Show me some Popcorn Bowls

[John Hart]

Hey gang. Today, my neighbor Eli asked me for some advice. He cut down a couple of large Poplars (3 foot diameter) and cut them into 10 foot lengths. He'll be taking them to the sawmill in the next couple of weeks to be sawn into 5/4 lumber. Anyway...They've developed cracks and he's worried. So I grabbed my chainsaw and he grabbed his....we made fresh cuts and I introduced him to Anchorseal. He was so happy that he asked me to order a 5 gallon pail for him and then he gave me 1000 pounds of Ambrosia Maple! Big pieces. 2 feet in diameter and 15 inches thick. The figure is awesome.

Anyhoo....what this long story boils down to, is Eli and family are popcorn fanatics....so I thought I'd make them a popcorn bowl. What's a good form, size, thickness for a nice unique popcorn bowl? Anyone have pics of their favorite? I'd like to rough this out tomorrow.

Thanks in advance!!

[Mark Pruitt]

No pics, but the popcorn bowls I am accustomed to eating out of are 12-14" diameter and about 6" deep. That'll hold a bag of microwave popcorn.

[Keith Burns]

John, I'm sorry bot no more being nice..............YOU SUCK:D :eek:

[Jeff Moffett]

Show me the Ambrosia Maple...I'll show you a popcorn bowl. :rolleyes:

[Nancy Laird]

John, my favorite popcorn bowl is about 10" in diameter and about 8" deep - lets the unpopped kernals drop to the bottom out of the way of the good stuff.

Nancy

[Curt Fuller]

John, I don't know how the Amish families are but here in Utah the Mormons could clean out a 14" popcorn bowl in one grubbing. I'd say take the number of kids Eli has and make that many nice 12" bowls with a big 14"er for Eli and Mrs. Eli to share.

Half a ton of Ambrosia, eh?

[Bernie Weishapl]

John my favorite popcorn bowl is 11" X 6". I agree with Curt on the bowls.

[Earl Reid]

Nice going John,
My old popcorn Bowl was about 12 " X 6":)
No more PC for me.
Earl

[George Tokarev]

Microwave 3.5 oz bags make 10x4 a useable size. From there on up, you border on community use.

I consider that a popcorn bowl will be passed around, so I make a thumb grip undercut on the inside of the rim. I also favor deeper rather than broad designs like salad bowls, because popcorn benefits little by being tossed toward the middle as you do with lettuce.

Two other things I consider important are a bottom of at least a half inch thickness for insulation and center of gravity and a resin-free finish which will not blister from the old maids. Walnut oil is good.

Maple shows the configuration, cherry a closeup of a large thumb hook. You can do with much less.

[George Conklin]

Here's mine, John

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Maybe if I could get somebody to send me a large enough blank (hint, hint) I could make one from wood.:D

[Brett Baldwin]

I've got a large chunk of pine that my mini won't spin George.:D

[Rick Smith]

A chunk of dunno that kept getting underfoot. 7 1/2" tall by 6". Good for one bag of Orvil's... with room to shake the kernels down to the bottom. One coat of lacquer on the outside, and mineral oil on the inside. The "lip for grip" makes a difference.

[Rick Smith]

Didn't upload the first time...

[John Hart]

Thanks Everyone!! First, I have to satisfy Jeff's morbid desire to look at pieces of trees:

Here's a few. These pieces weigh about 200 pounds a piece. The neighbor boys hefted them into the truck and I just rolled them off.
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Then I cut out a piece this morning (about 5am) and mounted it up. Now this was intended to be an experimental piece, just to see how the wood behaved. It had some spalting and some maple syrup tap holes so I figured that it would make a good test case.
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[John Hart]

So....considering all the input and trying to add a little of my own style....I came up with this.
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Now...I'd really like some honest, and even painful criticisms on this. It's only 10" diameter and 5" deep and I'd like the gift to be 13-14 inches in diameter. I used walnut oil on it...but it kept soaking it up. (fairly dry) So I decided to experiment with finishes again.:rolleyes:

So the end result was a little DNA...a little Oil....a little Behlen's....and a little shellac. Seemed to work pretty good and frictioned up a nice semi-gloss look.

Oh....And while I was running around yesterday, I saw this sign in a little Amish chainsaw repair shop
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[Nancy Laird]

John, I really love this bowl, that form really highlights that wood. Whatever you do with it, it's a keeper for someone. I think it would work for maybe two of the Amish children to share--now you need to make one or two more for the rest of the children, then a bigger one for Mom and Dad.

About the sign--wish I had one to put in my shop above my lathe. It would read "Pens - $35.00; if you watch me make it - $75.00!":rolleyes:

Nancy

[David Little]

Looks beautiful but useable. Good job. Love the color of that maple piece.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John.....It has a distinctive and flowing form. I like it and the wood is gorgeous!

