Looking a critique

[Steve Kubien]

Hi everyone,

Here's a spalted maple bowl I just finished up and I'd like some feedback on how I did on the form, proportions and finish. I know the pictures are bad but I'll work on photography when I have the time to really learn it.

4.5" wide
3" tall
walls are 1/4" - 5/16"
sanded to 600, 3 coats of Deft semi gloss and a buffing with EEE Ultrashine

Am I close on this or should I ditch my turning tools and go back to flat work (which I'm not very good at but I do enjoy)?

Thanks,
Steve Kubien
Ajax, Ontario

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Steve, we would like to help you the very best we can with the critique you requested. Would it be possible for you to take your pictures a little closer so the detail of the bowl can be seen better. If you are able to do that it would be very helpful. If for whatever reason you have trouble with that, we'll do the best we can. Thanks for the submission.:)

[Mike Vickery]

I think what is a good form is really a preference more than anything else. I like the piece but the form does not seem to realy pop though I do find it pleasing. If it was me I would either
1. decrease the vessel diameter at the rim so that the widest point of the vessel is about 2/3 of the height.
or
2. Decrease the size of the base to about 1/3rd of the diameter and give it more of a taper at the bottom.

This is just me, if you like it that is all that really matters. Definately a nice piece though. Do not ditch the turning tool you are doing some nice work.

[Raymond Overman]

From what I see it's a nice bowl. The proportions and size of the foot tell me it's utilitarian. The wood choice is nice and the finish looks very good. It's not time to go back to flat work just yet.

Now for the other part, things to think about when going from utilitarian pieces to decorative pieces are continuous curves, thinner walls and smaller (or non-existent) feet. The straight sided walls of this bowl might hinder the rave reviews at the gallery perspective but are perfectly acceptable and sometimes preferred with the craft show group. Overall, it's a fine bowl. Hope this helps.

[TYLER WOOD]

If this is some of your first work, I would say absolutely excellent.

Personally the wallf for this piece are a little straight. I would refer more of a slope or curve, either would suffice to show the piece off a little more. But as was stated above, it depends on what the piece was designed for. If it is decoration, it does need a little more. The finish seems to be just fine. nice gloss to the piece, that makes me think it may be more for show than use. The spalting is nice and you have shown it pretty well.

By the way, do not throw the turning tools out. Ship them to me!!:D

[Steve Kubien]

Thanks for comments everybody. I have to consider this a decorative piece (too small for much else) but I generally like the shape of utilitarian pieces so..... Nobody likes the straight walls eh? Funny but I hadn't noticed while it was in the shop. :eek: On the next one I'll look at the 1/3's rule a little more closely.

Talk to you soon,
Steve Kubien
P.S. Chris, I'll try to get some close-up's but it may be tough since I am pretty useless with a camera.

[Keith Burns]

Steve, I will generaslly look aqt a piece several times before offering a comment. I can't reall find anything wrong with this bowl. The form is pleasing, the wood is nice and the finish looks good. Sell your flatwork tools and buy more lathe tools !

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ditto what Keith said. If this is your first bowl I do wish mine looked that good. Nice job.

[George Tokarev]

Looks like you have the wood and finish down well. I prefer a narrower base with a bit thicker bottom to keep the CG low. You can use a modest recurve to give you the shadow line (reveal) around the bottom with that plan.

But, as they say in Grease, "the rules are that there ain't no rules." If it looks good, make another, if it doesn't, modify.

[Steve Kubien]

Hey Bernie, this is about "turned-object-that-is-not-a-pen" #10. Mostly I've been collecting green wood and roughing a whole bunch in the past few months. I've completed a few pieces from green because I couldn't wait to how it would look. This practice has taught me that I've got a lot to be taught but it's been good to developing some tool control before working on really nice stuff.

Cheers,
Steve Kubien

[Kaptan J.W. Meek]

The bowl works.. I might re-iterate about the foot being a bit large, but thats about it.. Fine piece of wood and good finish too.. Try to work with the thirds, and remember "The finest pieces show no evidence of how they were ever mounted on the lathe."..

[Raymond Overman]

Nobody likes the straight walls eh? Funny but I hadn't noticed while it was in the shop. :eek: On the next one I'll look at the 1/3's rule a little more closely.

Steve,

I didn't say I didn't like it. I think it's a perfectly nice bowl and when I say utilitarian, that's not a negative. I don't want my cashews or peanuts or hard candy sitting in a dish that will rock and turn over if I brush past it and this dish is perfectly suited for such a job.

Also, don't look at the 1/3's rule as a rule. Think of it as more of a guideline, kinda like the pirate's code. You can choose to break it. Just be aware that it exists. Also, understand that there will always be the critics and then there will be the ones who will go see the movie no matter what the critics say.

Keep turning, take what you want from the critiques, and leave the rest on the table and don't worry about it.

[Steve Kubien]

No worries Raymond. I was just pointing out that the majority didn't like the straight walls. I wasn't poking your critique. I like what you and everybody else have to sasy about this piece. I asked for critiques and suggestions and I got them. That's what makes places like this so great.

As for the 1/3 rule... Nah, I've never been hard and fast with things like that BUT...it's a guideline that I have heard before and never actually thought about while in the shop. I will give it more thought on the next piece.

Thanks a bunch!
Steve Kubien

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Chris that a few more photos would be helpful, particularly one that shows the interior from a slight angle.

In general, this turning is reasonably well formed...in fact, a "deep" bowl with flatter sides like this is actually harder to turn, yet so many folks getting into turning tend to do this from the get-go, rather than more sweeping bowl shapes. But this is also why I'd like to see the interior--to see how well your inner form matches the outer form, especially at the transitions from the flatter sides to the bottom.

I agree with George that I personally like a little smaller base, but if this is deemed to be a "user", your choice will make for a very stable container. How something might be used is one of the considerations when developing the final form.

Show us some more!

[Jonathon Spafford]

Great little bowl... would make a nice candy dish! It is a really tall bowl for the diameter, so I might have made the foot (which, by the way, looks super) a little smaller to give it a greater curve... I prefer curves to be full without straight spots. Alternatively you could have curved it at the top all the way down to make the opening smaller than the middle diameter.

The wood is really lovely and if this is your first bowl, it is really exceptional! Great work anyway... now go make another!!!!