Salad anyone, spalted alder bowl. Pics

[Dave Smith]

I turned this bowl over a year ago. It developed a crack along a defect in the wood. I filled the crack with black epoxy. It took a couple of pourings to get it all filled. One thing I learned the hard way is to seal the end grain before applying black epoxy. Normally I fill cracks before the finish turning. In this case the alder sucked up the black epoxy through the end grain and it didn’t all turn away. It kinda looks like blue stain in one area on the inside. I think we will keep this bowl. It is the largest bowl I have turned on my Jet 1236.

This piece of alder just started to spalt. There are several nice black line circles. I like the mottled color of alder in this stage. Usually I get spalted alder when it is just short of being good top soil. Those pieces don’t turn very good.

<img src="http://www.woodnheart.com/wc/turn/salad/alder11.jpg">
Bowl is 11" wide and 6 1/4" high. The crack is not very wide but it is 7" long.
<img src="http://www.woodnheart.com/wc/turn/salad/alder12.jpg">
The side starts 1/4" at the rim and increases to ½" at the bottom.
<img src="http://www.woodnheart.com/wc/turn/salad/alder13.jpg">
Finish is Woodcraft polyurethane oil. I let the first coat dry about a week. The alder absorbs a lot of finish and I wanted the oil to cure before saturating it again.

Kind of an ugly shape but it will hold alota salad.

Thank you for looking.

Dave Smith

Eating my greens in style in Longview, WA.

[Todd Burch]

I like it Dave! Neat wood too.

[Russ Filtz]

Isn't spalting caused by mold/fungus? I'm sure the finish helps seal it, but just seems unappetizing to use spalted wood for food use. I would want a varnish type seal and not just oil which could wear off unnoticeably. Not something you normally finish a salad bowl with.

Your bowl is very slight spalting though. Anyone know the skinny on this? The mold/fungus is probably dead from drying the wood, but can't some of those go to spore and live through nuclear blasts?

[Dave Smith]

Hi Russ,

The spores are naturally in the soil. There are probably more spores on the salad greens than could slough off the wood. Around here, on the wet side of the mountains, if wood is left on the ground for a short period of time it will quickly turn into soil. I do not believe there is any health hazard using this bowl for food.

Dave Smith

Ice is starting to melt in Longview, WA.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Dave, great looking salad bowl - fungus or no fungus. Besides, I like fungus in my salad anyway, usually in the shape of a mushroom, with some bacon bits and some cheese and some dressing. Man, is it lunch time yet? :D

[Steve Inniss]

Love that grain Dave - shape too - can't agree with your "kind of an ugly shape" comment. Bowls are meant to be used (mostly) and I can see that one in my lap, filled with something tasty. -Steve

[Jim Becker]

I'm with Steve...no ugliness there that I can see!! It's quite a striking bowl.

[Dave Smith]

The bowl has a "U" shape with the straight sides that I think makes it a little dumpy looking. The figure does make it more appealing though. Alder is not a very impressive wood for turning unless it is a crotch piece or spalted.

Dave Smith

Repairing an RV roof leak in Longview, WA.

[John Shuk]

My wife tells me that when I show people something I've made I spend most of my time telling them what is wrong with it. I guess it is human nature. I love the bowl and Like the U shape. I think it works really well.

[Ace Karner]

At ease disease there's fungus among us.. LOl

I too like the deep U shape of that bowl. Great work as usual

ace

[Mark Singer]

It adds character! Great job!
Mark