This was a Challenge

[Andy Hoyt]

I'm fortunate to have a good friend who happens to be a professional turner. I do his website for him and he tries to improve my skills. Anyway, one day last spring I was over at his place and he gave me a reject Walnut bowl to take home and practice on. All he had done was to core it out of a larger piece, dry it in his kiln, and finish turn the exterior without ever touching the inside.

44019

I couldn't see a darn thing wrong with it, so I brought it home. Last week I finally got around to messing with it. Didn't take long for me to learn why he rejected it. How he knew that crack was hiding in there I will never know. Figured I might as well try to make some lemonade outta the thing so I asked some other friends for advice.

44020

They all suggested the usual stuff - part it off, send it to me, burn it, and so forth. Lotta help them guys are. Sheesh! So I ended up asking my wife if she'd like to carve away on it (something she likes doing) and she said sure.

Here's what it looks like now. It's 15" across x 7" tall x 3/8" thick (mostly). Gel poly and buffed.

44021

44022

44023

Thanks. Whatcha think?

[Travis Stinson]

NOW you can send it to me!!!!!!:D
It's a "MRS. HOYT"!
That's gorgeous........ she has the touch Andy.;)

[Seth Poorman]

WOWW! Nice...;)

[Dick Parr]

Oh you did good Andy. Very Nice ;)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

A dynamite duo delight! Very well done! I like everything about it!

[Barry Stratton]

That is cool. you AND your wife done good!!!

[Vaughn McMillan]

Kudos to both Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt. Excellent tag-team effort and results.

I'm impressed by the bowl, but even MORE impressed that you found a woman to marry you. (I resemble that remark.) :D

- Vaughn

[tod evans]

cool! darn good thing your wife was there to bail you eh? tod

[Ernie Nyvall]

........ she has the touch Andy.;)

.....and Andy is touched, but that's beside the point.

Wow Andy, she did a great job with the crack. Very nice bowl.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Very nice bowl Andy. She sure does have the touch.

[Raymond Overman]

That's purty Andy. Tell Mrs. Hoyt that I think she did a good job on that! :)

[Bill Grumbine]

Very nice Andy, and I hpe you pass that on to the Missus as well! That gives me some ideas for a couple of cracked ones I have lying over in the barn...

Bill

[Jim Becker]

Yum! I remember that core from my visit. You'll have to show your "sponsor" what you did with it!!

[Terry Quiram]

You two came up with an awesome save. Like Bill said, that opens up possibilities to some cracked ones I have.

Terry

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Well you can really turn out that lemonade can't you :D

That is really neat!

I see why your wife puts up with you ;) :D

Good one for sure!

[George Conklin]

Now that's what I call a nice save!:)

[Corey Hallagan]

WOW, that is way cool Andy. I would of never envisioned the bowl from the crack picture to end up looking like that. Your wife did a wonderful job. Very cool!

Corey

[Andy Hoyt]

Thanks for the kind remarks guys. They do indeed inspire me to reach higher. Damn these worn out rotator cuffs!

I also need to thank Jim Mullin, a member of my turning chapter. It was a piece he turned and saved that actually inspired Chrystine to do this. You can see that effort here (http://www.mainewoodturners.org/html/march_2006.html). Just scroll down til you see his name towards the bottom.

[John Miliunas]

Ummmmm, Andy...Me thinks that the LOYL should get a bit more involved with your projects and SMC!!! :D That piece is every bit of WOW!!!! :) You guys make a helluva' team, my friend! :) :cool:

[Cecil Arnold]

Andy, that's definitely lemonade. Nice save.

[Mike Jory]

Andy, what a Great save. I believe that's the first time I've seen a bowl like yours. I love the fact that your Wife has an interest in her own form of woodworking.
This Forum is really great! Every time I see an example of someone's work, I get re-inspired to go out and try it again.

[Curt Fuller]

It's things like this bowl that inspire the term "better half". Man that's pretty. It has all the beautiful qualities of something turned from wood and then the artistic touch of a talented woman as the icing on the cake. That's a real beauty. Bet you don't eat ice cream from that one.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Andy, you just proved my point about WOOD TELLING you what it wants to be.

You AND your Better half listened carefully and let the wood talk! It sure TALKS LOUD!!!!!!!!! Simply wonderful!

The only problem your firend had with it, was he didn't want to listen to the wood!

Bruce

[Dick Strauss]

Never, I repeat never think of doing anything to make the LOYL mad. She is a little too good with a knife! I'd be afraid to sleep at night. Do you remember Lorena Bobbitt? OUCH!!!!!

Seriously though, beautiful work by the two of you! I've thought of using a scroll saw to do something like that before. I definitely don't have the talent to carve it and make it look that nice!

[Christopher K. Hartley]

With the utmost respect I say, add "Artisan" to your list of titles!:) Beautiful work!

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Wow, Andy. You and the LOYL make a truly awesome team. More, More, More!

[Wolf Kiessling]

A wonderful piece of work. Personally, I don't mind cracks, fissures, occlusions or anything else in bowls because I always use these as an opportunity to decorate the pieces. Makes for, at least me, much more interesting work.............

[Tom Sherman]

Andy you've got two keepers there the bowl, and your missus. It appears that dealing with the cracked pot she's married to has honed her skills tremendously. Mrs Andy has done very well indeed.

[Glenn Hodges]

Andy I appreciate you posting such a useful idea and lovely bowl.

[Mark Cothren]

Fantastic work! Mrs. Hoyt is a talented woman, for sure! Oh yeah... you didn't do so bad either...;)

[Keith Burns]

Andy, this has to be one of my all time favorite pieces ever, period:) :).