Mazanita Burl Bowl (rite of passage?)

[Rick Markham]

I figured about a month ago after viewing Greg Ketell's Start to finish thread that I would do a Manzanita burl bowl start to finish, as a rite of passage, so to speak. So lets get started...

First the wood gloat, these showed up at my door, 4 large Manzanita burls havested after the wildfires in California. You can see some of them are a bit charred on the outside. This is the small one at the middle/top of the photo. (The square is a 16", for a size reference on the large burl)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/004-2.jpg

Now I neglected to take a photo of the whole burl on the lathe, I will admit it was quite a harrowing experience roughing it out, inspite of the fact that it was nearly round. I don't think the lathe made it over 320 rpms, it was SLOW going.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/009-2.jpg

So the outside is done, I tend to like to finish things as I go (not a final finish, but a good basis for one)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/012-4.jpg

You can almost make it out in that photo but there is a void, in the center of the tenon, so it got filled with epoxy, flipped around and taped up, (some major cracks in this burl) Lots of blue painters tape, followed by tons of duct tape, nice and tight!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/018-3.jpg

Now I proceeded to hollow out the inside, what an experience this was, about halfway down in the very center of the burl there was a fist sized rotten area. It was partially a void and partially super punky wood. I took a nice beating from it, made me sore for a couple of days. In my haste I didn't photograph the void. I was mostly concened that it traveled all the way through to where the tenon was.

I also decided at this time that I wanted to leave the walls fairly thick, I have begun to appreciate the feel of bowls that have some substance to them. It's a perception thing that I had discussed with an artist friend of mine (he's a mentor to me) So here it is after a preliminary finishing on the inside.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/036-1.jpg

[Rick Markham]

Now for the finished pics and the reason I have waited so long to post. I rarely get to keep any of my work (this one is mine though) so I wanted quality photos for my records. A Cannon EOS T2i dSLR, photo tent, background, and portrait lighting later here are the results of the bowl, and my new photo set up. I hope you enjoy! As allways C&C welcome and appreciated... Thanks for looking!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/025.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/024-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/022-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/021-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/020-3.jpg

[bob svoboda]

Way to hang in there. Looks like a tough procedure, but I enjoyed following along. Great job of keeping the thing together-I believe the result is worth the effort (easy to say from afar).

[Baxter Smith]

Nice job. That is a rustic looking bowl! Never tried to turn anything where I had to break out the duct tape.

[Tony De Masi]

Nice job Rick. I'm glad you decided to take things slowly and proceed with caution as I see in your taping job. Nice rustic look too.

[Art Manansala]

Wow, too Manzanita theads in the same day and both spawned from Greg's experience.

Nice work and beautiful piece. The question is: Will you do it again :)

I will...

Art

[Dan Forman]

Nice job Rick, bot on the turning and photographing. I have yet to do anything I'd have to tape up, might have to get more adventurous.

Dan

[Russell Eaton]

Rick nice job on the bowl. I like the duct tape picture as well.

[Rick Markham]

Thanks guys! It was a great experience and I highly recommend it to anyone, unless you have heart or stress problems. Art, I will definitely be doing it again... In fact I am looking forward to it! Sometimes, you have to "live on the edge" :D

[Steve Schlumpf]

Great looking bowl! Thanks for taking the time to put together a series of photos showing everyone how you turned this! I am sure it will help many folks!

Nice photos as well! I have the T1i and still enjoy using it!

[John Keeton]

Rick, very nice work on the bowl, and the documentation of the process. And, congrats on the other burls, too! Nice haul.

I have turned one piece that I had to drag out the tape - yes, it is an adventure!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really a nice looking rustic bowl Rick. Nicely done.

[Roger Chandler]

Boy, that was one knarly looking piece of wood when you started. I am sure the pucker factor was high, but you handled it with the tape on the outside. That made for a very nice piece of work...........after going through what you had to endure to turn it, I am sure now an affinity for it and what you put into it has made it valuable to you.

Great process pics as well..........thanks Rick!

[Josh Bowman]

That looks great! I would have had to have a catchers outfit and motorcycle helmet to get near that one.

[Curt Fuller]

Excellent bowl Rick!

[Kathy Marshall]

Very cool bowl Rick! and great job keeping it all in 1 piece! That looks like something you just want to pick up and rub your hands all over.

[Rick Markham]

Thanks everyone!
Kathy, I took it to one of my art classes, everyone clammered around to touch and hold it. Which always says to me that the finish is perfect, when people have a need to feel it.

[Jim Burr]

What the heck Rick? That should be no more that 1/8" thick!!! I think you wimped out and should try again. HA!! I am just pulling your leg. That took a lot of thought and skill to pull off. You did a great job of keeping it in one piece and documenting the process. Keep it up!!

[David E Keller]

I love this piece. Cracks and voids everywhere! I hope you'll share the others when you get around to them.

[Tim Rinehart]

Rick, that's a marvelous piece and nicely documented. It's refreshing to see a piece where so many cracks are present, that it feels wrong to have a 'solid' side to it. I like that you didn't try filling the voids...the tenon is understandable.
Just a super nice looking piece, I'm sure we all understand everyone's desire to handle this one! Well done!!

[Rob Cunningham]

Great looking bowl Rick, nice job keeping everything together. A nice tutorial and pictures also.

[Darren Jamieson]

I just joined this forum and I have to say the work is great. I have never seen the duck tape method before but will keep it in mind for the next "almost not wood anymore" project that I tackle. Great looking bowl and you should be real proud of it, somebody will probably offer you something you can't refuse and it too will disapear.:)

[Greg Ketell]

There's a first: I was the inspiration to someone else! Usually it is the other way around!!

Rick that is a gorgeous bowl! Ain't Manzanita fun? It truly lets you know that you've turned something serious.

I love the thick walls. It really works to show off the texture of the Manzanita. (Mine was actually supposed to be thick too but I had a really severe snag that required cutting them thin to remove the crater I gouged into it.)

GK

[Rick Markham]

Greg, I read your whole post when you posted the finished piece. I thought about you as I was taking the finishing cuts, it was a whole lot of work getting to those finishing cuts. (A catch was always in the back of my head, not sure the duct tape would have saved this one.) Yes, there is something about getting pelted with dirt clods, small stones, and encountering big interior voids that made it exciting Greg!

Jim, The thick walls just worked for it, and I will admit the "pucker factor" was getting pretty high, and I wasn't going to push my luck anymore!

David, I will definitely be sharing the results of the other burls. I just need to figure out what I want to do with them. (When I get my Kobra hollowing rig I have a feeling they are going to become victims to it.) The large one is going to probably get cut up, It's fairly hollow in the interior, I'm not sure there is much to hold it together in one piece on the lathe.

Tim, thank you for the compliment. The tenon was a must, it would have been crushed in the chuck (I'm glad it worked)

Darren, Thank you. I have only been turning since mid December. I can't claim the duct tape as my idea, it was another Creeker here that suggested to Greg in his original post that he use it. Yes, I'm sure someone will end up offering me something I can't refuse... which is why I invested in the photo equipment. The price better be right though... it's going to be hard to get it out of my hands LOL

Rob, Thank you.