first natural edge bowl

[David Coburn]

Well, I did my first natural edge bowl and it was a lot of fun. It's really a neat feeling having all the cool shavings thrown on you as you turn and the wood is so much nicer... I was a bit nervous about cutting the bark at first but once I get started it was really no different that cutting the meat of the tree... The pictures are just sitting in my shop with overhead florescent lighting so they're not good at all. The bowl actually looks much better in person than in the pictures. I see that many of you are as much professional photographers as you are turners.. I'm going to have to set something up at some point but I need to get to where I have something worth taking a really nice photo of first....

Sad thing is that I'm afraid the bowl isn't going to last because of the wood I used... The first picture is of the limb before I cut it round... The second picture is as I was getting it ready to put on the lathe... The other 4 pics are the finished bowl... I actually think it turned out pretty good but there are a lot of small cracks in it where the small knots are... I don't really know what will happen as it continues to dry but I expect they might all open up, I don't really know. I don't suppose there is anything that I can do at this point to keep it from cracking up, is there?? Next time I'll use a more normal straight limb type piece.

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thanks,
david

[Fred Belknap]

Looks good. Try some oil finish on it, seems to help with small cracks. I like Minwax Antique Oil, soak it in oil and wipe off the excess. It will warp but usually don't crack to much.

[David C. Roseman]

David, that turned out well! Nice crotch piece. +1 to Fred's suggestion to apply a polymerizing oil liberally. In addition to Minwax Antique, I like Arm-r-Seal by General Finishes for that, in the satin finish. It's an oil and polyurethane mix blend that it thin enough to fill small cracks as they begin.

David

[David Coburn]

Fred & David,

I've been finishing everything in "Howard Butcher Block Conditioner". It says it is "Food Grade Mineral Oil" & "Natural Waxes"... There's a ton of it on the bowl already. Do you think the mineral oil will help like the two oil products you guys mentioned? If no, can I still apply what you suggested even with the wax on it?

thank you for your comments and suggestions,
david

[David C. Roseman]

Fred & David,

I've been finishing everything in "Howard Butcher Block Conditioner". It says it is "Food Grade Mineral Oil" & "Natural Waxes"... There's a ton of it on the bowl already. Do you think the mineral oil will help like the two oil products you guys mentioned? If no, can I still apply what you suggested even with the wax on it?

thank you for your comments and suggestions,
david

Don't know the characteristics of the Howard BB Conditioner, so I'm not much help on that. If what you used is more of a free-flowing oil than a wax, I suspect both the Antique Oil finish and the Arm-r-Seal (and similar) would adhere o.k. And what you used may be enough by itself. But ideally you want something that will polymerize enough to slow the moisture exchange down as the green wood continues to dry, without forming a film that may peel or crack. Either way, your NE bowl is very nice and will have lots of character.

David

[David Coburn]

Thank you David... I like it too. Now I just need to find me a way to get more fresh cut trees so I can do some more of them...

cya,
david

[Dennis Ford]

It looks good; I suspect the small cracks will open some but not so bad that the bowl will be ruined.

[George Conklin]

Hi, David

What type of wood is that? I have been turning off and on for about 10 years now and have yet to turn anything wet:). Your bowl looks great with a nice thickness. Personally, I think that the small cracks around the tiny knots may add to the character of your N.E. bowl. Thanks for sharing!

[David Coburn]

Dennis,
Thank you for the nice comment and I'm hoping the same on the cracks. I guess time will tell..

George,
Well, I've been expecting this question "What type of wood is that?" and I've got several answers prepared... all of which are true but none of which really answer your question..
1) It's next door neighbor wood.
2) It's ice storm damage wood.
3) It's free wood.
4) I have no idea....

I think I'll have to go with #4...

The actual "turning" part of turning wet wood is way better than turning dry wood. The tools just kind of glide as they cut and the shavings that come off are much more friendly. They're kind of cool and damp and refreshing as they hit you... I know how weird that sounds but it's true.... Everybody is gonna think I'm strange but deep down they know it's true to... ;) It's actually a little bit thinner than 1/4" almost all the way down except for the base, which is a little bit thicker... I've cut the tenon off and tried to get close to 1/4" on the base as well but it's a little harder to do than on the sides... I kind of like the cracks as well as long as they don't open up or make it up to the rim, which would be bad...

cya,
david