Small bowl turning

[Jack Wood]

Here's a small bowl I turned out of Chittam wood for my wife.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Jack, I really like that! Looks like the lid fits VERY well. Good job.

[Bob Hovde]

Very nice! Where did you get the wood, and how was it to turn?

Bob

[Ken Shoemaker]

Beautiful work... The finish is outstanding... Looking forward to seeing more.

[Jack Wood]

Thanks for the feedback! Bob I got the wood from my bro-outlaw. He has had it storing for 10 years and he let me have some of it to work with. I was able to get burls and logs because it was pulled up out of the ground by a backhoe where the land was being cleared to build a house. I'm waiting on buying a larger lathe to turn some of the burls, but that could be a while. I'm working on making boards from the logs so that I can build some small boxes, picture frames etc. It is a very easy wood to turn, very dense grain. I hope to post some more things as I learn what to do with it.

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

I never heard of chittam wood before. Where does it grow and how does it work? Like the color and the design.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Jack............. That is one SWEET lidded Box.

Bruce

[Jack Wood]

Don this is a small tree that grows in the hills around this area and is wide spread across the south from my understanding. It goes by several names and is sometimes confused with the "hedge Apple" tree. Here is a link to a Al ag ext. page that describes it better.
http://www.forestry.state.al.us/publication/100/american_smoke-tree.pdf
It is a beatiful wood that has spectacular burls.

[Jack Wood]

Don I found this from the TX ag dept. that tells about it in your neck of the woods. By the way, I am an "honorary Texan" as my sister and her native Texan husband "adopted" me for when I visit them in McKinney Tx north of Big "D".:)
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/cotinusobovatus.htm

[Jack Wood]

Here's a good picture that shows the tree. If you look at the base of the tree you can see the large burls that are common to this tree.

[Bill Pealer]

Excellent design. Just don't let TLOML know that you made something for your wife, because then I would never get anything else done.:D