Osage Orange Bowl

[Harvey Schneider]

I don't usually get excited about small bowls. They are usually just practice pieces. This Osage Orange has so much going on that I just fell in love with the piece of wood. Judge for yourselves.
Incidentally if anybody knows how to arrest the darkening of Osage Orange, I would like to know. It is a handsome wood even when it has darkened, but I love it's orange state.
The bowl is 5.25" diameter by 2.5" tall. The wall thickness is about 1/4". I was tempted to go thinner, but the rock hard wood is riddled with fissures and worm holes and I was afraid that it wouldn't survive the cutting forces.
Comments and critique are always welcomed.

PS
There have been several comments on the unusual appearance of this wood. The piece of wood this came from was a twisted, gnarled, stump that looked as though it was a stunted tree. There are branch knots everywhere and many cracks and fissures from uncontrolled drying. The wood is the hardest Osage I have encountered and even with freshly sharpened tools it is not easy to cut.
The wood was sanded to 600 grit and then polished at high speed (1200 RPM) with an abrasive pad (equivalent to 0000 steel wool). The finish is friction polish

[Robert McGowen]

Very nice, Harvey. I have a couple of logs of osage that I have never cut in to. Might have to give it a spin now that I see how nice yours turned out.

[John Keeton]

Unusual character for osage! Very nice! I am not aware of anything that will arrest the change in color, but others may be. Hope you get a good response on that question.

[Ken Glass]

Harvey,
That is a very nice bowl. It has some great character. The form is also very nice. Well done.

[David E Keller]

Very nice... I don't think the color change can be stopped, but it can be embraced. I've never seen OO with that much going on in the grain... It almost looks like birdseye in places. Thanks for posting.

[David Christopher]

Harvey, that is a beautiful bowl....you can slow the color change down by keeping it out of direct sunlight...but it will still change color, just slower

[George Guadiane]

Beautiful bowl from beautiful wood.
I don't know of anything that will stop the darkening, except keeping it out of direct light.

[Paul Douglass]

I know there are some finishes out there that inhibit UV rays. Could try that but the ones I've seen are like the varathanes and probably wouldn't make a good finish.

That is a pretty bowl.

[bob svoboda]

Very nice bowl and beautiful wood Harvey.

[charlie knighton]

very nice....

[Steve Schlumpf]

Great looking bowl Harvey! Really some amazing wood!

[Allen Neighbors]

Harvey, that's awesome...!! The first pic... it looks like Madrone outside, and Osage inside... then when it's enlarged, it looks like some Eucalyptus on the outside. That wood really is different. You did it justice with the shape, too!
The only thing I know of that even 'might' have a chance at inhibiting the color change is some UV inhibiting Lacquer that is made for spraying color photographs. The lacquer will 'slow down' the effects of UV light on photographs, but doesn't stop it altogether; and I'm not sure it would be a good finish for this bowl.
It looks like it has a Satin Finish of sorts on it, and it's beautiful! I think the best you can do, is keep it in a closed cabinet, until you want to use it, but it's going to change, anyway... eventually.

[Baxter Smith]

Very pretty bowl.

[James Roberts]

Harvey, love the simple form of this one and the wood is really different.

[brian watts]

very nice.. wish i could find some as dark as that.

[Harvey Schneider]

very nice.. wish i could find some as dark as that.

Just leave it exposed to sunlight and it will darken. This piece was obviously old and thoroughly dry when I got it so I wasn't surprised by the rich colors.
Harvey

[steven carter]

Harvey,

Real nice OO bowl. The form really shows of the wood. You might find the fountain of youth before you figure out how to keep it from darkening. I swear it will change even in the dark:(.

Steve

[Cody Colston]

Incidentally if anybody knows how to arrest the darkening of Osage Orange, I would like to know. It is a handsome wood even when it has darkened, but I love it's orange state.


Bodark will darken from both UV exposure and oxidation. The process can be slowed with UV inhibiting finishes but it can't be stopped. A hundred years from now that bowl will be almost black.

The natural color of the wood is a bright canary yellow when freshly cut with a creamy sap wood. The orange color of your bowl is from the natural darkening process which is well underway.

BTW, the color of the wood has nothing to do with the name "Osage Orange." That name is derived from it's use by the Osage Indians as a bow wood and from the green fruit it bears that slightly resembles an orange and even smells slightly like an orange when it is overripe. Here in East Texas (the tree's native area) we call it Bodark which is a bastardization of the name the French gave to it...Bois d' Arc...Wood of the Bow.

For a bit of additional history, the Bois d' Arc tree was the first species of several that Lewis and Clark sent back East on their trans-continental expedition. Can you tell I like Bois d' Arc wood?

It is an attractive bowl you have turned and as noted, has unusual figure. I think it looks great, regardless of the color.