The Au Natural Challenge

[Raymond Overman]

It looks like the creek is going Au Natural this week. Is this the makings for a challenge? If no one protests, I'd like to start a challenge along the lines of the bonkers contest. No rules except that it has to have a natural edge along the rim of the piece. The prize is the title of "SMC High Council of the Au Natural Grand Poobah" and bragging rights.

Voting can either be discussed or shown by poll of peers as done in the past.

Deadline for entry July 15th? If anyone wants to participate I suggest we keep all chatter, entries, etc, in this thread so as not to take over everyone elses posts. Maybe make it sticky if there is enough interest.

Anyone?

[Kurt Rosenzweig]

I,m in! The wheels are turning! Pun intended!:D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm in.......if I can find some more wood locally.....I'll turn another one....if not ....the 2 I am currently working on will be entered!

Grand Poobah.......I've always wanted a title........:rolleyes: :D

[Cecil Arnold]

Ken, does the "Au Natural Grand Poobah" wear clothes or not???

[Mark Rios]

Ken, does the "Au Natural Grand Poobah" wear clothes or not???


I think you have to wear your winning bowl on your head and that's all.

:D :D :D

[Cecil Arnold]

What a shame, I looked forward to seeing Ken in a pink thong.

[Don Baer]

I think that I should be able to come up with a thing or two..;)

[George Conklin]

With my shop temperature averageing 110 degrees, I made need to turn Au Natural:o .

[Keith Burns]

I always like a contest so count me in:)

[Dennis Peacock]

What a shame, I looked forward to seeing Ken in a pink thong.

Oh my goodness....too much info and very bad image stuck in my head.!!!:eek: :p :D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Not to worry Dennis! You wouldn't see the pink thong for the jeans over the top!:D

[Joe Fisher]

Does the piece have to have been begun after the start of the contest?

-Joe

[Raymond Overman]

Does the piece have to have been begun after the start of the contest?

-Joe

No rules except that it has to have a natural edge along the rim of the piece. It would be nice if it was a recent piece and not something from three years ago, but there again, how will we know? I guess we'll just have to trust in our fellow Creekers.

[Forrest Price]

I'm in.......if I can find some more wood locally.....I'll turn another one....if not ....the 2 I am currently working on will be entered!

Grand Poobah.......I've always wanted a title........:rolleyes: :D

OK Ken, I'll see if I can help out some. I should have some cherry around here somewhere, maybe some apricot or possibly black locust that will give you some nice bark to work with.

It's going to be a while yet before I'm up and turning again, so I'll have to turn vicariously thru you for the time being!!

Forrest

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Hmm... Mebbe it's time for me to take another look at that crotch piece I have...

[Lee DeRaud]

What a shame, I looked forward to seeing Ken in a pink thong.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Hmm... Mebbe it's time for me to take another look at that crotch piece I have...Arrrgggh!!! My eyes!!! Make it stop!!! :eek:

[Christopher K. Hartley]

I cheated a little...I didn't turn it Au Natural or in a pink thong(not a pretty sight)...it wouldn't fit...belly too big. This was a quick one and only second try at an NE. Not what I really like so I'll probably do another. It is Pecan and 7 1/2" X 4 1/2". Danish Oil and wax.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

That's a beauty Christopher!

[Ernie Nyvall]

Alright Chris, nice job. Is that some of the same pecan already?

Ernie

[Ernie Nyvall]

With my shop temperature averageing 110 degrees, I made need to turn Au Natural:o .

Hey... yall stop it. I didn't need that picture.

Ernie

[Raymond Overman]

Good job on the first entry Chris (I guess it's officially kicked off).

Just so everyone knows, you do not have to turn in the buff for this challenge. In fact we prefer it that way. Also, when taking the picture of your entry, please wear clothes. Your reflection in the mirror behind the piece is not as flattering as you may think.

