Finally completed a bowl without too many issues

[Rob Holcomb]

Here is a Cherry bowl I finished today. It measures 6 1/2" in diameter and is 3" tall. It's not perfect but it's the first one I was able to complete without too many issues. The wall became a little thin where the bowl makes the angle because the inside has a different profile. I was afraid I would end up cutting through, so I sanded out imperfections the best I could or at least until my hand kept cramping up. The top looks like it's out of round but that's just a poor camera angle. It's round and doesn't rock at all. I didn't take a picture of the bottom because it's not signed yet but will be tomorrow. I'm giving it to a friend of mine who has given me a lot of Cherry logs and tomorrow he's giving me a couple of spalted Elm hunks and a few pieces of locust. I almost forgot to mention the finish. Just one coat of Minwax Tung Oil and hand buffed.

http://www.robholcomb.com/cherrybowl.jpg

[Roger Chandler]

Hey Rob, that is a nice bowl! I like the contrast of the heartwood to the sapwood. I see you chose to do a flat bottom instead of a curved one........is that by design or fear of going through the bottom?

You will get the hang of this and an eye that will help you to mirror the outside curve on the inside..........it just takes doing a few to get comfortable with the process.

You got a great finish on this................Nice JOB!

[Rob Holcomb]

The inside bottom isn't really flat. It has a taper but I had trouble getting the hang of trying to get it to match the outside so I quit while I still had a bowl to give away!

[Steve Vaughan]

Rob, you're gonna be just fine. That's a nice looking cherry bowl and I also like the heartwood and sapwood contrast. Cherry is one of my favorites, and you've done very well with this one.

[Michael James]

Nice one! I love it when they make it to the finish line (at all) without too many issues. You must have sanded that one just right because that finish is NICE! Keep em coming... as mentioned, the more you turn em the more comfortable you will be.

[Josh Bowman]

Rob, great first bowl. As you make more of a curve, the easy the whole process will get. Oddly, it's harder to make and finish a striaight side bowl. I look forward to seeing your next.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice bowl Rob. The curves will come and I would suggest a figure 8 calipers and keep measuring as you go. Pretty soon your thumb and index finger will become caliberated calipers.:D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Great first bowl Rob!

I had a skilled turner show me something once. Why don't you try it. With a bowl still in the chuck on the lathe....place the fingers of one hand on the outside of the bowl and the finger tips of the other bowl on the inside. Now with your eye closed slide the fingers down the side of the bowl and as close to the middle of the bowl as your chuck will allow.

If you practice that a little, it won't be long and you will be able to feel where the difference are.

And as Bernie suggested....calipers work well too.

Nice first bowl! Keep at it!

[Jim Burr]

That's a really cool bowl Rob! Kinda fun how you learn as you go and think "oops...look at this" and "uh ooh..what about that?" Sign and date it and keep up the great work!!!...Well? where is it...come on!!;)

[John Keeton]

Nothing like the "first" one!! Nice work, and as the others said and you acknowledged, replicating the outside curve is the key - not always easy, but you will get it!

[Rob Holcomb]

This is my third bowl actually but the first that didn't give me complete fits, or crack during the drying process etc. The first two were nothing to write home about or take pictures of. The outside shape was made purposely for no reason other than to try something different. The inside was much more difficult for me though. I just couldn't get the inside to match the outside. Obviously it's lack of experience. I do have calipers and I was using them. What happened was that the more I tried to duplicate the outside, the thinner the bowl became. I finally came to the conclusion that I better leave well enough alone and just finished the bowl as it was. As it turned out, it's actually different than most bowls I've seen so it has its own value in that regard. My 17 year old boy liked it and if you knew my boy, you would understand how much that means! lol

[Rob Cunningham]

It looks good Rob. It gets easier with each one you do. It sounds like you have a good supplier for wood.

[Thom Sturgill]

To paraphrase something I once read, (but don't remember who said) "a bowl should have two curves, one inside and one outside, and as long as they are fair and do not intersect, you have a good bowl".

Good first bowl, keep it up and practice, practice, practice. If you have the chance to get some one-on-one with a professional (or even a talented amateur) - grab it !! there's nothing like having someone watch you turn and be able to spot and correct the areas you have trouble with. Once you learn how it should feel, and what you should be looking for, its a matter of training muscle memory and the earlier you start the easier it is to break any bad habits you may have gotten into.

[Paul Douglass]

That is a very nice bowl. Beautiful wood, and I like the shape. Nice work.