg

http://www.zenreich.com/ZenWeb/shop/images/projects/ambrosia_bowl_c.jpg

[David E Keller]

Looks pretty good... great first bowl and a nice piece of wood too!

[Baxter Smith]

Nice job! My first bowl was a piece of spalted maple about like that. Great start! Life hasn't been the same since.;)

[John Keeton]

Alan, great piece of wood, and great result!! I like the bowl, and don't see much wrong with the finish, either. What have you used on it at this point?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nice first bowl Alan!

[Robert McGowen]

That is a very cool little bowl and some really nice wood. I'll be waiting for #2!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very impressive first bowl! Be sure to sign and date it cause there is only one first! You will be amazed at how your style of turning changes with a little time!

Nice work! Looking forward to number 2!

[David Christopher]

very nice, for first or second or third etc. etc. I like the simple shapes .....good job

[Roland Martin]

Great piece of wood, nice shape, awesome first bowl.

[Gary Chester]

Nice bowl and nice spalting... especially for a first.

And I like the background for the photo... much more realistic than those photo boxes. :rolleyes: :D:D:D

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice first bowl.

[Brian Effinger]

Nice bowl. :) And I wouldn't call it practice - it's a success.

[Alan Zenreich]

John,

Currently the bowl is finished with some eee Ultra-Shine followed by some beeswax, then some Johnsons paste wax.

I generally like the bowl... there are things I would do differently. For example, I'd likely make the base smaller which would make for a curvier profile.

I like the markings on the wood, but the maple has a bit of pink cast to it that I'm not thrilled about... I'm looking forward to seeing if this cast fades as the wood matures.

For me, these projects are low stress... purely learning techniques, developing new skills and generally seeing how far I can push things until I screw them up ... and then figuring out ways to recover (errrr, redesign) to accomodate the "new" features <vbg>

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Alan, Great bowl! You're on your way to being sucked into the vortex. :) What kind of lathe is that?

[Sean Hughto]

Looks great! I like the pink cast.

[Alan Zenreich]

Alan,

I turn on a new Nova DVR XP lathe. My wife is currently using a Delta Midi lathe (LA200), though we might upgrade her to a variable speed lathe.

I'm experimenting with a mix of conventional lathe chisels and also using some carbide chisels from EasyWood Tools. I love playing with new toys. This was my first time using the Jumbo Jaws (seen in the photo) for the Oneway Talon chuck, worked very well.

[Brian George]

Looks more better than a first take. You should have seen my first one. Better yet,it's best NO ONE saw my first one! Great job...

[Alan Zenreich]

Spent time at the Woodworking show in NJ today with my bride.

We did get her a new Delta variable speed midi lathe to replace her Delta LA200.

She's a happy lady.

[Bill Bolen]

Excellent! I keep my first hidden under the workbench and pull it out when I need a good laugh...Bill...

[Tony De Masi]

Really nice first bowl. Not much at all to critique for a first try. I do however like that you did a self critique about the size of the foot to create more of a curve to the bottom. To me that shows you have a eye for what you are attempting to do. Very well done.

Tony

[Alan Zenreich]

Tony,

Thanks for your comments. I am unquestionably my own strictest critic.

I was a photographer for 20 years, specializing in commercial work, mostly small products, jewelry, etc. So I have a fair sense of form <vbg>

When new to working on anything, it's tough to make a decision where and when to stop fussing with a piece.

In this case, it wasn't really about making a bowl, it was about practicing bowlmaking.

That is, getting lathe time, and practicing with various chisels (different conventional grinds, and several carbide tools) to see how the cuts differed.

For example I used the jumbo jaws for the first time while turning off the tenon at the base. How tight does one make the jaws? Let's find out. Turned off most of the tenon with the tailstock in place, then backed it off and started to turn off what remained. A few seconds later I was picking the bowl off of the (fortunately padded) shop floor. Remarkably, the bowl landed on the tenon, and snapped it off clean! So I learned that the jumbo jaws need to be tighter, and that buttered bread doesn't always land butter side down when it hits the floor.

I took the launch as a sign that I really should stop messing with the form, complete the bottom and apply a finish.

I can easily contour the bottom to make the foot smaller, I do have enough material left to do that. And perhaps I will. Of course, if I do manage to make the outside of the bowl smaller than the inside, I'd be slapping myself for not just leaving it alone as bowl #1 instead of turning it into funnel #1.

So my fundamental problem is that I know quality when I see it, and I know that it will take a while to get to the point where I can produce it comfortably and consistently.

It's nice to be at a novice stage, where there's nowhere to go but up <vbg>

That takes all of the pressure off... no one is expecting anything, and they're surprised when you show something not totally embarassing. A fine thing.

Thanks again for everyone's support.

[John Keeton]

Spent time at the Woodworking show in NJ today with my bride.

We did get her a new Delta variable speed midi lathe to replace her Delta LA200.

She's a happy lady.Go Delta!!



http://theperfectcollection.com/deltaforce.gif

[Alan Zenreich]

John,

I knew you'd approve.

It's a nice step up from her current lathe, especially the variable speed.

Other than that, it spins wood and has capacities beyond her forseeable needs.

She can always use our Nova if she gets the urge to turn a 16" platter.

We share <veg>

[Alan Zenreich]

As they say... "no pictures? didn't happen", so here is my bride's new variable speed Delta 46-460 lathe installed in our shop. Currently it's clamped to the workbench, I'll install bolts tomorrow to secure it.

It shares a workbench with my Nova DVR XP. We face each other when turning <vbg>

Oh, and yes, we'll peel off the decals....

http://www.zenreich.com/ZenWeb/shop/images/tour/delta_46460_lathe.jpg