Bark inclusion in a utility bowl?

[Baxter Smith]

This summer I cut a Red Maple growing too close to my sisters front porch. I once turned a 14 inch bowl from one of the trunk sections to give to her for Christmas along with some smaller 6 to 8 inch ones. Sort of a salad/utility set. They have dried and warped enough now so I that I can finish them. I would prefer to use walnut oil or perhaps AO or polymerized tung oil.
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The larger one has several bark inclusions in it. I soaked them with thin CA while turning but after some preliminary sanding, there are some tiny cracks. Before I go further, should I fill them with something? Thin CA followed by medium CA? I know coffee grounds are popular but have never tried any kind of filler as I have preferred to leave things cracked if they are cracked.
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Leaving as is is probably not appropriate here. If I went with the polymerized tung oil, would that build up enough in the crack to seal it? Any thoughts or suggestions as to how to best deal with a bark inclusion in a utility bowl are appreciated!:)

[David E Keller]

It's hard to tell how deep the inclusions are from the photos, but my first instinct is to leave them alone. If they're large and you want to fill them, I probably consider epoxy for filling them. FWIW. I've got a Mike Mahoney video where he advises against using any kind of glue to fill utility pieces. I don't have any personal experience with it, so maybe someone else can set us straight.

[Sean Hughto]

It can still be a useful bowl, maybe just not a salad bowl. Instead, it can hold fruit or other items without a liquid aspect.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree. It won't make a soup bowl or salad bowl with dressing. It will make a awful nice fruit, chip or popcorn bowl. Mike Mahoney said the same thing at a demo I attended. He said any defect in the wood he won't use as a utility bowl.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I've used medium black CA to fill cracks. IF you didn't know that it was once a crack, it may be passable, as a grain anomaly. It looks okay, but I know that it's a crack. People I show it to don't even ask about it. It may be rather pronounced on lighter woods though..... I used it on darker wood. Just yet another alternative. As one of my friends said, if you can't hide it, celebrate it.

[Rich Aldrich]

Good question, Baxter. I was going to post this question tonight.

I roughed out two large cherry bowls for salad as part of two different sets. These would just hold the lettuce, but someone might want to use it for something else.

Now I am on the look out for two chunks of cherry for 13 to 14" bowls. I have quite a bit of cherry left, so I dont want to cut another whole tree.

[Baxter Smith]

It's hard to tell how deep the inclusions are from the photos, but my first instinct is to leave them alone. If they're large and you want to fill them, I probably consider epoxy for filling them. FWIW. I've got a Mike Mahoney video where he advises against using any kind of glue to fill utility pieces. I don't have any personal experience with it, so maybe someone else can set us straight.
David, the inclusions go all the way through the bowl, and its about 3/8 thick. You can't see light through the cracks but they are there in the middle of the bark. Just hairline. Not really big enough to fill them with much besides some CA at this point but I know the bark is not as solid as the wood so I assume they would get bigger with time and moisture if not solidified in some way.

I agree. It won't make a soup bowl or salad bowl with dressing. It will make a awful nice fruit, chip or popcorn bowl. Mike Mahoney said the same thing at a demo I attended. He said any defect in the wood he won't use as a utility bowl.
Thanks Bernie. I wasn't thinking soup or even dressing. More along the lines of just tossed salad minus the dressing. But with time and simply washing/wiping out I was afraid the bark would deteriorate if not sealed.

I've used medium black CA to fill cracks. IF you didn't know that it was once a crack, it may be passable, as a grain anomaly. It looks okay, but I know that it's a crack. People I show it to don't even ask about it. It may be rather pronounced on lighter woods though..... I used it on darker wood. Just yet another alternative. As one of my friends said, if you can't hide it, celebrate it.
Thanks Kyle. I would doubt the dark CA would hardly be noticed. May just have to add a disclaimer to the bowl if used with wet veggies!

[Jake Helmboldt]

Baxter, if used for a salad bowl where there may be dressing and probably some washing at times I'd seal it with a thin (watery) CA. Apply it from both sides to stabilize it and not have to worry about it growing larger or falling out over time or soaking up dressing and getting gunky. You could do the coffee grounds as well to help fill it and then sand to the same finish so it blends in.

My 2 cents.

Nice bowl by the way; I love maple and keep eyeing the ginormous shade tree over our back yard/deck. Must resist.

[Reed Gray]

The trouble with patches and utility bowls, is that you can't trust the patch to hold. If you leave the bark, it will deteriorate faster than the wood. For me, when I do patch (unless the wood has special meaning to the person whose tree it was, I don't bother as it is way too time consuming), I save walnut dust from my drum sander. Put in some thin CA glue, let it soak a bit, then add some dust. I will layer it till it is higher than the bowl, then sand it out.

robo hippy