My first...

[Dan Hintz]

The first pic is of my first bowl, a nice Walnut piece that shows a bit of chatoyance in areas (surprised me). This was turned on Tony de Masi's yellow monster over two learning sessions, so my thanks go out to him for not laughing out loud at my gaffs ("Why is that <gouge handle> arm in outer space?"). I applied 3-4 coats of Woodcraft's version of Antique Oil (which I still have no idea exactly what "Antique Oil" is), called "Salad Bowl Oil". It's about 7.5" in diameter with a 0.5" lip.

The second and third pics are of a rough-turned NE piece of spalted Persimmon picked up from Ken Hill's place a few months back. The tenon is still on and it is ready for sanding and a finish oil (I haven't decided on the appropriate finish yet, so suggestions are welcome). This was also turned on Tony's monster. I figured there would be plenty of time left over after finishing the Walnut bowl, and a NE turning was the next logical step, so I grabbed the Persimmon on the way out of the door. This one is about 7.5" x 9" with a 0.25" lip.

My photo tent backgrounds definitely need some more ironing :o

Nothing special, but they're my first, so they've set the baseline for where the following turnings should come from. I'll probably do a couple more, maybe with some stone inlay to try it out, but I want to move up to HF pieces next.

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[Michael James]

Very nice (any #) firsts, Dan. There's a lot to be said for having someone right there with you. Congratulations!

[Dick Wilson]

Dan,

These are excellent bowls considering that they are the first you have ever turned. You have an excellent mentor. I am looking at my first bowl and it is not nearly as nice as yours. I would caution you to slow down a smidge. I did a lot of spindle and bowl turning before I entered the realm of hollow forms. You are doing very well mastering tool control so practice, practice, practice. Hollow forms are a totally different beast. I teach at my local WoodCraft store. I primarily teach hollow form techniques. I see any number of people take my class who have had a couple of beginner/intermediate classes and jump right into my class. To say that there are problems is an understatement. They are still developing the total concept and techniques of general turning and have real problems the hollowing.


Pssssssssssss - turn something and give it to your mentor. It will mean a lot to him. :-))))

[David E Keller]

Nice work, Dan. I think you've done a really nice job with both pieces.

[Roger Chandler]

Dan,

Nice work! These show you have the potential for sure! As you develop your skills, a lot of technique will become second nature. Tony is the man!

[Jon Nuckles]

Those are really nice firsts! Nice job.

[Dan Forman]

These are very nice pieces. Looks like your presence here, and your mentor have gotten you off to a very good start. I would second the notion that it might be better to get a little more experience with basic forms before entering the world of hollowing.

Dan

[Steve Schlumpf]

Congrats on your first completed bowl Dan - it looks great! Make sure you sign and date it because you are going to want to keep it! Nice looking NE! Pretty wood and I hope it isn't too punky in spots to get a good finish! Might want to shellac it first to seal the wood - or else it will drink in any oil finish you apply!

Jump into hollow forms when you feel ready but it would be easier if you gained a little more experience first. Most turning involves muscle memory and you develop almost a dance when turning because you shift your entire body. It's one thing to be able to form the outside of a turning - something else to do it when you can't watch the cutter. That's where experience and some muscle memory will come in handy!

No matter - just have fun turning and ask lots of questions!

Looking forward to seeing turning #3!

[Dennis Ford]

Both are well done, the NE is my favorite of the two. I disagree with waiting to try hollow forms. Once you have learned how to safely use a lathe, you should try to make whatever you can dream up. There will be some failures, learn from them, then burn the evidence and try again.

[Tim Thiebaut]

That bowl looks great Dan, you did a very good job on that, if you didnt tell people there is no way they would know that was your first!

[Dan Hintz]

Thanks for the compliments, guys :) I've always been adventurous when it comes to my hobbies (like the laser), so I push the learning envelop as much as I can. I don't rush through things and get sloppy, but I want to learn as much as I can as fast as I can. If I make a mistake in one area, hopefully I can apply the lesson learned in another area. I wanted to go thinner on my first, but Tony warned I wouldn't have a true "first" if I ended up breaking it, so I let it go. On the NE bowl, the 1/4" lip felt nice and natural. With my next standard round bowl, I'm going to try and shake up the profile a bit (while still keeping a pleasing form) and shoot for 1/8".

