Red Oak closed form bowl

[Leo Van Der Loo]

This is a bowl I rough turned april 2004, it came from a big log that had one side ripped out at a much earlier date and had been trying to grow close again, then got cut down.
There were big Carpenter ant tunnels and rotten and rough parts but it looked interesting with the new wood growing over the old wood and had quite a bit of curly wood, so I cut a bunch of it up and hauled it home.
I turned several bowls from it and some smaller pieces, but this one never got finished.
On this one I ran into a hidden tunnel at least on the one side, I saw the big round tunnel but I could live with it's location high up on the wall, but then I ran into another part of the tunnel and it was just where I was heading with my wall in the form I was creating, anyway it is the reason it never did get finished with the other pieces, it got hauled out to the shop several times, but every time got set aside again and forgotten about it.
Couple weeks ago I found again and yes brought it in again, and this time I did return it and fill that carpenter tunnel slot, colored it dark and here it is, finally done :)

All comments welcome as always :)

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[John Keeton]

Leo, as nasty as oak can be to turn, it surely makes a beautiful bowl!! Well done on this one, and glad you finally put it back on the lathe - this piece deserved to be finished.

[Roger Chandler]

Great save Leo,

nice form, and the finish pops the grain well. I really like the way you sign your turnings........I suppose it is burning the signature in with a heated iron?

Let me know what you use by name if you will, as I would like to try my hand at that ........I think :)

[Harvey Schneider]

Leo
A very interesting form. I would not have imagined that a broad bottomed bowl could still have lift, but this one certainly does. Seeing a piece like this should help us all think outside of the norm.
I really like the form and finish.
Harvey in Southbury, CT

[Aaron Wingert]

Leo I really like it. As stated, the form is a little outside of the box but it certainly works well.

[charlie knighton]

very nice red oak, thanks for sharing

[Steve Schlumpf]

Glad you took the time to finish the bowl Leo - it looks great!

Nice job on the interior walls! That is a hard cut to make!

[steven carter]

Leo,

Very nice looking oak bowl. It is almost the shape of a bowl I intend to turn from a piece of Koa, I got from and auction on the 'bay. I hope to turn a calabash bowl with a rounded bottom. I've not turned a calabash yet and have been looking at forms to get an idea of the shape I want. What are the dimensions on the oak?

Steve

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Leo, obviously you have a great appreciation for Oak as well. This is a wonderful piece I love the deep rich grain and color of oak. Some folks just don't understand the oak obsession. We won't name names here, that wouldn't be very nice would it? He He!! Great Job!!:)

[David E Keller]

Nice looking bowl. I love the finished look of oak, but I can't get past the misery associated with turning it.:eek: I'm thankful that you and others are willing to do the hard work so that I can see pretty oak forms.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking bowl Leo. I really like the finished look.

[Joe Shinall]

Really like the form Leo. Very simple and yet very appealing.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Man, oak is so hard to turn for me. But with results like you got it's worth it. I can see my tools getting shorter with all the sharpening when cutting oak.

[Harvey Ghesser]

Very well done, Leo! We seldom see oak bowls here and you did this one justice.

Harvey

[James Roberts]

Good stuff there Leo, I love the look of oak in a well done piece and this is no exception. Good story on your trials with this one too. Glad you hung in there and finished it.

[Van Huskey]

Gorgeous bowl!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Leo, as nasty as oak can be to turn, it surely makes a beautiful bowl!! Well done on this one, and glad you finally put it back on the lathe - this piece deserved to be finished.

Thanks John :), you know I hear that a lot, but I don't share that feeling, I have turned a bunch of different pieces from both Red and White Oak, and I like the look of Oak, the rays are a nice thing with Oak in addition to the grain, mind you, it is just one of many woods I like turning :)


Great save Leo,

nice form, and the finish pops the grain well. I really like the way you sign your turnings........I suppose it is burning the signature in with a heated iron?

