Acer Negundo + brass, 11"

[Leo Van Der Loo]

About 4 years ago I got more Manitoba Maple than I needed all at once, when we had a bad early snowstorm, anyway I cut and roughed out all the bowl blanks and on a whim decided I could use a couple of those blanks to do a trial, I wanted to see if I could use the microwave to partially dry these rough turned bowls and after that, to let them air-dry in my usual way, taking away the chance of mildew growing on them as it was late in the year and temps getting lower, so drying would slow down and mildew was very likely.

Well it was only a partial success, I didn't get the mildew but after a week or two all these partially microwave dried bowls started checking in the end-grain areas and the knots, large or small, so never repeated that again :rolleyes:

Now maybe you would have thrown these bowls out, I decided to see if I could maybe use these "defects" and turn them into an attractive asset, don't know if I succeeded, but I kind of like the looks of the first one I finished, What do you think of it ??? :confused:

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[Doug W Swanson]

Leo, I think it's a success. Usually I prefer the rustic items like your bowl here. Since the wood doesn't have much color, the filled cracks add some interest. Great job!

[Fred Belknap]

Leo I think you have a winner. Looks like you did a nice job with checks and cracks. I like that they aren't real thin, a bowl should have some body to it. I have had fairly good luck microwaving wood. I use the plastic bag thing to mw the bowls in. I have done up to 14" cherry bowls with good success.

[Jim Burr]

You pulled it off Leo...great form too!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nicely done Leo. I really like the form.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thank You Doug :D, I was hoping the bowl would be seen like that :)

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Fred thank you, the drying in a microwave I have done and have had some mixed results, and I was also banished from the kitchen after using the bigger microwave there, and then the bowl starting to smoke and smolder from getting too hot internally, a smelly mess and LOML wasn't too impressed with that :o :eek:

I now have had a microwave in the shop for some years, but it basically gets used to reheat the coffee a time or two ;)

Now after this trial with the partially drying was a flop, that is probably all it ever will used for (the coffee heating)

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks for your comment and thoughts Jim :)

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks for your comment Bernie, I appreciate it :)

[Sid Matheny]

Great save Leo and as I always say, waste not want not!

Sid

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks for your comment Sid :D, and that thought is much applied here as well :)

[Marc Himes]

Well done Leo. I really like the bowl, especially the rim detail. Definitely worth the reclamation effort, which turns out very well.

[Steve Mawson]

Leo, I see nothing that would make me want to throw these pieces out. You have certainly enhanced the cracks to make a nice piece. I do use a microwave for bending wood, seems to work very well for that. Agree using the kitchen microwave for wood drying does not impress the boss of the kitchen.:mad:

[Kathy Marshall]

I'd call that one a nice save Leo! I also like the rim bead detail.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Well done Leo. I really like the bowl, especially the rim detail. Definitely worth the reclamation effort, which turns out very well.

Thank you for taking the time to comment Mark, someone already has showed interest in it :D


Leo, I see nothing that would make me want to throw these pieces out. You have certainly enhanced the cracks to make a nice piece. I do use a microwave for bending wood, seems to work very well for that. Agree using the kitchen microwave for wood drying does not impress the boss of the kitchen.:mad:

Thanks Steve :)
Ha Ha Ha, you found that out also Steve :p, well I knew but kind of sneaked it in there, but when the piece started smoking that did kind of attract some attention :o :), never to be done again :rolleyes:


I'd call that one a nice save Leo! I also like the rim bead detail.

Thank You Kathy :D, yup a save it was, would have been better if it hadn't been needed, but I learned and it lives ;)