Cherry Burl - Bowl in a Bowl

[Baxter Smith]

Sorry if you are getting tired of these! Couldn't turn yesterday so had to get my fix last night. I get at least one nugget of wisdom from someones comments everytime I post, so heres my search for another.
I was initially going to do a NE with my first attempt at burl. When I split the piece open I saw that all the burl was in the sapwood, so ended up with a sapwood bowl. The second attempt was an effort to change some minor details in the first. That one had even more flaws. Time for a change.

This is the other side of the branch I did yesterday. The burl wrapped around a little but there was a bump/hole where a good sized limb had been.

Started off thinking about a flat winged NE bowl. After reorienting the blank several times and seeing how things were progressing I readjusted my plan.
Not soon enough in spots so it is still flawed....just differently!
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Turned away a lot of rotten wood in the limb and about half of the borer.:) CA came in handy.

All comments and nuggets of wisdom welcome!

7 3/4 x 2 3/4 x 1/4 One coat of AO and bagged

[Richard Madison]

That's a cool piece Baxter. Maximum use of what the material had to offer. Sorry I have no nugget of wisdom to impart. Maybe next time.

[John Keeton]

Baxter, you did it!! You are now an arteest!!! Excellent piece, and I love the side view in pic 3. This is another great piece of burl, and you certainly did right by it - just a real nice piece, and one of your best so far, if not the best!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Looks pretty cool to me! Great to see the imagination at work!

You stated a coat of AO and then bagged. Does that mean you are going to return it? Just not sure of the 'bagged' comment.

[Kevin J Lalonde]

Nice piece. Yeah i think its the best of the three so far!! I'll have to start looking for these cherry burls. Whats your address?:D A lil imagination goes a long way. And no i dont think anyone on here gets tired of seeing turnings, regardless of the wood or shape.

[charlie knighton]

very nice, and thank you

[David E Keller]

I really like it. You definitely get a lot of beautiful burl surface with that design. Jimmy Clewes turns something like this from a burl cap in one of his DVD's. The biggest difference between his and yours is that he undercut the inside bowl near the bottom to make it look like two separate bowls sitting on top of each other... Not a negative, just a difference.

I'd imagine you could post a pic of that beautiful burl everyday for the next twenty years without any of us getting tired of it. Keep 'em coming.

[Roger Bullock]

First bowl in a bowl I've seen in a long time. Nicely executed. No words of wisdom here just the WOW factor.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking piece Baxter. Really well done.

[Baxter Smith]

That's a cool piece Baxter. Maximum use of what the material had to offer. Sorry I have no nugget of wisdom to impart. Maybe next time.
Thanks Richard, no problem. I've already gotten a couple from you!:)

Baxter, you did it!! You are now an arteest!!! Excellent piece, and I love the side view in pic 3. This is another great piece of burl, and you certainly did right by it - just a real nice piece, and one of your best so far, if not the best!
Thanks John. Appreciate the support but arteest I'm not!

Looks pretty cool to me! Great to see the imagination at work!

You stated a coat of AO and then bagged. Does that mean you are going to return it? Just not sure of the 'bagged' comment.

Thanks Steve. Almost all the bowls I have turned have been green. If I just roughed them out I put them in bags(some with anchorseal some not) and will think about them next winter. The ones I have turned thin, I sanded right on the lathe to 400 or more then coated with Antigue Oil most of the time. On some of the very thin vases I used BLO followed by Shellac then lacquer. They all went onto the concrete floor in an unheated area for storage. I have only opened about a dozen after a minimum of 6 weeks. They have all been fine. I then put on more oil. I plan on doing the same with this one. I don't know if this is the proper method but it seems to be working with the wood and conditions I have had. Have no experience with long term results.