I guess this also goes along with my new website. I hope that it's ok to post this without the self-promotion police getting me but I think it's kind of funny.

http://www.nakedwoodturner.com

It's a webcam site that has a live shot of what's going on in my shop. Nothing too exciting at 11:45 on Wednesday but you may occasionally catch me turning. I set it up mostly out of boredom and since I had the laptop in the shop and the extra camera, what the heck.

[Don Baer]

Oh thank the lord your website is rated "G"

[Tony Sizemore]

You can count me in Ray
I just found a roads side treasure that will work great. I’ll have it up in the next day or so.
Bu the way I don’t remember if I told you this before but I and all the people that I have sent to your site think it is the coolest site we have seen inn a while!

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Alright Chris, nice job. Is that some of the same pecan already?

ErnieYou bet Ernie!:)

[Barry Stratton]

Just back from a two week vacation in Minnesota. Brought back a piece of walnut branch from my cousin's neighbors firewood pile. Thought I'd give an end grain bowl a try. Still need to build a do-nut thingie to finish the bottom. Stands about 3 3/4" tall and 5 1/4" wide. Had problems with end grain tear out on the inside. Just couldn't hold that scraper still, lots of chatter at the bottom even with a sharp tool and LIGHT cuts. Guess I need a heavier one since I'm such a wimp:( .......... Finished with spray lacquer. Oh yeah, I turned it fully clothed:D

41727

41728

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nice end grain NE Barry! Thanks for the last tid bit!

[Tom Sherman]

Nice lookin bowl Barry

[Raymond Overman]

Of course it counts Barry. Good job. You're learning a lot with that lathe. Thanks for entering.

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Great job, Barry. I'm sorry to hear about the chatter issues, but I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who has them! :)

[Mark Cothren]

Nice entries so far!!! I'll play... it may be close to the deadline before I actually post one, but I'll do my best.

[Joe Fisher]

Still need to build a do-nut thingie to finish the bottom. NE bowls are a little tough to use with a donut chuck. Have you ever tried finishing the bottom by using a friction chuck? If you're not familiar, LMK and I'll describe it to you. That's how I finish all of my bowl's bottoms.


Just couldn't hold that scraper still, lots of chatter at the bottom even with a sharp tool and LIGHT cuts. Guess I need a heavier one since I'm such a wimp It may not be your wimpitude, but too much tool hanging over the rest. I have a similar problem when doing deep boxes. A heavier tool will help.

Speaking of bowl bottoms, here's a NE bowl I posted earlier this month. The only way to finish the bottom is with a vacuum or friction chuck. An illustration and challenge submission all at once ;)

40510

40511

40512

40509

-Joe

P.S. Mods, is there any way to get thumbnails for pictures I've already submitted to SMC? The links work, but I get no preview pix.

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

I'll post it anyway if it doesn't. :)

This piece is small, the base tenon is about the size of a half-dollar. I couldn't figure out a good reverse chucking method with the tools I had at hand (grizzly 4-jaw chuck, spur center, live center, some paper towels, and some sandpaper). When I was given the wood, the bark was splitting off, so I simply removed it. The edge is what was immediately under the bark. The wood is curly maple. Finish is baby oil and scented votive candle. :)

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/hcgernhardt/cat_9_front.jpghttp://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/hcgernhardt/cat_9_top.jpghttp://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j236/hcgernhardt/cat_9_bottom.jpg

This, by the way, is my very first bowl.

[Tom Sherman]

Henry for your very first it's looking pretty good.

[Tony Sizemore]

Here is a little something I did a few days ago... @#$%^& this is the nices thing I think I have done to date. I also used CA as a finish for the first time.
I still need to work on the pic's. It really looks better then this:mad:

[Corey Hallagan]

Some cool stuff guys! Nice job!

corey

[Barry Stratton]

NE bowls are a little tough to use with a donut chuck. Have you ever tried finishing the bottom by using a friction chuck? If you're not familiar, LMK and I'll describe it to you. That's how I finish all of my bowl's bottoms.

