Advice, please

[Cathy Schaewe]

I was working on this piece of redwood burl earlier, and when I had to stop for the night (in-laws getting hungry) I brought it upstairs to contemplate the design. I had intended to make the inside match the shape of the outside in terms of depth and angle downward. As I look at it, though, I'm wondering if the outside would be better following the shape the inside is now. I don't know how easy it is to tell that the inside is much more shallow. And the foot .... hm. It's a pretty enough piece of wood that I want to get it right, or at least as right as my skill level will allow.

The piece is 8 1/8" wide and currently 2 1/2" tall, not counting the glue block. The inside, on the other hand, is 1 1/2" deep and the opening is just over 6 1/2". The foot is about 3" wide and 1/4" tall.

Any thoughts, anybody? Thanks very much --

[charlie knighton]

nice enough shape, do a search on "golden triangle woodturning", after reading the article you sort of have a learning curve on how you individually will apply it, enjoy, compare you pictures of today with those 3 years from now :D

[Cathy Schaewe]

I have done that, and I've been studying Raffan's book on bowls. I just don't feel like I have an innate eye for these things, which is why I'm seeking people's ideas - thanks!:)

[Steve Schlumpf]

Cathy - this is all part of the learning process and figuring out what works with any given piece of wood is a challenge each and every time.

Just based on my own personal tastes - I like the curve on the inside of the bowl better than the present outside one. However - you have more than enough wood to turn the outside into a slight ogee curve. Matching the inside to the ogee could be a very nice option.

You sure have a pretty piece of wood to work with - so no matter what you decide - have fun with it! There's more wood out there and the next time you can try something different!

Looking forward to seeing the finished version!

[David E Keller]

It's a really pretty piece of wood. When I get a chance to work with something like that my first thought is to try not to screw up what nature has already done. Along those lines, I prefer very simple shapes that simply display the beauty of the wood.

I like the exterior curve, but I'm not crazy about the scalloped area at the rim. I'd prefer a single flowing curve. Steve's ogee idea is interesting as well. I like the undercut rim on the interior. A short foot might be interesting, but I generally avoid feet when in doubt.

With all that said, I've seen your website, and I'm probably not qualified to give you advice on anything.

[Cathy Schaewe]

It's a really pretty piece of wood. When I get a chance to work with something like that my first thought is to try not to screw up what nature has already done. Along those lines, I prefer very simple shapes that simply display the beauty of the wood.

I like the exterior curve, but I'm not crazy about the scalloped area at the rim. I'd prefer a single flowing curve. Steve's ogee idea is interesting as well. I like the undercut rim on the interior. A short foot might be interesting, but I generally avoid feet when in doubt.

With all that said, I've seen your website, and I'm probably not qualified to give you advice on anything.

You've made me think that maybe the scalloped area on the outside rim would work on another bowl, but possibly not this one.

The last several bowls I've done (which I haven't posted yet) don't have feet. For some reason, I feel like this one needs a foot, maybe because it's so light otherwise. Maybe the inside would work better with an ogee-shaped outside, like Steve suggested. I'll have to look at it some more.

I don't think you've seen a website of mine, since I don't have one ;)
and I've only been turning since the end of February, so anyone (even my cat, who watches me turn) is qualified to give me advice. Thanks for the input! :)

[John Hart]

I did a vase out of redwood burl a few years ago. I gotta tell ya, it was a pleasure working with the wood. (a tad dusty...but turned nicely) The vase finished so beautifully. I'm sure that regardless of how you shape this bowl, it will be a keeper. :)

[John Keeton]

Cathy, personally I like the idea of the ogee curve - it is my favorite bowl shape. And, you have enough wood to do that. I would bring the foot down to about 2.5" or so. On the ogee, if the Raffan book you have is the Art of Turned Bowls, look at pic at the top of page 65. I think you could do that here easily.

BTW, is that a Mike Smith piece? If so, I need to add a piece to my next order that is shipping in a couple days!!

[Cathy Schaewe]

Cathy, personally I like the idea of the ogee curve - it is my favorite bowl shape. And, you have enough wood to do that. I would bring the foot down to about 2.5" or so. On the ogee, if the Raffan book you have is the Art of Turned Bowls, look at pic at the top of page 65. I think you could do that here easily.

BTW, is that a Mike Smith piece? If so, I need to add a piece to my next order that is shipping in a couple days!!


John, it's funny, but that pic was what I kept thinking about - "avoid ultra=thin rims unless the whole bowl is featherweight", which this bowl is. I just didn't feel like the size was big enough to look right with that elongated rim. I think it would work better than what I've got, though. And I continue to think Steve is right - this particular piece is going to look best with an elegant shape like an ogee. I just hate to keep re-doing the same things, but if they work .... (I need to post a couple pics of some of the recent pieces!)

And I will bring the foot down, I agree with that. Any thoughts on the shape?

No, it's not from Mike. I'll e-mail you with the name / address of the guy I got it from.

Thanks -

[David E Keller]

I don't think you've seen a website of mine, since I don't have one ;)
and I've only been turning since the end of February, so anyone (even my cat, who watches me turn) is qualified to give me advice. Thanks for the input! :)

Oops... I'm not sure why I thought I'd seen a website with your turnings. My wife would tell you that I'm wrong more often than I'm right(she's right but don't tell her I said that). I'm looking forward to seeing the finished piece.

[Dennis Ford]

Cathy, you are right about the inside shape. Making the outside match would work out very well. With this wood, you don't need a lot of details, a simple shape will allow the beauty of the wood to show through.

[Richard Madison]

Cathy, the shape (inside and out) looks great except for (as mentioned) the scalloped area approaching the outside rim. Suggest you continue the smooth outside curvature all the way to the rim, turn to a uniform, smoothly curved wall thickness, but keep the undercut rim which is very nice. This would allow that beautiful piece of wood to speak for itself without unnecessary embellishment.