Need help with hollowform base

[Dave Mueller]

I made this 7" walnut hollowform out of two shallow "bowls" and then glued them face to face. Thinking about making another, but don't like the base. Suggestions for improvement for the next one would be appreciated.

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[Scott Hackler]

Dave, I don't see anything wrong with this. The base, to me, fits the form well and provides a stable foot. I have a particular interest in this because I have a piece in my noggin that I am going to start soon and the end result would be similar. I didn't think about sandwiching two bowls though. I was going to usae the "lost wood" process.

Looks real nice with the flower arrangement.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I have to agree with Scott - I like it as is! Nice work!

[James Combs]

I agree with both Steve and Scott. Don't see how it could be improved very much. Neet concept and definitely out of the box.

[Allan Ferguson]

Looks very nice. A little more flare to the base might work out. Make a base of cheap wood and see how it looks. When satisfied, make the final one.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Your shape is very much like the shapes that Alan Carter makes and sells. Check out his web site and maybe you can get a few ideas.

[Mike Golka]

Like everyone else has already said, don't change a thing. Looks great.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ditto what the others said. That foot just fits.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Is it my eyes, or is that base slanted?At 86 my eyes play tricks on me occasionally. Max

[Steve Doerr]

Dave,
I like what you have done. I really like the way the piece shows off the gain.

I have been thinking of doing a HF like this myself. I take it the base is a separate piece that you have the HF positioned in. When you took your two bowls and glued them together, what adhesive did you use? Also, is the HF secured to the base or is it removable?

Scott--what is the "lost wood" process that you talked about. I'm unfamiliar with it. Could you give me some tips or a place to look?

Thanks,
Steve

[Thom Sturgill]

Is the base attached? If it is, the grain difference would emphasize that the piece is glued up, and might make the viewer look for the glue line. Make a separate piece that is obviously a separate piece, perhaps an open cradle from a contrasting wood. Can't hurt to try, and you can always do another base like the one you used on that piece.

That is a nice piece and I have been thinking of trying something similar since seeing Bryan McEvoy's work.

[Jamie Donaldson]

You can also eliminate the base entirely with a simple flat on the bottom, but it will be less stable than an add-on base like this. I actually like the baseless flat bottom form better, and its much easier to make..

[Scott Hackler]

Scott--what is the "lost wood" process that you talked about. I'm unfamiliar with it. Could you give me some tips or a place to look?

Thanks,
Steve

Steve,

The "lost wood" process is done by taking two nice blanks (usually 2-3 thick) to the outside of a sacificial wood in the middle. Usually newspaper is placed at the gluepoint for ease of separation later. Then you turn the HF like normal and when done, pop the blanks apart and throw away the sacrificial wood. Finally, you glue the two outside pieces together and finish. Can make for a oval-esk / flat HF.


Sometimes folks do this and when finished the piece doesn't have an opening at all. Look up Joe Landon's pieces. He has done a few of these and carved them into a "pod" shape.


For what I have planned, I will have an opening at the top of the form. Of course it all sounds good in my head. Execution might prove to be different!

[Dave Mueller]

Guys,
Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

Scott, I did this before I heard of the lost wood process here on SMC. You can sort of combine the two techniques and improve on both. Start with a 2" thick piece, bandsaw in half, turn the individual bowls and then glue them back together. That way the grain will match on front and back. With a darker wood and if you're careful on the glueup, you might not see the glue line, which will really challenge others to figure out how you did it. I did make a very shallow mortise on one bowl and a tenon on the other so the two pieces would not slip as they were being glued. The challenge was to make the joint tight because when you cut out the top opening, the joint edge is exposed. I did cheat a little and cleaned up the exposed inner edge of the joint after cutting the opening.

Harvey, its not your eyes, its my photography. When viewed face-on, it is level. Got to get better on the picture taking.

Jaime, your comment about the base is a good one. I think this base interrupts the circular "flow" and needs to be improved.

Steve/Thom, The glue is just Titebond. I did leave the outer edge of both bowls a little thicker so I could turn and smooth the joint. Yes, the base is a separate piece. When I cut the small flat on the hollowform where the base goes, it produced a small piece that I first glued upside down on the base. I then tapered the inner edge of the opening to fit over the upside down piece, which provided support for the hollowform when I glued it on the base (hope that makes sense).

I have seen some other variations, such as a turned solid piece with a drilled radial hole in place of the top opening and a small flat for the base as Jaime suggested. I'm going to make another with a different base and will post it when done. I hope everyone else posts your versions...its a fun and challenging piece to make. I think there are still some design opportunities for this style hollowform.