I'd love the info Joe. I think this is my 4th completed bowl:confused: , blew up a few so tough t okeep track. any and all input would be appreciated.

Henry - fantastic work - especially for your first!

And i like the @#$%^& Tony:D

[Joe Fisher]

I still need to work on the pic's. It really looks better then this:mad:
I dunno Tony, looks pretty darned nice to me! Great job.

-Joe

[Joe Fisher]

I'd love the info Joe. I think this is my 4th completed bowl:confused: , blew up a few so tough t okeep track. any and all input would be appreciated. Bill Grumbine has some excellent info on his site, here:

Bill G's Natural edge bowl page (http://www.enter.net/%7Eultradad/naturaledge.html)

Go about 2/3 of the way down, to the 10th picture. That's a friction chuck. The bowl is sandwiched between the tailstock, and the rounded piece of wood in Bill's chuck. I used to use a piece of wood screwed to my faceplate; it works just as well.

I keep various hunks of scrap wood around, and just pick the one that looks most similar to the inside shape of my bowl. I put it in my chuck, and give it a light pass with a gouge to make sure it's round. I then follow the same procedure shown on Bill's site.

When you read the text at Bill's site, read this part a few times:


It is very important to resist the urge to part right through the tenon and attempt to catch the bowl.
QFT!

After I'm done, I trim as much of the remaining nub off as I can with a chisel. I then switch to sandpaper. The power sander is a big help here.

Most of the time this whole process is quicker for me than finding and setting up the donut chuck, anyway :)

Hope that helps,

-Joe

[Raymond Overman]

Here's a natural edge piece my dad finished today. He asked me to post it for him. This tree grew between my grandmother's and aunt's yard. There was a limb that had died and another that was hanging low that he pruned. I'm looking forward to getting a little piece of it next weekend.

Flowering Crabapple
5" tall x 5" wide
Danish Oil

[Tom Sherman]

Lots of figure in that crabapple I like it.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Gotten a little behind here so let me just say there is some nice looking work here in the NE world. Keep up the good work guys!:D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Okay folks............Raymond Overman sent me this peach. I've never done an NE before. I've got another one DNA'd and roughed. It'll come later. So .....here it is. My first NE.....a lot of mistakes....a lot of trial and error....You can't tell from the photos....SWMBO wanted the tenon left on so it was........6 3/4 by 6 1/4 as it warped.....about 5" deep at the high point....Walls about 1/4-5/16" thick...I managed to keep most of the bark on it....1st green bowl turning. I turned this one to finish green....frictioned on a light coat of BLO. Then a couple of light coats of dewaxed shellac and Beal buffed. Next time I want to remember to put on a seal coat of dewaxed shellac and then use the lacquer I bought! Raymond I hope I didn't disappoint you! I'll do better on the next one....I hope. I just realized I need to get a clean acid brush and pick the white polish compound off the black areas around the occlusions.

[Raymond Overman]

Raymond I hope I didn't disappoint you! I'll do better on the next one....I hope.
I can't argue with that piece at all Ken. You did a good job on it I think. I'm sorry it caused you so much trouble. Just like any fruit wood, it can be a bear to keep it from cracking. Thanks for sharing it with us.

One thing that I've found particularly useful when bark come off is a sharpie if the bark is really dark. It blends the blank spots in to some degree.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Raymond.........That little piece of wood has character. My wife latched onto that thing so fast. "That belongs to me" were the first words out of her mouth. It has a multitude of cracks and at least 5 holes in the side. It was a wonderful experience! Can't wait to do it again!

It was a tremendous learning experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. I got so involved in the learning that I overlooked some of the basic things that apply to any bowl turning.

My wife said she wanted the tenon left on it. So, in the end, I made a friction chuck by turning a piece of 2" foam insulation and used doublesided tape. I taped it to my faceplate. I could just force the NE on the friction chuck and bring the tail stock up to it. I then removed all of the chuck marks from the tenon. Then I carefully backed the tail stock away from it and finished the bottom of the tenon.

