Ambrosia Maple Bowl & Spalted Maple Bowl

[Bob Opsitos]

Ambrosia Maple Bowl:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v705/ropsitos/stuff012.jpg

Made for a friend who gave me this blank plus about 5 more when he was cutting some trees down on his dad's property for firewood. Much better fate than firewood, I think.

Spalted maple Bowl:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v705/ropsitos/stuff011.jpg

Havested ~3 years ago when a neighbors tree blew down. Came away with 3 logs, that I intended to turn into tables. Never got around to it so once I started turning I dug out the logs which had been sitting in a storage room in the house. They were not spalted when i got them and the room is not wet at all. Terrible to cut, had to resort to 40grit powered gouge. Clogged alot of sandpaper on getting to only a reasonable finish.

thanks for looking.
Bob

[Corey Hallagan]

Nice stuff! Those are great! I love spalted wood and ambrosia. Nice job!

Corey

[Ernie Nyvall]

Nice bowls Bob. That ambrosia is really something.

Ernie

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nice bowls and wood! Too good for firewood!

[Vaughn McMillan]

It never ceases to amaze me to see some of the fine stuff people produce from firewood and fallen trees. Great job on both bowls, Bob.

- Vaughn

[John Timberlake]

Nice job on both bowls. Especially love the grain on the ambrosia maple.

[Mark Cothren]

Nice work on the bowls, Bob! Great saves!

[Keith Burns]

Two great looking bowls, Bob. Nice forms !:) :)

[Tom Sherman]

Yeah Bob I think they are pretty nice too. I like both woods and the form as well.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Bob you did a great job on those bowls. I like the form and finish. The wood looks nice. Nice grain and love the ambrosia.

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Lovely work, Bob. Do you know what made that spalted maple so difficult to cut?

BTW: My power gouge is still set at about 120 grit... :)

[Dick Parr]

Very nice job on both bowls Bob!

[Glenn Hodges]

I agree with you on your acessment of the whole situation. I like them both.

[Gilbert Vega]

Ambrosia Maple Bowl:
Terrible to cut, had to resort to 40grit powered gouge. Clogged alot of sandpaper on getting to only a reasonable finish.


Very nice looking bowls, both in design and wood choice.

Having done a couple of bowls with spalted wood (pecan) I agree totally with your comments. I use lots of thin CA and the power sander to finish the bowls.

[Bob Opsitos]

Lovely work, Bob. Do you know what made that spalted maple so difficult to cut?


Henry, even though the wood didn't feel too far gone, i.e., spalted to point of crumbling, I would get constant tear out, even with a scraper. Also the blanks were unnaturally light in weight, for their size, especially for maple. I've turned spalted blanks for pens with judicious use of CA, and probably should have attempted some sort of stabalizing, at least on the end grain.

I've got more of it so I'll have to experiment.

thanks
bob