I'm already drawing up a few tools that should help me (and possibly others?) with getting to a finished bowl faster, and reducing chances for breakage. :D

[John Keeton]

Nice work on both, Dan! The walnut bowl looks very well done, and the NE piece has good form, as well. The wood looks very soft, but interesting. Good luck on the HF venture - you will enjoy the ride!

[Tony De Masi]

Atta boy Dan. I've been waiting patiently for you to post these two bowls. Tough for me to critique since I was right there with you every step of the way but I will say that you are a very patient learner. You and that other guy are the firsts that I've attempted to pass on some learining and I hope I was able to make it a good process for you and that I wasn't too boring. I guess that the only real critique I could offer is that you need to be able to identify maple vs. walnut. :rolleyes: Sorry but couldn't resist. JK was just being too nice.

[Roland Martin]

Great looking first & second turnings, Dan. Have fun and be safe!

[Dan Hintz]

Dangit, everytime I see that bowl I have the word Maple on my mind... half of the time I catch myself, the other half I just get odd looks. I'll fix it now (though I notice no one else corrected me).

EDIT: I just noticed I called it Maple the first time, but when I referred to it again in the second paragraph I properly called it Walnut... go figure.

[Jim Burr]

Absolutely bomb Dan!! Very well done. Great form to the NE's and the bowl has a rim that is very cool!

[bob svoboda]

Really nice, especially for first efforts. Someday, with courage (and maybe a couple of adult beverages) I will post my first attempt at a bowl, and then you will understand what a 'baseline' truly is:D

[Bernie Weishapl]

Dan those are both nice bowls for your first. I would sign and date them. I would keep them for comparison. Nicely done.

[Sean Hughto]

I think your bowls both look really great. You should be proud. I'm guessing you're well and truly hooked now.

As for thickness, its a funny thing. Recently I made a large cherry bowl around 1/4" thick. It is nice and light, but to me, feels sort of insubstantial. In short, I think it would have been better at roughly twice as thick. I also did an apple, that is a similar thickness, and strangely enough, the density of the apple or something makes that seem fine thin. Along with curves, bases, rims, and so many other things with a bowl, thickness continues to be something rich to explore.

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[Baxter Smith]

Great job Dan! You obviously had a great instructor! Looking forward to 3 & 4!

[Rob Cunningham]

Really nice first and second bowls Dan.

[Jon Prouty]

Dan - these are great, I love them both!

I cannot tell someone to wait to do a hollow form (I did four bowls and one platter before my first HF which I posted last night). Rock and roll is my attitute - if it breaks, you learn something. If it looks terrible, you learn something. Have fun, enjoy the ride and with a mentor (I'm jealous BTW) you will continue to do great at a fast rate.

Jon

[Peter Elliott]

Sorry for not giving Kudo's to your first work. I am still recovering from Mike and I "american pickers" episode.. ((( I was really avoiding Mike!, shhhh)))

[Mike Cruz]

Dan, they're okay, I guess. At least you chose good wood. The beautiful wood hides the flaws.

Tony, the other guy, appreciates you much more than Dan. And I know the difference between Walnut and Maple. Cedar on the other hand, gives me a little trouble...

Great job, Dan. I really like both of them. The persimmon looks really cool. Did you get worm holes in it?

There, ya happy now? :D

[Jim Burr]

First bowl and wing my eye:rolleyes:. So your gallery opening is when? I wanna be one of the first through the door Dan!!:D:cool:

[Dan Hintz]

No worm holes, at least in the final bowl. I still have the other half of that log to play with. Most of the other pieces that are sitting outside have some heavy checking to them, despite the coats of Anchor Seal Baxter put on them. I was surprised that his plum had such a nasty set of cracks in the end grain, considering how small the piece was. I don't know how deep they go,so we'll see come time to turn them. I ordered about 100 pounds of wood during Forgotten Woods sale this past weekend (;)), some interesting stuff in there, so I hope to get some cool turnings.

Time to order the Monster Hollowing set :D