I also got to use my new Beal bowl buffs I picked up in Spokane yesterday.

Thanks again for the wood! I hope to save the other piece...probably tomorrow. This time I want to try lacquer for the finish.

[Barry Stratton]

Ken - that came out beautiful! I can see why your wife latched on to it. Very nicely done, sir.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Hey Raymond! I saved it. It's 10:00 here and I just brought it into the house. It's not finished but it's turned and sanded. Looks good. The piece of wood doesn't have as much character as the other one ....but I'll bet when I put a little oil on it......It'll have some beautiful grain. My epoxy job worked....I ended up turning away some of the epoxy on the interior but still!..........BTW...for Father's Day the LOML gave me a Grex 2" pneumatic sander! Works like a charm on bowls! Like a charm!

On 2nd thought....I'm on my way to the shop and friction a little BLO into the thing and let it set overnight. Tomorrow I should have it finished!

[Raymond Overman]

No pictures Ken? Didn't happen! :)

I look forward to seeing it.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Okay folks............Raymond Overman sent me this peach. I've never done an NE before. I've got another one DNA'd and roughed. It'll come later. So .....here it is. My first NE.....a lot of mistakes....a lot of trial and error....You can't tell from the photos....SWMBO wanted the tenon left on so it was........6 3/4 by 6 1/4 as it warped.....about 5" deep at the high point....Walls about 1/4-5/16" thick...I managed to keep most of the bark on it....1st green bowl turning. I turned this one to finish green....frictioned on a light coat of BLO. Then a couple of light coats of dewaxed shellac and Beal buffed. Next time I want to remember to put on a seal coat of dewaxed shellac and then use the lacquer I bought! Raymond I hope I didn't disappoint you! I'll do better on the next one....I hope. I just realized I need to get a clean acid brush and pick the white polish compound off the black areas around the occlusions.Nice job Ken I really like this work.:)

[Chris Barton]

Here is my entry. It is turned from Malee burl that I have been saving for a while. This is the sceond bowl from this blank. This is a small bowl being about 4" wide by 3" tall and 1/8" thick walls. It is finished with shellac and the Beal system.

[Raymond Overman]

Wow Chris. Raising the bar on wood choices. The sapwood/heartwood transition on that piece is amazing. Very nice form. Thanks for sharing.

[Tom Sherman]

Ken I think you did a great job on that Peach.

Chris very nice indeed That Malee burl is awsome and the finish is superb.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Very, very nice Chris!

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Here is my entry. It is turned from Malee burl that I have been saving for a while. This is the sceond bowl from this blank. This is a small bowl being about 4" wide by 3" tall and 1/8" thick walls. It is finished with shellac and the Beal system.Ok Chris, you've gone and knocked the ball out og the park on this one. Great Wood and Work!:)

[Vaughn McMillan]

Wow Chris, that's an unreal piece of wood. Excellent job all the way around. Actually, there's not been a bad NE piece shown here yet, but the malee burl really stands out.

- Vaughn

[Travis Stinson]

Chris........LOVE IT!:cool:

[Andy Hoyt]

Beautifimus, Chris. Nice one.

[Curt Fuller]

Here is my entry. It is turned from Malee burl that I have been saving for a while. This is the sceond bowl from this blank. This is a small bowl being about 4" wide by 3" tall and 1/8" thick walls. It is finished with shellac and the Beal system.

Now how in the world is anybody going to beat that! That is just out of this world, at least the northern hemisphere. Outstanding!

[Curt Fuller]

I went low on this one, or small at least. Turned a natural edged Hollow Form vahse from a Tagua nut. About 2.5 pennies tall by 1.50 pennies across. Made a little hollowing tool from an allen wrench but it needs a lot of work. No finish. It also has a natural void in the side where it was flat and the hollowing came through.

http://www.tagua2go.com/tagua_history.htm

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Me thinks....with Chris's entry......Curts entry and others........we need to have a special Novice class! Some really great NEs coming in!

