DNA soaking does NOT prevent cracks!

[Robert McGowen]

This was my first bowl from an actual "tree", as in cut it down and made something from it. All this talk of FREE wood was getting to me. I ended up with about 4 x what is shown in the photo, most of it 12"-18" in diameter elm.

I cut out a bowl blank, rough turned it to about 1/2" thick with a tenon and then soaked it in DNA for 2 days. I dried it a couple of weeks and then finish turned it. There was not a crack in sight and it was looking good. I was parting off the tenon when (you knew this was coming :)) the bowl decided to take a break from turning and exited the lathe at high speed. It flew about 5 feet and bounced off the edge of the table saw, did a 180 degree turn and came back over the top of the lathe and slammed into the wall about 6 feet up and then hit the floor. It instantly had two major cracks in it, one on each side, among several other unfixable problems. And all this talk about DNA preventing cracks. :D

[George Tokarev]

Your sides are too vertical. That's sort of asking for it, even with as forgiving a wood as elm. Your problem lies in the breadth of the bottom. Turn a bit more taper with the same stuff and you'll do better.

[Keith Burns]

Robert, I gotta tell ya, you had me going for a minute !! I thought, "oh no, here we go again". Sorry for the tennon problem !! I just hate it when that happens.

[Dario Octaviano]

You sure know how to stir the pot. LOL

[Matt Haus]

Unfixable problems? Take some CA glue and put it into the cracks followed by the dust shavings from the bowl Keep doing that until the thing is built up in the cracks and turn the thing again and sand. The CA glue is a great filler along with the dust. I have had a few crack and unless I point it out, noone knew.

[Curt Fuller]

I have one suggestion and one question.

Along with soaking it in DNA and letting it dry for a few weeks you might get a big piece of foam rubber to cut up. Put one piece on the saw table, another on the wall over the lathe, and the rest on the floor. If that doesn't help, learn to run your parting tool with you left hand while holding on to the bowl with right.

My question is how were you able to keep track of the bowls trajectory so well? I usually duck and cover when one makes that violent of a leap for freedom. Then after going in the house to change my shorts, it takes a while to even find it.

[Bill Wyko]

You could also put some titebond in the crack and put a hose clamp around it to close up the gap. Put some tape around it to prevent any scratching if needed. Thats how I glue up segmented rings.:)

[Tony De Masi]

Robert,

Although I find your humor to be spot on it seems some just aren't getting it. Keep the zingers coming.

Tony

[Skip Spaulding]

Robert, When my wife hears bowls bouncing off the kitchen floor (basement ceiling) she tells me to dress in my old ice hockey equipment! Gota love that super glue!!

[Hilel Salomon]

Dna is fine. The problem is with your lathe. If you can't get a new lathe, then try turning the bowl while it is still soaking in the DNA.

[Jim Becker]

There is no method that will "prevent" cracking. All of the various methods are to "reduce" cracking and checking by controlling moisture release in one fashion or another.

[Gary Herrmann]

Ugh, I did the same thing with a zebrawood pencil pot the other day (DNAd, not cut down - altho I haven't checked every yard in St. Louis...).

I think I was able to save it with some thin, then medium then a bit more thin CA.

The finish is drying now, I'll post a pic tomorrow. You can tell me if you can see the crack.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ugh, I did the same thing with a zebrawood pencil pot the other day (DNAd, not cut down - altho I haven't checked every yard in St. Louis...).

I think I was able to save it with some thin, then medium then a bit more thin CA.

The finish is drying now, I'll post a pic tomorrow. You can tell me if you can see the crack.

Are turning into a "cracked pot"?:rolleyes:

[mike fuson]

Robert what I do in this situation is, when it zings across the room jump in front of it and let it sock me in my fat belly and catch it, I'll eventually catch my breath and the bowl will be saved:D
I think your humor is obvious but some evidently just don't get it.
I have had this to happen a few times, and I just don't trust my reflexes to part it all the way off and catch it with my other hand. I part it down till I get butterflys and then turn off the lathe and hand saw it the rest of the way off.

[Cody Colston]

You must have done something wrong. The DNA method has always worked for me. :D

Isn't it kind of neat watching a bowl come off the lathe at a high rpm? Those suckers sure can cut some didos before coming to rest. :)

[Philip Duffy]

Get one of them big radiator hose clamps and put it around that bowl and tightnen 'er up and no one will even notice the crack! Philip

[Bob Hallowell]

You might of need an extra dna bath and the bowl was trying to tell you that, It just thought "oh the buckets over by the tablesaw, nope over by the wall,nope .....:D


Bob

[jeremy levine]

Still a pretty nice bowl.

[George Tokarev]

There is no method that will "prevent" cracking. All of the various methods are to "reduce" cracking and checking by controlling moisture release in one fashion or another.

Amen! Though shape sure counts in both drying and bouncing. Vertical walls are the worst to dry and first to break.

[Glenn Hodges]

Robert, I enjoyed your humorus eppisode, but I bet it wasn't so funny when it happened. This flight of the elm has happened to other species as well in my shop. I have learned to get my old handsaw out and use it after I get to a point not to precarious to cause bowl flight while parting a tennon. Good luck and better luck in the future.

[Doug Collins]

You know that's how the Frisbee was invented. It was supposed to be a platter for the guy's wife, but when he parted it off it went flying.

Later they started making them out of plastic because the wooden ones took too long to make and only lasted one flight.

Ok, so I made that up...

[TYLER WOOD]

Well kiln dried wood doesn't prevent cracks either. Some things are just meant to crack!!!:D

I finished my humidor last night by polishing it with a buffing pad on a drill. I had the piece between the legs holding it while I held the drill to it with my hands. Pad caught a good hold of the piece, sent it into the tile floor in the kitchen about 18" past my feet. Cracked it rght a long a glue joint. Luckily CA was within reach. Fixed er good. Will post pics when I get a chance to take some. You can't even see the crack!!!

[Paul Engle]

I dunno man .... maybe you should drink it first...... then soak it in the dna.... or you should soak in the dna then drink it .....I'm cornfused man ... who Dave? Dave's not here man, but bouncing bowls I gotta see .... film at 11.:D

[Bob Hallowell]

Paul,
I sounds like maybe you've been drinking it;)

Bob

[Ernie Kuhn]

Robert,
I didn't think your post was so subtle about the circumstances yet, a few still don't get it. Something similar, silver maple bowl, DNA soaked a day or two, took it out and set it outside on large garbage can to drain for a couple of minutes. Wind came up, it fell over 3 feet onto the cement driveway. Cracked into two half-bowl pieces. Darn DNA didn't work. Has become a new work, "potshards". Keep writing, its great.
Ernie