Small spalted cherry bowl

[Michael Stafford]

A while back Jim Becker posted pictures of a beautiful bowl he had turned which led to a discussion about grain orientation in rough cut blanks. Well seldom do I have blanks that allow me to worry about that. In this little bowl I did have a choice of how to mount the blank for turning and displaying grain to best effect. So I tried to orient the grain so that I was not quite turning end grain but about 30 degrees from vertical.

This little bowl in about 4"x4"diameter. Hope you like... ;)

[Dick Parr]

Very nice Mike, it looks good all around. :D

[Gary Max]

I like the way you did the grain...nice finish also.
How thin did you get the side walls?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Big Mike.....I like that bowl!

[Glenn Hodges]

I do like it. So many purist want the bottom to curve smaller down to the foot, but I like this curve, shoot this is a beautiful design. If we do everything according to their wishes it gets boring. That cherry wood with the twist grain pattern is so nice. Thanks for letting us see it.

[Jim Becker]

So many purist want the bottom to curve smaller down to the foot, but I like this curve, shoot this is a beautiful design.
What's most important is that it's a continuous curve, not the curve, itself. This form is wonderful and the way Mike executed it is supurb.

Mike. I like and I'm glad you tried out "playing" with the wood before committing to the final orientation. It makes a huge difference sometimes! This is a good example of that.

[John Miliunas]

Ohhhh...I really like that! :D Very nicely done, Mike and I'm particularly fond of the way you "placed" the grain. It really makes the piece look out of the ordinary. Good job! :) Thanks for posting the pic and keep up the great work! :cool:

[Donnie Raines]

See...this is why I want to start turning.....and at the same time its my I dont..... :confused: .....

Becuase if I tried to make one of these....it would explode!!!... :D

[John Miliunas]

Becuase if I tried to make one of these....it would explode!!!... :D

No it wouldn't, Donnie! You need to understand that, in order for a beautiful piece of wood like that to explode, your first name would be "John" and you would need to reside in South Central Wisconsin! :rolleyes: Go for it! It's a blast. Heck, back before I got busy with the house remodel/repairs even I was getting no less than one out of 8 attempts right! :) :cool:

[Tyler Howell]

Big Mike, with all these fine turnings you are making my head spin.

Very nice.:cool:

[John Miliunas]

Big Mike, with all these fine turnings you are making my head spin.

Very nice.:cool:

No-o-o-o-o-o...I think that may be Jason R.'s line! :D :cool:

[Michael Stafford]

You guys are making Big Mike blush but heck I like it!!! Thanks for all the support. Gary it is a little more than 1/8" at the rim and about 5/32"-3/16" at the bottom. Once again thanks for the kind words.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

If I can, I'd like to add my "Very NICE" to the others.

Bruce

[Earl Reid]

Nice bowl, nice design also Mike. What did you finish it with?
Earl

[Michael Stafford]

Earl, I use my homemade mixture of 20% BLO, 20% tung oil, 20% urethane and 40% mineral spirits. Apply liberally, allow to soak in, wipe off excess, polish dry with cloth. Sand between coats, reapply until you are happy. I'm usually happy after 3-5 coats. I find that displays the wood nicely.

[Jason Roehl]

The advantage to making my head spin is that I don't need a lathe to turn bowls... :D

Very, very nice little bowl, Michael! She's purrrdy!