[Barry Stratton]

Me thinks....with Chris's entry......Curts entry and others........we need to have a special Novice class! Some really great NEs coming in!

Ken, are you suggesting:

1) SMC Low Council of the Au Natural Grand Poobah - Novice Class, and
2) SMC High Council of the Au Natural Grand Poobah - Actually know what they are doing class

If so, I agree!!!!

BTW, Awesome pieces Chris B. and Curt!!!!!

[Chris Barton]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments. My bowl is really fairly simple and it's the wood that's the star in this piece, not the turner.

Curt, I really like you tagua nut HF and have wondered how tagua was to turn. Can you tell us a little more?

[Ernie Nyvall]

Been trying to find a nice piece of wood for this, but how do you beat Chris's? That is wonderful Chris. Beautiful wood and the finish is superbo.

Ernie

[Ernie Nyvall]

Well, the rim isn't natural, the sides are though. I'm not sure this should go here or in a "What was I thinking" thread. It's a mesquite elbow that I hollowed out. It's 7.5"x5"x3.25". Although the form is kinda strange and goofy, it was fun to turn just for something different. I guess it's a NS hollow form.:D

Ernie

[Tom Sherman]

Ernie that is thinking outside of the box. Nice choice and great work.

[Raymond Overman]

I was getting a little worried that I wasn't going to have enough time to get a piece turned for the challenge. My shop time has been a little limited lately.

A friend of mine gave me this redwood burl last month. It's a cut off from a large burl that was made into veneer. The company cooks the wood before it is used for the veneer and they just discard the cutoffs that won't fit in their machine. Unfortunately, they don't cover the cutoffs or so you end up with cracks which is now part of the design.

Redwood Burl
5" Diameter x 7" Tall
Danish Oil & Buffed

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I like the wood form and finish! Nice work Raymond!

Will regular old Watco danish oil finish work? Did you use a "natural" or a stained Danish oil?


I'm putting another coat of finish on the "save". Wife's out of town with the digital camera and I have to work late tomorrow so it'll probably be Thursday before I can post a photo. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Nice work!

[Raymond Overman]

Will regular old Watco danish oil finish work? Did you use a "natural" or a stained Danish oil?

Thanks for the comments Ken. I use the natural danish oil (Watco) and usually put two or three soaking coats then wipe off the excess after 15 minutes or so. I then buffed it with a bealle style triple buffing wheels.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Well, the rim isn't natural, the sides are though. I'm not sure this should go here or in a "What was I thinking" thread. It's a mesquite elbow that I hollowed out. It's 7.5"x5"x3.25". Although the form is kinda strange and goofy, it was fun to turn just for something different. I guess it's a NS hollow form.:D

Ernie Goofie smoofie! This puts Chris on the run to keep first. You guys are running way ahead. Beautiful!!!:)

[Tom Sherman]

Nice little bowl Ray I like the style. I'm going to have to peruse my stash and see if I have anything I might try a NE with.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Here's my 2nd entry......a little peach from South Carolina....


42154

[Gary Max]

Just a little something I turned while taking a break from building swings today.
This is a small oak burl that was wanting to enter the contest.
Finish is a homebrew I borrowed from Mr. Hart.---hehehehe

[John Timberlake]

Here's my entry. Made from a walnut tree I cut down behind my house about five years ago. Just got around to turning something out of it. The tree was only about 11" diameter at bottom including the bark, but was 60 years old! The sap wood was almost nonexistent. Liked the look of the bark - kind of like snake skin.

42168

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Beautiful walnut John! I had some given to me. Hope my walnut turns out that well!

[Raymond Overman]

Well, tomorrow at midnight is the deadline for entries in The Au Natural Challenge and being the idiot that I am, I'm going on vacation starting tomorrow and won't be back until late Monday. If no one objects, I'd like to extend the deadline until Monday at Midnight. That way I can work on getting the poll together for voting.