Let me know what you use by name if you will, as I would like to try my hand at that ........I think :)

Roger thank you :), Roger i use a hot iron on the end of a wire :D, I had an old Raytheon radar gun transformer with a whole bunch of leads on it, and found a pair that gave me the power for a hot wire pen, have used that for a number of years and I can get a pretty decent signature most times, but I did have to practice some :eek:, writing always got my lowest score in school,(I usually could read it myself though:rolleyes:) I just give it my best shot ;)


Leo
A very interesting form. I would not have imagined that a broad bottomed bowl could still have lift, but this one certainly does. Seeing a piece like this should help us all think outside of the norm.
I really like the form and finish.
Harvey in Southbury, CT

Thanks Harvey :D, this is one of my favorite shapes, and have used it a number of times, I have still several rough turned pieces with a similar shape to them, eventually they will make their way to the finished side and be shown :)


Leo I really like it. As stated, the form is a little outside of the box but it certainly works well.

Thanks Aaron appreciate you commenting :)


very nice red oak, thanks for sharing

Thank you Charlie :), take care.


Glad you took the time to finish the bowl Leo - it looks great!

Nice job on the interior walls! That is a hard cut to make!

He Steve, thanks :D, I'm kinda glad I goterdone ;), I do like the wood and shape, but the big hole and the other opening did/do not feel good, but then again it is wood, and someone might just love this thing, well see :D

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Leo,

Very nice looking oak bowl. It is almost the shape of a bowl I intend to turn from a piece of Koa, I got from and auction on the 'bay. I hope to turn a calabash bowl with a rounded bottom. I've not turned a calabash yet and have been looking at forms to get an idea of the shape I want. What are the dimensions on the oak?

Steve

Thanks Steve :), the size is about 6½" X 3¾" Steve, it isn't quite a calabash shape Steve, the largest width should be higher up on them I find, a search for Calabash should get you a number of good shapes I'd think, and a thin walled Koa should look pretty good, looking forward you showing it :)


Leo, obviously you have a great appreciation for Oak as well. This is a wonderful piece I love the deep rich grain and color of oak. Some folks just don't understand the oak obsession. We won't name names here, that wouldn't be very nice would it? He He!! Great Job!!:)

Thank you Chris :), yes I do like Oak, along with many other woods :), I think Oak is getting a bad wrap here, maybe it comes from the flat WWers as it might be a bit more difficult to work for them.

Being brought up in The Netherlands where Oak has been used through the centuries and thought of as a nice good wood (only White Oak is native to Europe BTW) and my best friend having a large and mostly Oak sawing sawmill, I have had my exposure to Oak in a more positive way, maybe I should make a post with some pictures of some of the different pieces of Oak I have made, and have maybe some turners take another look at this wood :) ??


Nice looking bowl. I love the finished look of oak, but I can't get past the misery associated with turning it.:eek: I'm thankful that you and others are willing to do the hard work so that I can see pretty oak forms.

Thank you David :), as I have said (see previous post) I don't find Oak a difficult or harder to turn wood than many other wood types, and yes I also like the look of it, I think it is well worth turning it, (the drying needs more attention than some, I agree)


Great looking bowl Leo. I really like the finished look.

Thank you Bernie :D, I was glad to have it finished :)


Really like the form Leo. Very simple and yet very appealing.

Thanks Joe :), isn't that very often the case ??, KISS is a good thing in many ways I agree ;)


Man, oak is so hard to turn for me. But with results like you got it's worth it. I can see my tools getting shorter with all the sharpening when cutting oak.

Thanks Alan :D, you know this seems like a common thing that turners are saying they have a problem turning Oak, and I can't say I do have any more of a problem turning Oak than most other woods, I like turning Oak, as for the having to sharpen your tools more often (I don't need to) depending the local conditions where the tree grows, you could have gotten wood with more silica in it, I seem to recall that in sandy locations this was the case (if I recall this right), and yes than your tools do need to be sharpened more often of course :)

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Very well done, Leo! We seldom see oak bowls here and you did this one justice.

Harvey

Thanks for commenting Harvey :D, I do like the looks of Oak, and I think it is a better looking wood than many others often, comparing plain Maple and Birch and Beech and Ash, than Oak will win hands down IMO :D.


