This is what I did yesterday

[Robert Hayward]

This is what I did yesterday on my day off. :)

A neighbor has a huge ( four feet plus ) Camphor tree that had taken a lightening hit las fall and one big branch died. The branch was about 30 inches in diameter at the tree trunk. These rough bowls were all turned out of crotch wood. The two big ones each have a two inch or so punky spot in the side where a branch had died years ago and rotted. I will work around these areas, maybe filling them. I still have three small blanks to rough turn, ran out of energy yesterday.

The shop ( garage ) reeks of camphor oil smell. Working in it for a while I would become jaded to the powerful odor. Going outside for a while then back into the shop was a different story. The camphor smell so strong as to almost make me gag, really. Even this evening the smell is so strong I do not want to be out there. This after a thorough shop cleaning. Under and behind all the machines making sure I got all of the chips. Even mopped the floor thinking my walking on the chips rubbed oil into the concrete.

Anyone know how to kill an incredibly potent Vics Vaporub smell ?

http://photos.imageevent.com/bayward/latheturning/websize/Camphor%20bowls%201.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/bayward/latheturning/websize/Camphor%20bowls%202_1.jpg

[Mark Canada]

Very nice. Keep the extra blanks for when you have a cold? haha

[Dennis Ford]

Camphor is a really nice wood, I love to turn it. The smell will fade in a few days.

[Thomas Canfield]

I definitely would trade you the Box Elder smell for some Camphor. Nice looking rough outs. I can't tell if the large bowl is 10% wall or not and do not have any knowledge how the wet Camphor will warp. Looked like you had a good day but there is not enough shavings showing. Did you core any?

[robert baccus]

You will notice an absence of cats, dogs, fleas, mother in laws and other pests for some time.

[Lamar Wright]

Wow Robert, that is a lot of work for one day! Beautiful Camphor bowls. Well done.

[Robert Hayward]

I definitely would trade you the Box Elder smell for some Camphor. Nice looking rough outs. I can't tell if the large bowl is 10% wall or not and do not have any knowledge how the wet Camphor will warp. Looked like you had a good day but there is not enough shavings showing. Did you core any?

The larger bowl is 18 1/2" in diameter and the wall is about 10%. I have no prior experience with Camphor so do not know how or if they will warp. The limb was killed last October and just removed from the tree a week ago today. The wood was wet but nothing like a live summer limb would be.

You have a keen eye for the shavings. No coring. I had turned the two large roughs then cleaned the floor going to call it a day and kick back for the remainder of the holiday. Then while beginning to clean the other machines and under stuff got a burst of enthusiasm and finished most of the other blanks.

I could have easily gotten two dozen more sizeable blanks from the straight portions of the limbs removed. I half wished I had taken more but at the same time am glad I do not have all that roughing to do.
All the shavings went on the garden for mulch and do not have any noticeable odor. The roughs in the little barn out back have no odor. Only my shop is still camphor oil city.