Charred Rim Cherry Bowl

[Baxter Smith]

Since I seem to be interested in playing with rims lately, here is another one.:rolleyes: This piece is from one of the few trunk sections I kept when cutting a lot of cherry burl last spring. I don’t remember the exact reason I roughed it out in the shape I did. Maybe I was thinking about doing some inlay in the rim. Or perhaps I wanted the bowl portion to be all heartwood, and after finish turning, I would cut part of the rim away and be left with sapwood handles. My first thought this year was more beads and black dye, but ended up deciding to try something different.

A couple of months ago I attended a Nick Cook demo in Annapolis at a Chesapeake woodturners meeting. He must have done 15 different quick projects during the day. It was mostly spindle work, but his last demo was a small 6 inch plate where he burned the rim with a propane torch.

I don’t get to turn much cherry so it may not have been a good piece to practice on but I decided why not. I would leave the rim thick before burning so I could turn away the top if I messed up too badly. I didn’t care for a flat rim so gave it a slight crown.
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Then it was torch time.
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After finish turning the inside and thinning out the rim from underneath, my wife came into the shop and commented that it was “too plain”. Since I felt much the same way, I decided to cut a couple of grooves though the black. I knew the outside of the rim had warped slightly and I wouldn’t get perfectly even grooves on the outer portion now , but decided to go ahead anyway.

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I would have liked to have burned a little deeper to create more texture, but after a small crack developed (just to the right of center at the bottom) I decided I had better quit.
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12.5” x 3” Finished with Bush Oil and buffed
I am ok with it one minute and then not so sure the next. I would like to hear what you think, either up, down or sideways!:)
All thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

[David DeCristoforo]

That looks fantastic. I have used the "scorching technique" many times but never on cherry. Ms Smith's comment led you to a great result!

[charlie knighton]

very nice, personally i do not mind plain, Nick Cook does platters just llike that, you are in good company Baxter

[John Keeton]

Baxter, I like the rim treatment. I would imagine the torch was largely responsible for the warp, though eventually it may have moved some anyway. The cherry is a beautiful color and the Bush oil really makes a nice finish. I did one bowl with a down turned rim and didn't care for it. On this one, the crown gives the appearance of a down turned rim - though it really isn't. That part I don't care for so much.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Bax,
I think any variation that keeps us from getting bored with plain bowls is worth a try. After all, it's only wood. The result is nice. I am curious, what is in the tob. I assumed it was water just in case but it also looks black.
faust

[Allan Ferguson]

Like the black rim against the cherry.. Sets it off well and if you left it on on the street it would walk away.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice Baxter and the rim treatment really sets if off.

[Josh Bowman]

Baxter, that's striking.

[Brian Kent]

All I can say is "What a great idea!" I really like it.

[Dennis Ford]

I really like the color combination here, do some more!

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks for your thoughts!

I did one bowl with a down turned rim and didn't care for it. On this one, the crown gives the appearance of a down turned rim - though it really isn't. That part I don't care for so much.
John, I think you are right about the turned down rim look. If I could redo this one, I think the first adjustment I would make would be a deeper curve into the bowl itself.
..... I am curious, what is in the tob. I assumed it was water just in case but it also looks black.
faust
Faust, there is a sponge somewhere in that water! It was there partly as a fire extinquisher if needed:D but I used it to wash off some of the charring so the grain of the wood becomes more visible.

[Jim Burr]

This, like 99% of your stuff, is fantastic!! What do you think the difference would have been with dye vs burning...just texture? May have liked a curve to the outer lip...not sure.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Love how black and cherry seem to look so good together. Nice job and putting it all together. Rolled rims can be like chasing that proverbial ogee curve. If the apex is correct and the roll is continuous it can look good. Not an easy rim to produce. I like the idea and keep pushing that curve.

[Doug W Swanson]

I think the only thing I would change would be to have the grooves in the rim a little wider (or maybe a couple more). Otherwise the black really goes well with the cherry. I like the form, too!

[Steve Schlumpf]

I like it! Love the color combo, the form and even the 'down-turned rim'! Nice work Baxter!

[Sean Hughto]

I tried to scorch a cherry bowl once several months back, the flame just made the wood crack - lots of checks as the heat drove out the moisture in the wood (not green, but probably still 12-15%), especially on the end grain. I muct have done it wrong. I was unhappy with my experiment.

Yours, however, looks to have worked out great. It's handsome as is, but it sparks me to thinking about doing wide rims at angles other than perpendicular to the rise or with convex or concave faces. Don't stop trying new things! There's always more wood.

[Baxter Smith]

.... What do you think the difference would have been with dye vs burning...just texture? ..........
Jim, since half the rim had light sapwood, I wasn't sure using black dye would be that even. I figured that burned wood would all look the same no matter what! I also wanted to try something a bit different and thought the contrast in texture might be helpful in framing the bowl in the middle.