Good stuff there Leo, I love the look of oak in a well done piece and this is no exception. Good story on your trials with this one too. Glad you hung in there and finished it.

Thanks James :), I think turning does need some perseverance at times, I was just bypassing this one for a while ;)


Gorgeous bowl!

Thanks for commenting, I do appreciate it:D

[Ken Glass]

Leo,
I missed this one, somehow. I know how Red Oak can be a challenge with the grain, so, you really showed the grain and it seems to lay down very well and the finish looks wonderful. I like the form also. Very well Done!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Leo,
I missed this one, somehow. I know how Red Oak can be a challenge with the grain, so, you really showed the grain and it seems to lay down very well and the finish looks wonderful. I like the form also. Very well Done!

Thank you Ken :D

Like I have been saying all along, Oak doesn't cause me any more problems than most other wood, I don't know why so many seem to have problems and I don't :confused:

[Rob Cunningham]

Good looking bowl Leo. Is there a recess on the bottom or is it flat?
I can read your writing just fine :)

[David Woodruff]

Leo, nice work and form. I am always reminded when I turn Red Oak that I am back in the horse barn with my Grandpa helping clean the floors. I digress but when my Daughter and her family lived in KC,MO my son-in-law and me came across a huge Black Walnut that had been cut "to make way for progress". As we sawed huge crotch pieces, with permission from DOT, the wood smelled of a pig lot. The turned pieces did as well. Later my son-in-law found out that this walnut tree was over 100 years and had been prospering in this corner of the hog lot. Now I know why the wood is a beautiful chocolate brown.

Thank Leo for your post that retrieved memories from my childhood. The walnut was only a few years past.

[Bill Wilcox]

Dang Leo I sure wish I live a tad bit closer to you. I know that I could learn much from a guy like yourself.
Great piece of work.
Bill W

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks for your comment Bill :), we'll have to keep it doing this way Bill :), it's just a little outside the neighborhood do drop in very often :rolleyes: :D

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Good looking bowl Leo. Is there a recess on the bottom or is it flat?
I can read your writing just fine :)

Thanks Rob :D, yes I can read it too ;)

The bottom has a slight curve as you can see, but where the 3 rings are around the writing, there is a slight bulge so it sits stable on that rather than rock, keeps the writing intact longer I think :D

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Leo, nice work and form. I am always reminded when I turn Red Oak that I am back in the horse barn with my Grandpa helping clean the floors. I digress but when my Daughter and her family lived in KC,MO my son-in-law and me came across a huge Black Walnut that had been cut "to make way for progress". As we sawed huge crotch pieces, with permission from DOT, the wood smelled of a pig lot. The turned pieces did as well. Later my son-in-law found out that this walnut tree was over 100 years and had been prospering in this corner of the hog lot. Now I know why the wood is a beautiful chocolate brown.

Thank Leo for your post that retrieved memories from my childhood. The walnut was only a few years past.

Thanks David :), David you would have not smelled a thing re-turning this piece David, (I didn't either :D) but wood as a whole has different fragrances, some we do like and other we don't, often because we are told it is a fetor smell, others because we associate it with something unpleasant.

I have a couple of plants here that get flowers that smell much worse than wet Red Oak, the name carrion flower does fit them well :eek:
Though I do like the plants and the flower LOOK good :D, so do the blue flies and in turn the bull frog :cool:

Childhood memories, ...... any time I smell White Oak or dry Ash, my memory will take me back many years with pleasant thoughts of when I was young in a far away place and another time, ..............thanks for having me ponder this thought :)


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[Baxter Smith]

Very nice bowl Leo. Over the last 35 years I have burned a lot of red oak but only turned 1 small bowl. Over the next 35 I will try and reverse that.:)

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Very nice bowl Leo. Over the last 35 years I have burned a lot of red oak but only turned 1 small bowl. Over the next 35 I will try and reverse that.:)

Thank you Baxter :D, you do have lots of choices there Baxter, I have turned a lot of different woods, and not touched many other ones, the looks and availabilities are what makes the reason very often for the choice we make, and I do like Oak, be it red or white, have fun and take good care :D