Black Walnut NE (yes, another one)

[Mark Cothren]

I bet you folks will be glad when I run out of this Walnut, eh? :D

This one is far from being a good example of form, but it is the biggest bowl of any sort I've turned on my lathe so far. It ended up 19" at the tips and is 8-1/2" tall. The woman I turned this for is interested in "big", so she should like this okay.

All comments/critiques/feedback/suggestions/opinions welcomed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/markfromark/BlackWalnutNE01.jpg

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Well Mark.......looks like another Cothren to me! Well done as usual! BTW.... I never get tired of looking at your art!

[Neal Addy]

That a monster bowl! I'd love to see this in person.

Another winner, Mark. Your NE are the best! Keep 'em coming.

[Jonathon Spafford]

When are you gonna run out of black walnut??? ;) Another great piece! The shape of it is as always great!!! You are quite a turner!!!

[Barry Stratton]

WoW!!! A 19" NE! That must be AMAZING in person.

Well done Mark.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Mark that is a beauty. You can keep making those and showing the pictures as long as you want. I for one will never tire of looking at them. Wow 19".

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow! Once again - beautiful work Mark! Hard to imagine a 19" NE! Great form, love the amount of bark - really nice finish! Your customer is going to love it!

[Curt Fuller]

Another beauty Mark! That's a big one too.

[Mark Pruitt]

Not tired of seeing your black walnut NEs at all! 19" is one honkin' big bowl!:eek: I know she'll love it.

[Glenn Hodges]

Mark, that outside form is outstanding.

[Rob Will]

Somebody please fill me in. How do you keep a big piece like that from splitting when it dries?

Rob

[Keith Burns]

Mark, why don't you make a BIG one next time ??? Sheeezze. Another winner.:) :)

[Mark Cothren]

Rob, the first big bowl (15"+) from this wood that I turned I soaked in a DNA bath overnight and then wrapped. It cracked and split pretty bad - bad enough I never finish turned it. After that I let them soak 2-3 days before wrapping in newspaper and putting on the rack to dry. Since then I've turned probably 6-7 bowls from this same tree that are over 15" wide and this deep or deeper. All of them have done great. This one is the biggest I've turned and not only did it not check/crack/split, but it also moved very little for a big chunk of wood.

I realize that physics/research/physical laws of the universe/etc are gonna say the "DNA method" doesn't work... and yet here sits the bowl...:D

[Rob Will]

Rob, the first big bowl (15"+) from this wood that I turned I soaked in a DNA bath overnight and then wrapped. It cracked and split pretty bad - bad enough I never finish turned it. After that I let them soak 2-3 days before wrapping in newspaper and putting on the rack to dry. Since then I've turned probably 6-7 bowls from this same tree that are over 15" wide and this deep or deeper. All of them have done great. This one is the biggest I've turned and not only did it not check/crack/split, but it also moved very little for a big chunk of wood.

I realize that physics/research/physical laws of the universe/etc are gonna say the "DNA method" doesn't work... and yet here sits the bowl...:D

It looks great Mark.
Sorry to get off the subject but what exactly does DNA do? No......let me rephrase that (before a wise man tells us it has to do with "mama" and why I'm so "ugly":D ).

.....That would be denatured alcohol......does it displace the natural water in the wood?

This bowl is such a fine example of BIG turning, I just had to ask.

Thanks,
Rob

[Jim Becker]

Another lovely piece, Mark. The grain of this piece of walnut really works nicely as it follows the contours very well.

There is a slight difference in height between each side which if it were eliminated when you originally mounted between centers would have made it even more balanced, but it's minimal and not material...only another turner or an experienced collector would notice... ;)

[Mark Cothren]

Rob, I don't know the details of how it works or why... all I know is that it works for me. Dave Smith is the one who doc'd the process for bowls/wood (that I'm aware of), so check out his site for the specifics.

Jim, you are exactly right about the sides being uneven. I think I was so distracted by the size that I failed to pay attention to the balance. I should lie and say I did it this way on purpose so that the inside of the bowl is more accessible from one side than the other...:D The uneven sides, along with the "hump" about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom makes this not the best in form. I was just tickled that it held together when drying, that the bark stayed on, and that I didn't launch it...:eek: Don't get me wrong - I appreciate your feedback.

[Rob Will]

Rob, I don't know the details of how it works or why... all I know is that it works for me. Dave Smith is the one who doc'd the process for bowls/wood (that I'm aware of), so check out his site for the specifics.
Thanks Mark, this is what I turned up with a Goggle search for "Dave Smith Wood Turning Denatured Alcohol". http://www.woodcentral.com/articles/turning/articles_473.shtml
That looks very interesting to me.
Thanks again,
Rob

[Mark Cothren]

Meant to give you a link earlier and forgot...:o

http://alcoholsoaking.blogspot.com/

[John Chandler]

I realize that physics/research/physical laws of the universe/etc are gonna say the "DNA method" doesn't work... and yet here sits the bowl...:D

I hope I learn to defy physics when I grow up. :rolleyes: I also hope I learn how to turn something in the same neighborhood of niceness as your bowl. That is very nice looking. Great job.

[Pete Jordan]

You took it right to the limit!

Do you have an outboard setup yet so you can break the 20 inch barrier?
I know you have the neverending supply of walnut!

[Mark Cothren]

Not yet, Pete. I have one more mammoth chunk of Walnut that would make a 24"-25" bowl about 13"-14" deep, but no way to swing it right now... believe it or not I do still have several chunks of that wood... it was a BIG tree - what can I say...:D... (and I only got the leftovers :eek: )