China Berry

[Bernie Weishapl]

Well got a little time finally in the shop today. I turned this China Berry bowl. It is finished with Seal-A-Cell and then will get several coats of Arm-R-Seal as the LOML wants to use it for Salads, etc. It is 9 1/4" across and 4 1/4" high. I bought this piece off the big auction site. It had the pith left in it and had some punky wood. You can see the pith in the 3rd picture. At least they came out straight on both sides. Of course no place open but Wal-Mart to try and find Minwax wood hardener so use the old epoxy cocktail. It worked pretty darn good.

[Tom Sherman]

Bernie that's a great looking bowl.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Pretty piece Bernie! So far I've not had any "punky" wood! What's the ratio in you epoxy cocktail?

[Pete Jordan]

Nice bowl Bernie! What family is China Berry? I have never heard of it.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Nice bowl Bernie! What family is China Berry? I have never heard of it.

Don't know Pete. I saw the wood and liked the color so I just bought it.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Pretty piece Bernie! So far I've not had any "punky" wood! What's the ratio in you epoxy cocktail?

Ken I mix my epoxy first. I used two of the 30 min. two tube packages on this one. Anyway after the epoxy is fully mixed I add DNA until it is the consistancy of milk. Boy did this thing soak it up and actually it worked pretty darn well. It hardened the wood real nicely.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Good looking bowl Bernie - great color!

[Christopher K. Hartley]

China Berry, now I can relate to that, we have them all over here. They are considered "Trash Trees" here but after seeing the wood, I say "Trash No More". Beautiful grain and job!:)

[Mike Ramsey]

Very nice Bernie! I have 4 China Berry trees beside my shop to cut
down, maybe I'll save some to try myself.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks for the comments. Chris and Mike this wood did come from Texas. If you happen to cut one of those trees down Mike let me know and I will buy some. I think it is from the Elm family by the looks of it because we call Elm trees up trash trees.

[Glenn Hodges]

Bernie, lots of Chinaberry down here, and I have turned a lot of it, but no bowl more lovely than this one. It should make a great salad bowl. I have always heard it is in the mahogany family, we call it Southern mahogany.

[Stan Terrell]

Chinaberry is indeed in the Mahogany family.
Meliacese melia azedarach.

[Bob Hallowell]

Good looking bowl Bernie, stay away from those salads those. I here there's no meat in them and what kind of meal would that be?

Bob

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks again. Also thanks for the info. If it hadn't been so punky and soft I think it would have been a pleasure to turn.

[Ernie Nyvall]

Nice bowl Bernie. I like the China Berry wood, but every bit that I have harvested from a downed tree has had a lot of punky wood in it. It must start rotting fast once it's been cut.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks Ernie. Yep this thing had lots of punky wood and most of it around the pith. But I wasn't about to throw a $20 piece of wood in the burn pile without a fight. I got the piece for $8 but shipping was $12. Hate it when you get into it and it is bad.:mad: Don't mind it if it is free wood.