Wood Bowl Sink - how to finish it.

[Peter Elliott]

So I am trying to finish my basement. The theme is a "lot" of wood! I have 8" t&g pine for the walls, solid pine doors, reclaimed heartwood pine in a lot of areas. It's not finished yet but I post some photos when it's done. The concept/design is based on a post & beam house I use to build in New England... ok, back on topic.

I made up a vanity with some very nice heart pine and salvage a piece of granite from another job. I was going to drop the granite off at my buddy's shop to have a standard sink cut in. Nothing fancy, just a plain undermount sink.

So after doing some big bowls yesterday at our damp meet, it hit me!

I want to turn a 14" bowl and use it as a sink. Like the glass version you see.

Wood selection? I would like cherry but I have found cherry to crack (check) very easy. Teak would be ideal but I haven't seen a teak log? Not sure the color would be all that great and I don't want to dye it. Walnut would go well? I just got a few logs of walnut.

Finish schedule? Epoxy is almost certain. I've read epoxy with urethane top coat. Obviously boat builders use it but I wonder how scratch resistant all this would be? I just need to think out the worst situation for the finish, which would be scratches. I need to look at waterlox website, reading some bowls finish with their products.

Fit to facet - seems straight forward. I will probably leave a bit more beef to some areas, especially the base.

So, has anyone made a wood bowl sink?

[Jon McElwain]

I have not built a wooden sink, but I have seen a couple done poorly. Or poorly maintained more likely. I have been thinking about buying a quart of bowling alley finish and seeing how it finishes, and how it holds up in high use/abuse applications. Been looking at this stuff: Fabulon (http://www.lewiscontractorsales.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=2957&Category_Code=fabulon)

You'll have to post some photos of your work!

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Ships decks were made from teak. It's natural oils make it highly water resistant. Any chemical top coat you use will crack over time. Try this thread in the finishing forum. There are knowledgable finishers there.
Faust

[Peter Elliott]

Jon, I will for sure. I would think that stuff would go over epoxy quite well.

I am going to send an email to Jamestown Supplies. Big in the boat world and ask them for some product recommendations.

I think when I do this, I will try to make 2 of them. Just for the what if??

My thoughts are:
Fill and level the grain - clear grain filler
Epoxy it
Top coat it with urethane or type of top coat.
Rub it out to a gloss or just a tad under gloss.

[Jerry Wright]

Alan Lacer published an article with photos in the AAW journal a few years ago on a sink that he had turned. If you are a member, search the back issues online. If not, drop him an email at his site.

[Dan Hintz]

Someone posted pics here of something similar, which gave me the idea to do it for the upcoming bathroom in the basement.

[Roger Chandler]

Bubinga would serve well for this purpose or perhaps pernambuco........[don't know if I spelled that correctly?] You need a dense grained wood and it must be sealed well...........I like the idea of a marine epoxy. Either of these woods would be beautiful as well.

[Brian Libby]

Andre Martel makes wooden sinks. http://martel.public.netc.net/

[Tony De Masi]

Peter, search this site thoroughly. I KNOW I've seen one on this site, I would guess at least two years ago. Not sure of which forum it was but it was a completed sink.

[Peter Elliott]

Tony, I think I did or maybe just searched the turners section? Let me try again for all the sections.

Thanks for the tips so far.

Hoping to find someone who has made one here on SMC but I will reach out to Alan Lacer.

[Steve Kubien]

Ditto Brian's comment. Talk to Andre Martel.

[Reed Gray]

I have seen some that had heavy epoxy/resin/varnish finishes on them. Some have also been stabilized where you do the polymer infusion thing. I would never trust one to last for years unless it had been stabilized, which if you can find some one to do it for you will be expensive. An oily wood like teak would work, and Ipe, which was very popular for a few years for decking which is similar to teak, but it would involve a glue up. Again, technically a big challenge.

robo hippy

[John Keeton]

Here are some related threads -

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?64772-I-want-to-turn-a-sink

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?60078-Wooden-sink

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?128429-Anyone-make-a-vanity-sink