Spalted SweetGum Sink Roughout

[Christopher K. Hartley]

My eldest son has been begging me for a sink for about six months. I finally decided to turn some SweetGum for the project. The wood is spalted and has some beautiful color. It is 17" X __" The wood was pretty dry on the outside but still wet on the inside so I just applied some AnchorSeal to let it dry slow. I have the matching blank for the second sink so he will have a set.:) Another interesting fact about the SweetGum Tree: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060405234139.htm

[Nancy Laird]

Chris, is your son going to use these in a bathroom as sinks? This one is gorgeous, but using it as a sink, I presume he's (you're) going to finish it with something relatively waterproof?

After having stepped on innumerable gum balls in my youth, I never thought I'd see the day when they would be useful for mankind, other than stacking up, spraying gold, and making fake holiday trees!! I'm glad to see that science is coming through again.

Nancy (82 days)

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking bowl Chris but I had the same question as Nancy. A Sink??? Tell us about this.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Chris, is your son going to use these in a bathroom as sinks? This one is gorgeous, but using it as a sink, I presume he's (you're) going to finish it with something relatively waterproof?

Great looking bowl Chris but I had the same question as Nancy. A Sink??? Tell us about this.

My son is a rather artistic kinda guy with great ideas and abilities. He is always doing something different and this is no exception. He will be using these for the bathroom and they will sit atop the counter top fixed by means of the tenon. The sink will be just over an inch thick. There are wood vessel sinks on these pages:
http://www.sinksgallery.com/sum-bathroom-sinks-2-wood-1-0-catalog--.htm
http://www.bathroomvesselsinks.com/wood-sinks.asp
At this point this is the thinking about finishes, but we are open to other ideas:

SeaFin Ship'n Shore Sealer

SeaFin Super Spar Varnish with UVA
http://www.dalyspaint.com/PDF/specs/S-Ssns.pdf
http://www.dalyspaint.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1
:)

[Paul Engle]

Oh yea Chris very cool, they do that a lot in Europe , you son has inherited your sense of artistry to design this for the bath and you for getting proportions spot on and Bob may or may not be someones uncle:eek: :D . I have seen liquid bar top plastic used also to seal wood from water in the ship yard and it works very well.The product you choose is right in there also. Nice job !!!

[Pete Jordan]

Looks great Chris!

I know how to make the hole in the bottom. I had two ornaments blow up tonight so I am having a beer and watching football.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Looks great Chris!

I know how to make the hole in the bottom. I had two ornaments blow up tonight so I am having a beer and watching football.Take heart my man. The best things come through adversity. Sorry about the ornaments.:)

[Pete Jordan]

Take heart my man. The best things come through adversity. Sorry about the ornaments.:)

It wasn't all bad. I did have a friend give me these oak burls today and I know how you hate oak!

[Christopher K. Hartley]

It wasn't all bad. I did have a friend give me these oak burls today and I know how you hate oak! Oh I'm dying here...Oak?? Do you know that in all the time I've been turning I haven't laid my hands on a burl yet. I did have a lady promise me one when her tree dies. :eek: Congrats they look real nice!:)

[Pete Jordan]

I have some more on the way. PM me with your address and I will take of you when they get here.

[Sean Troy]

Great idea ! If my wife saw that, she would be asking me to turn some also.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very impressive work Chris! Should make a beautiful bathroom sink! Nice work - great form! Looking forward to seeing the finished piece!

[John Gornall]

They have turned wood sinks on display at my local hardware store - I'll ask what the finish is.

And here's a link I was looking at a few days ago: http://www.dunnsohnwoodwork.com/sinks.html

[Kevin McPeek]

Boy I am in the wrong business, they're getting more for a bowl with a hole in it than I could ever ask for any bowl I make.

It looks real nice, I'd love to see the installed pics.

[Glenn Hodges]

Interesting article, I read that sweetgum was used as stocks for M1 rifles in WWII as well as walnut. I would think an epoxy type of finish would be good for the sink.

[Barry Elder]

Haven't used these people yet, but you might be interested in www. woodsure .com.
I plan on sending a couple of special bowls to them for preservation later on.
Have a GREAT DAY!
Barry

[John Gornall]

Checked the hardware store this AM. No one knew what the finish on the wood sinks was but it looks like epoxy to me, quite thick and polished. The 2 sinks on display are made from turning blanks made of stacked boards about 1 inch thick and each board is made of 6 pieces finger jointed. Yours looks much better!

[TYLER WOOD]

ooooohhhhhh! I like lots!! insert drool here!!!!

Interesting about the sweetgum balls too. Hadn't hear that till now. I gus gum is healthy to chew!:eek:

[Tom Sherman]

ooooohhhhhh! I like lots!! insert drool here!!!!

Interesting about the sweetgum balls too. Hadn't hear that till now. I gus gum is healthy to chew!:eek:

That's true Tyler, but when you chew them you don't have to floss.
Nice looking bowl Chris should make for a very unique sink.