Shrink pots.

[Ryan Mooney]

Thanks to Darrell LaRue's post in: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?216597-I-made-a-bucket I went ahead and tried making some shrink pots (thanks Darrell!).

There are a handful of pretty good tutorials online if you search for "shrink pot" on google. The short version is to hollow out the center of a green log/limb chunk and then cut a groove around one end and snap a piece of dry wood into the groove. The green wood will shrink as it dries and trap the bottom in place.

They're a lot of fun to make, although I'll certainly be the first to admit that there is no chance than any of these will hold water without leaving like a sieve :D Also ended up wishing I had a couple of in-cannel gouges for this, you can - sort of - clean up the insides with out-cannel but it would be a whole lot easier with the right tools (as Darrell noted a hook knife would work but I don't have one of those either). So far this is the only project I've done where I really wanted those so didn't invest yet.

These are in elm, I suspect a softer and more "shrinky" wood would probably seal up the bottoms better.

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[Ted Calver]

Pretty slick, Ryan. I like the bark on ones best, but they are all nice.

[Winton Applegate]

Smart !
That's a new one to me.
Thanks for the education.

[Darrell LaRue]

Hey Ryan, those are great!

If you get the bottom to fit really well, some shellac will seal up the minimal leaks. It also helps waterproof the insides a bit. I use one of my shrink pots when I'm camping with the Scout troop. Now I have a bunch of Scouts who want to make their own. I guess that's our next 'sitting around the campfire' project.

Darrell

[Ryan Mooney]

Hey Ryan, those are great!

If you get the bottom to fit really well, some shellac will seal up the minimal leaks. It also helps waterproof the insides a bit. I use one of my shrink pots when I'm camping with the Scout troop. Now I have a bunch of Scouts who want to make their own. I guess that's our next 'sitting around the campfire' project.

Darrell

Thanks Darrel. The best couple only have 2-3 small "dribble" leaks so some shellac would probably seal them up. Getting a good fit is a bit of a trick :)