[Hilel Salomon]

Heck, I could do something like that in my sleep!! Of course, I can't do it while I'm awake... Is that honest enough.... It's certainly painful to admit.

[Bob Hallowell]

John, That's some purdy wood and the form is nice too!

Bob

[Randy Moore]

John, I'm sorry bot no more being nice..............YOU SUCK:D :eek:

:D I don't eat much popcorn, John, but when I do, I have to make 2 bowls of the stuff, the bowls I eat it out of are 12 X 8. So make it BIG, you have to keep the neighbors happy.

Where is it that you are storing all this wood you keep getting from trees being blown down, cut down and just simply laying on the ground? It seems you spend more time telling us about this wood you got from the Amish, or some tree that someone wanted you to cut down or a tree that was laying on the ground! :confused: :)

Don't fill up the barn with chunks of wood 'cause you know there will be a horse or two moving in soon, whether you know it or not. Kids do have a way of getting things the want

[John Hart]

Thanks everyone. I just cut up a 14X14X6 Blank, so I reckon I'll give it a go. Hope they like it.

Randy....it's kind of embarrassing about my wood storage right now. You're right...I just keep running into wood and I can't say no. But I've sold about 400 Turning Blanks in the last 3 weeks, so that's keeping the piles down somewhat. I've got to get a better system though and the loft above the shop is the likely storage space. But....for now....This is how things look today.
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I guess that's how you stay on Keith's list!!:)

[Johnathan Bussom]

Here is my popcorn bowl!

John.

[Christopher Zona]

That lathe doesn't look like it's hooked up to the 22hp diesel yet, what gives?

[Art Mulder]

Considering that yesterday evening I dumped half of my popcorn on the floor because I, ahem, lost control of the bowl... I like the suggestion of the thumb "lip" inside the rim. I'd also try to come up with a shape that fits the other four fingers of the hand also, for good one-handed holding. John's demo bowl looked pretty good there, being fairly short, but it didn't have the thumb hook. Lovely form, though.

But I'm puzzled by all these people talking about how much popcorn comes out of their microwave popcorn pouch... Do you really think that John's Amish neighbours have a microwave? :D

Personally I gave up on microwave popcorn. (a) plain popcorn in a hot air popper is far cheaper, (b) you have more control over the butter, and (c) well, there just isn't enough in a pouch. Unless you pop his-n-hers pouches... :p

...art

ps: John, where is the floor in that shop? Now I know why all these folks tease you about horses. From the amount of shavings on the floor, it looks like you're getting reading to turn it into a stall.

[John Hart]

Art...I was just holding this bowl to test out the thumb thing...and it ends up that the curvature of the lip and the depth of the bottom gives a perfect grip. If you look at Jonathan Bussom's bowl above, it looks like it has the same kind of form. Rick Smith's kinda does the same thing. Nice Bowls guys!;) I got lucky I guess but I kinda like it. Seems easy to pass around. Still smells like finish, so I'll have to wait awhile before we can pass it with something in it.:) I still have yet to try a lip like George's. Probably do something like that in a few days.

As far as the shop....Well, I've had enough!!! I just decided about 20 minutes ago to take a mental-health day off from work. I'm going to clean the shop and get all that wood moved up to the loft. We're going to have a nice day today (high of 53F) so it's settled. Time to get caught up.;)

[George Tokarev]

Impatience again? The first "coat" of oil never looks even, which is why I wait a week, or in warm and dry conditions until my thumb doesn't make marks on the surface, and recoat. Alternate method is similar to yours, where a finish capable of building is put on but not allowed to build, or even abraded away where it shows slick.

Bowl looks nice, though I doubt it'll be a popcorn type. Plain grain will do to keep your lap clean and cool.

[Frank Kobilsek]

John
The best Popcorn bowl at our house I made ina class with Mike Mahoney. He called it a Calabash bowl. It has no foot or flat base, just a gentle curve all the way accross the bottom. The indians had bowls like this so they would sit nicley on soft soil. It sits nice in your lap in front of the TV watching turning DVDs.
Frank

[Keith Burns]

Mr. Hart, SIR, or have you changed your name to Mr. Wood ? Very nice popcorn bowl for sure. I like the wood and I like the form:) :)


Yes you are still on my list, about a 100 times:eek: Filling the dang thing up you are.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

John, it isn't what I envision when I hear popcorn bowl. Actually, is is way more than that! With that spalting it may be practical but it is also on the art side, I love the form with that wood. Great job. Keep that one, no second thought send it to me and go for something much wider at the brim. Have you tried turning one outboard? If you did I'll bet you could go sixteen or eighteen inches