Natural edge...

[Ed Davidson]

Besides pens and bottle stoppers, I've been working on my natural edge bowl designs and technique. Here's a Maple burl cap bowl that was just completed. It measures about 7" across and 2" tall. The foot is hollow and thin-walled. Actually, I think the bottom may look better than the top.

[Ed Davidson]

And here's a Brown Mallee one...love this stuff! It measures about 9" x 6" x 2" tall. The finish on both these bowls is sanding sealer, a beal buff with the tripoli and white diamond wheels, two coats of R-wax, each followed by a buff on Beall's third (C-wax) wheel.

[Jason Solodow]

Both are really beatiful, but I like the Brown Mallee better. Do you have a from above view on the other?

[John Miliunas]

Ed, both are way cool! I'm really having a hard time picking out which one I like better!:) They eacy have a very distinctive flair to them and turned out beautiful! Looking forward to seeing some more of your work! Great job.:) :cool:

[Ed Davidson]

Here's a three-view look at the Maple burl...

[John Hart]

Holy Smokes Ed!!! Those are gorgeous. Please tell me that there was a time when you weren't very good.... It'll give me hope:rolleyes:

[Gary Max]

Dang---I really like the Brown Mallee untill you posted the three shots of the maple.
Looking good Ed----keep them coming.

[Chris Barton]

Ed,


Great work! I am really impressed. Now, with the brown Melle bolw did the flat projection on the side present a challange while turning? What speed did you turn at?

Thanks,

Chris

[Blake McCully]

Ed,
Great looking bowls. I have a boxelder burl top blank much like your maple bowl. I've been hesitating starting it 'cause I'm not sure how to reverse it to do the bottom. I like your design and your bottom treatment.

How did you reverse it to finish the bottom. I don't have a vacuum chuck, but I do have the mini-jumbo jaws for my talon.

Again, great stuff.

[Raymond Overman]

Both of those are really great looking pieces Ed. The design and wood in the brown mallee is very cool. I bet it was a little intimidating with that wing flying around. Good job.

[Jim Becker]

Ed, I really like the Brown Mallee, too. Really interesting burl with great contrasts, etc. Gorgeous stuff.

[Ed Davidson]

Thanks guys...glad you like these bowls. The Mallee one was a real challenge, mainly making sure that the propeller didn’t take off a finger. Turning the propeller wing to about 1/8” thickness was the hairiest thing I’ve ever done on a lathe.

Both were chucked using the same method, but in opposite directions. First, I screw-chuck the piece with the flat side facing the headstock. On the Mallee bowl, I then turned the base and foot through the burl-cap with a countersink in the foot for reverse spigot chucking. On the Maple bowl, the top was turned first...and that little decorative cut in the bowl's top was used to hold the reverse chuck.

[Fred Ray]

Very nice looking work, Ed!:)

[Ernie Nyvall]

Very nice pieces Ed. I really like that Brown Mallee.

Ernie

[Bill Esposito]

Simply beautiful!