Catalpa Bowl

[steven carter]

A while back I posted a question about turning catalpa, and now I can answer my own question. This stuff turns like butter and finishes well. Very wide grain, some people have thought it might be oak until they pick it up. The wood is very light, but seems sturdy at the same time. The friend of mine who gave it to me says it hardly ever splits. I know a chain saw artist that uses this wood exclusively. This is my first catalpa bowl. 7" x 3". Catalpa is a fast growing flowering tree that has long bean looking seed pods. There is a catalpa worm (actually a caterpillar) which grows only on this tree that makes good fishing bait, especially for catfish. Some people get as much as $10.00 per dozen for them. Thanks for looking, critiques always welcome.

Steve

[Steve Schlumpf]

Nice looking bowl Steve and you are right - it really does look like oak! I like the little flair you did at the lip - adds just a little something to it. Really nice work!

[William Bachtel]

It makes very nice bowls, it has an open grain, like Oak, Ash, Sassafras, Elm . Cavres good to.

[Nancy Laird]

I love the form, I love the wood, that grain just pops. Beautiful. Now to find some catalpa (as Nancy goes wandering through Journal Center is search of downed limbs off the catalpa trees.......)

Nancy

[Ken LaSota]

Steven nice job I like the form and the color is nice. It does sure look like oak.
Ken

[Paul Engle]

Steven,
I got a piece from Kirk Patterson ( carver to be featured this summer on DIY) at Lake Kentucky over the winter and found it the same as you did, only the odor got to me and sat out side until I could get a finish on it. It came pretty wet and suprise suprise it did not even check :confused: , he uses it for carving larger pieces up to 4 feet. He had thought it was coffee tree wood but is not in fact. I was going to buy some from him but the $ was too high. Nice bowl you did.My piece has some flicker or chatynoiance in the grain.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Steven that is a beautiful piece. I really like the wood and form. Nice job.

[Gary Herrmann]

I've always thought that it smells like cotton candy when turned.

[Glenn Hodges]

I like it and what you did with it, thanks for posting the picture.

[John Timberlake]

I like the piece. Also like turning catalpa. Did you put a stain on this bowl? The only one I did was a very light color.

[David Tiell]

Nice looking bowl there! I have turned one bowl from catalpa. Actually, it was curly catalpa, with some really nice figure. Turned it 15 years ago, and as I remember, it was very easy to turn. Still one of my favorite bowls. Can't believe I haven't tried to find more.

Again, very nice looking bowl there!

[steven carter]

John,

I didn't use any stain. Finished with Mylands friction polish. I have three or 4 more blanks, and they all seem to be about the same color.

Steve

[chris del]

My third bowl of all time and first harvested green/DNA soaked bowl is Catalpa.
I find that it turns well, but end grain tears out easilly (both inside and outside of the bowl). Not sure if it is due to inexperience, my angle of attack or dull gouge? The gouge is a crown Ellsworth and this is the first and only bowl its been used on.

Chris