Recent Bowls

[Bruce Pratt]

A couple of recent bowls - trying to work on simple forms and smooth curves. The first one is "rainbow poplar" from a 6" x 2" block. Sold it and at least 3 other pieces at a town fair this week. The second is ash; 12 1/2" x 4". Got a couple chunks of this log last year - knew the color was a bit strange, but really didn't appreciate what it would look like until I got the bowl turned. The finish on both is way too many coats of wipe-on poly.
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Bruce Pratt

[Roger Chandler]

Nice turnings........good form and great finish!

[John Keeton]

Nice job on the bowls, Bruce. Looks like that ash just started to spalt.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice bowls and great finish.

[Bruce Pratt]

John,

Yes, there are just a few spalting lines in the ash - the wood adjacent to the lines was a bit soft and soaked up huge amounts of poly before it began to give a decent finish. Suppose I could/should have sealed the wood first - live and learn...

[David E Keller]

Nicely done... Great color on that piece of ash.

[Ken Glass]

Bruce,
Congat's on selling thee pieces last weekend. I see why, with such great looking wood and classic form. The colors are what really make these stand out. Good Work.

[Michelle Rich]

The ash bowl is "my kinda bowl" It holds a huge salad meal. And it won't walk across the table when you spear a tomato!

[Fred Perreault]

Great looking items, Bruce. What is rainbow poplar? Is it really a brown color naturally, or is it the pic or did you color it?

[bob svoboda]

Both very nice! I am especially partial to the ash-really nice form and a gorgeous hunk of wood!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bruce - nice work on both bowls and congrats on your sales! Really like the Ash - great color and grain!

[Allen Linton]

Just signed up yesterday and I am so impressed with what I see; your bowls are fabulous!

I am retired now and have taken up turning and done a dozen or so pieces. I have a ton of dead fall on my property that has been on the ground for years (I cannot cut down a tree that takes 200 years to reach any size!). Each project is a surprise because the wood has been down so long and can be in pretty bad shape, and dry as a bone. I have attached a picture of one I did with Utah Juniper (Juniperus Ostesperma). The wood was hard a a rock and I could hear cracking as I worked it. I am not in the same ball park as the lot of you and am only looking for some critique. I finished it natural, with Tung Oil.

[Bruce Pratt]

Fred,

The color in the picture is pretty much what the bowl looked like. I didn't do any staining of the wood either. I got the piece from "got wood? (http://www.turningblanks.net/servlet/StoreFront)" at the AAW Symposium in Hartford. In looking at their website, "rainbow poplar" is their term for highly colored (mineral stained?) tulip poplar heartwood. My wife just got me 3 more pieces, so I guess I will get to play with it some more.
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Bruce

[James Roberts]

Great looking bowls Bruce, the rainbow poplar has beautiful color and the ash grain is gorgeous.