So all you procrastinating, absent minded, edgy, and naked turners out there get your entries in. Grand Poohbah-dom awaits.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Just as long as there are no ceremonies! I hate ceremonies:eek: :D !

[Joe Fisher]

Here's entry #2:

http://www.fisherwoodcraft.com/images/moraine1_070806.jpg

http://www.fisherwoodcraft.com/images/moraine2_070806.jpg

Moraine locust.

-Joe

[Tom Sherman]

Joe that Locust is looking good.

[Andy Hoyt]

Oh what the heck. I'm in

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/AndyHoyt944/cothrenneblackcherry02.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/AndyHoyt944/cothrenneblackcherry03.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/AndyHoyt944/cothrenneblackcherry04.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/AndyHoyt944/cothrenneblackcherry05.jpg

[Ernie Nyvall]

These are lined up as they grew on one single limb. They are mesquite crotches. They have bark on them , but not exactly all NE for where the limbs were cut off. All are in the 10"-12" diameter and about 3" tall. I really enjoy turning this mesquite and the crotches are fun. I'll be looking for more of these little crotches.

Oh yea, the part about them being from a single limb is bull... I just thought it made it more interesting.:D

Ernie

[Tom Sherman]

Andy, that is a nice looking bowl how did you find time to turn it with all your other 'Duties' ?

Ernie, you are cranking out them propellers at an alarming rate, and they are looking super.

[Rob Bourgeois]

Natural edge magnolia this was a 2 fold first for me. First time I turned a natural edge bowl and first time I turned a bowl to finish size as green wood. This was wood that I had brought to Dick Parr's BBQ.

The bark inclusions were hidden inside and that is the pith of the log that you see that runs about an inch from the bottom...(I was really trying to test how stable magnolia is)

Its about 4 inches tall and 4 or 5 wide and about 3/16 to 1/4 inch thick. This was my tenth bowl and by far one of my best.

[Travis Stinson]

Might as well throw in this little Brown Malee burl NE. About 7" diameter by 1 1/2" deep.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c213/tstin27/TS299.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c213/tstin27/TS299a.jpg

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Beautiful Travis.........what's your finish on that NE?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

with the addition of these last few NEs..........I think we ought to have a Novice Class..........

[Travis Stinson]

Ken, a couple light coats of Watco then buffed.;)

[Mark Cothren]

Here's some Maple I got from Jim Ketron back in April... it has some nice curl, for sure... 11-1/2" wide, 5-1/2" tall...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/markfromark/15July2006MapleNE02b.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/markfromark/15July2006MapleNE02c.jpg

[Keith Burns]

My NE entry is Coolibah. Measures 7" x 3-1/2" with 3/16" walls. Beall buffed. Wood courtesy of John Hart.

[Curt Fuller]

Not finished, in fact still on the lathe, sprayed some sanding sealer to show the wood. But it's 11:10 pm, 7/15/2006 and this is as far as I'm going to make it tonight, I need my beauty rest (if you saw me you'd understand).

Box Elder burlish piece of wood with some blue fungus, some spalting, some punky CA soaked wood, and a little help from some hole drilling critters. Natural Edged 12.25" at the widest spot, about 4" tall.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nice form Curt........Gorgeous piece of wood!

Fantastic!

[Keith Burns]

Hey guys, in case you didn't catch it, Raymond extended the deadline until Monday ! Curt you can finish yours (which is looking great) and anybody else still has time.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Wow, they just keep Coming and Coming and Coming and Coming. Nice work everyone!!:)

[Curt Fuller]

Seeings how the deadline has been extended, I was able to get mine finished. 12 X 4 natural edge box elder.

[Tom Sherman]

Man am I glad I don't have to judge this one. Too many awsome projects to choose from.

[Raymond Overman]

bumping message to the top for voting

[Andy Hoyt]

Bah da Bump