Nice piece. Yeah i think its the best of the three so far!! I'll have to start looking for these cherry burls. Whats your address?:D A lil imagination goes a long way. And no i dont think anyone on here gets tired of seeing turnings, regardless of the wood or shape.
Thanks Kevin. I agree with the imagination part but I only have a little!

very nice, and thank you
Thank you Charlie and youre welcome.


I really like it. You definitely get a lot of beautiful burl surface with that design. Jimmy Clewes turns something like this from a burl cap in one of his DVD's. The biggest difference between his and yours is that he undercut the inside bowl near the bottom to make it look like two separate bowls sitting on top of each other... Not a negative, just a difference.

I'd imagine you could post a pic of that beautiful burl everyday for the next twenty years without any of us getting tired of it. Keep 'em coming.

Thanks David. I have seen the Jimmy Clewes name on a DVD's but have never seen any of his work that I know of. Given the lip angle of the lower bowl, Im not sure I have a tool other than my goose neck hollowing tool that could have gotten in there. I would be hesitant to jab that into any place that can be seen.:)


First bowl in a bowl I've seen in a long time. Nicely executed. No words of wisdom here just the WOW factor.
Thanks Roger. Glad you like it.


Great looking piece Baxter. Really well done.
Thanks Bernie. I appreciate the support.

[Gary Chester]

Excellent ARTISTIC work... and nice wood!

2nd pic looks like a water drop splash... I like it, I may borrow the idea...

[Roland Martin]

I "REALLY" like everything about this Baxter. Very well done.

[Sean Hughto]

I like it. I recently had a wild cherry blank that had some crumbly rotten knots that went a ways through the blank. By the time I had turned them out the need for a design change was obvious. Mine too came out as a sort of bowl within a bowl. After it dries and I return it, I hope that maybe it can function as a sort of chips and dip serving bowl. We'll see.

[Baxter Smith]

Excellent ARTISTIC work... and nice wood!

2nd pic looks like a water drop splash... I like it, I may borrow the idea...
Thanks Gary! I'm glad it was ARTISTIC enough for you! Thanks as well for the gentle nudge in that direction on my previous bowl as I was tending to "play it too safe".

I "REALLY" like everything about this Baxter. Very well done.
Thanks Martin


I like it. I recently had a wild cherry blank that had some crumbly rotten knots that went a ways through the blank. By the time I had turned them out the need for a design change was obvious. Mine too came out as a sort of bowl within a bowl. After it dries and I return it, I hope that maybe it can function as a sort of chips and dip serving bowl. We'll see.
Thanks Sean, my wife commented about the chips and dip serving bowl as well. This one is too small, but if you didn't have the bark and holes to worry about your cherry would look nice.

[Fred Perreault]

What a funky turning. Very crisp looking piece.

[Dick Strauss]

Baxter,
I think it is going to take a long time before I get tired of seeing your cherry burl pieces. Boy that is some beautiful wood! If you are ever looking to trade some cherry burl, PM me.

Take care,
Dick

[Matt Newton]

Baxter, Did you finish turn the burl while it was green or return it? I just green turned a burl and am waiting for ir to dry, but am always looking for new ideas.

[Baxter Smith]

Baxter,
I think it is going to take a long time before I get tired of seeing your cherry burl pieces. Boy that is some beautiful wood! If you are ever looking to trade some cherry burl, PM me.

Take care,
Dick
Thanks Dick. I only have one small cut up piece and a very small burl left. Won't be getting any more for a while. I will try to remember when I do.

Baxter, Did you finish turn the burl while it was green or return it? I just green turned a burl and am waiting for ir to dry, but am always looking for new ideas.
Matt, when I asked for some quidance in turning these burls, the general concensus was to turn them to final thickness. The 3 I have done so far have all been 1/4 or less. I applied 1 coat of oil then stored them in paperbags in a cool area. Will keep them that way for at least a couple months. Opened them up today because someone wanted to see them. No cracks but they are warping a little. I tried to keep the heartwood centered so they might warp somewhat evenly. Time will tell.