I think the only thing I would change would be to have the grooves in the rim a little wider (or maybe a couple more). Otherwise the black really goes well with the cherry. I like the form, too!
Doug, adding the oil darkened the grooves and made them disappear to some extent. If they were all the consistent width of their widest point I think they would then be ok. I was hesitant to make them too wide since I was unable to do them evenly! My wife suggested the possibility of adding another groovee in the middle but I am pretty minimal when it comes to embellishment and try to resist too much of a good thing.


I tried to scorch a cherry bowl once several months back, the flame just made the wood crack - lots of checks as the heat drove out the moisture in the wood (not green, but probably still 12-15%), especially on the end grain. I muct have done it wrong. I was unhappy with my experiment.

Yours, however, looks to have worked out great. It's handsome as is, but it sparks me to thinking about doing wide rims at angles other than perpendicular to the rise or with convex or concave faces. Don't stop trying new things! There's always more wood.
Sean, if I am not mistaken, Nick Cook suggested using kiln dried wood when doing this. I don't know how dry mine was after not quite a year. Not to the initial level after kiln drying I am sure. I went pretty light with the torch. I went over it a second time after sponging it off, but again very lightly and not in the spot it cracked on the first go round. In the demo I watched, it was burned at least 3 or 4 times with a scrub in between.

Thanks again for your thoughts and suggestions. Gives me things to think about and try next time. Now if I can just remember them.......:)

[Jim Underwood]

I've done several scorched rim plates out of kiln dried and every one of them moved. There seems to be no getting around it. Some of them tend to move back after cooling and equalizing, and some stay bent.

One of the things I've done to compensate for the movement is to leave it all thick enough so that I can turn each edge of the scorched area into a bead which frames the black nicely. And I agree, the scorch looks really good against cherry.

[Pat Scott]

I like the color contrast as well. Nick says his favorite wood to burn is Ash, or a wood with pronounced grain lines. He burns the rim, then sands it. Sanding will remove some of the burning from the softwood more than it will from the heartwood, which adds more visual contrast.

[steven carter]

I like the contrast, and the little bead around the edge. I've not tried burning cherry, but now must add it to the list. I've go a fair amount of cherry at my disposal, so If you need some, let me know.

[Jeff Myroup]

I really like the top of the bowl and the burn works nicely. I think it would look better if the bottom came up to the edge of the rim. a down turned rim would work in that case. I am partial to thicker bowl.

[David Reed]

Baxter:
This is a very unique and lovely piece. After the burn, I next noticed and liked the downward curving rim. Go figure. Thinking that the two grooves could be a bit broader but I also understand the rationale for keeping it subtle. Very nice experimental piece.

[Baxter Smith]

.....One of the things I've done to compensate for the movement is to leave it all thick enough so that I can turn each edge of the scorched area into a bead which frames the black nicely.....
Jim, I actually left the rim thick on this one before burning so I could remove it if I didn't like it. I then went back and took the extra off the backside when I decided it was ok. It was only when I contemplated adding the grooves later that I considered the movement. It never occured to me that the burning caused the movement though it probably did. I was thinking that it was the thinning of the rim. The inner groove was relatively even because it was still supported by the bowl.


I like the color contrast as well. Nick says his favorite wood to burn is Ash, or a wood with pronounced grain lines. He burns the rim, then sands it. Sanding will remove some of the burning from the softwood more than it will from the heartwood, which adds more visual contrast.
Pat I used a green 3M pad on this one. The Ash should have a nicer texture though I think I could have gottten a bit more with the cherry. It was only after noticing the crack that I decided I had enough texture!;):)

........... I think it would look better if the bottom came up to the edge of the rim.....
More of an ogee shape Jeff? For some reason I was thinking lightness and ease of picking up. Not sure why.:)

Thanks again for the feedback! Things to consider for next time!

[Scott Barton]

I love the look! I bet it will only look better as the cherry ages.

What exactly was your process? Once you torched the rim, did you take a wire brush to it? Did the oil prevent the soot/ash from coming off on your fingers once applied?

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks Scott. This was a while ago and I haven't tried it since. Someday..... After burning, I just rubbed off the charring with a damp green scotchbrite if I am remembering correctly. If you try this, my suggestion would be to go slowly on achieving the level of charring you want. Burn a little, wipe off, repeat. Trying to achieve it too soon might lead to cracking. I went over all the spots two or three times with the torch, but perhaps 5 or more with wiping in between would have done a better job of preventing any cracking.
The cherry has darkened a lot. When it gets a little brighter out, I will try and get a quick picture.

[Michelle Rich]

I've always liked cherry & the black really sets it off.