African Sumac

[Kathy Marshall]

I turned this bowl last week from a piece of the african sumac I picked up a couple weeks ago. The tree had been dead for awhile before they cut it down, so the limb this piece came from had started drying out a little and already had some existing cracks in it.
It's about 6-7" x about 2" (forgot to measure) finished with BLO then about 5 coats of WOP then buffed and Ren wax.
When the wood is first cut, it's just an average piece of wood with some markings, but if exposed to sunlight it turns red. I meant to get a "before" pic but forgot, so this is what it looks like after having sat outside the shop in the sun for 2 days.

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Thanks for looking!
Comments and critiques are welcome.

[Joe Watson]

wow, i really like that wood.
How much did the BLO change/tint the color along with sitting outside ?



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[Tom Winship]

Kathy, love that color. Your usual form is great also.

[Allan Ferguson]

A great wood and color.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great color in that wood Kathy and I do like the simple form.

[Bill Bolen]

Love 'em Kathy. Especially the sun tan job.

[Doug W Swanson]

Very pretty bowl. It's a simple form but that wood has lots going on in it....

[Paul Heely]

Nice looking bowl, Kathy. In the first picture it looks like the bowl has a big dent in it. What a neat optical illusion.

[Kathy Marshall]

Thanks guys!


wow, i really like that wood.
How much did the BLO change/tint the color along with sitting outside ?

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Joe, the BLO doesn't change the color much, it just brightens it a little. Here is another piece from a different log, before it saw the sun. This piece has DO on it which gives it a touch more amber tint than BLO.
What's funny is when you chainsaw a log, you end up with the normal pile of beige/tan shavings, but within a day or 2 you end up with a pile of dark red shavings. I've never seen any other wood change colors like this.
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[Joe Watson]

Thanks for the follow up, Kathy - it really is beautiful wood. That cup (???) looks sweet, i like how the grain of the lid and cup counter balance each other.

[Keith E Byrd]

Really nice - shape and wood! Is this a variety of sumac that can be irritating?

[Tim Rinehart]

Very cool...that's even more dramatic than cherry! I like the darker look and the bowl is very well made. Great job!
You'll have to save yourself a stash of that Sumac unless it's easy to come by.

[Bill Walsh]

Kathy, both posts with the before and after sunlight show off nice form and choice of wood. Nice work!!

[Primvs Aebvtivs]

VERY nice work on both items Kathy! I'm very impressed, and a little (lot!) jealous of the finish. I tried BLO on a branch bowl. Nothing fancy, just a "what happens if...?" piece. Nothing like yours! A little colour change, but not much to worry about.