NE Bowl - Critiques Welcome

[Shane Sura]

All,
This is my first real successful bowl (too many blow outs before). Let me know what you think. I wish I knew what kind of wood it is but I am not yet up on my wood identification.



Shane

[Gregg Feldstone]

Great first bowl Shane!!!

[John Hart]

That's Dunnowood....from Villa del Gotme, Brazil. Congratulations on gettin' through your first! Looks good. :)

[Rich Stewart]

Kind of looks like some olivewood I had. I have a bowl that looks very similar to that one. No finish, just buffed.

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is a great looking NE. Well done.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Nice looking first bowl Shane!

You managed to keep the bark in place, the walls look to be of consistant thickness, there's no obvious tearout and the finish looks great! Make sure you sign and date this one and then put it away for safe keeping - there is only one first!

Keep working on bowls and you will be surprised at how much your style changes and also how much easier the entire process becomes. Have fun with it and keep posting!

[Andy Hoyt]

Nice looking piece of cherry ya got there, Shane.

[TYLER WOOD]

bark and coloration of the wood look like honey locust. NRS though. Did it smell really sweet when turning, almost like honey?

Great looking bowl. On your next bowl, try making the sides not quite so vertical. The more vertical the side walls the harder it is to hollow out to get the sides consistent and to get the bottom smooth. The form is pleasing, just for beginners it's a little harder to do. Getting skills built up will make forms like this a little easier. GREAT JOB!!! Keep it up!!!

[George Guadiane]

bark and coloration of the wood look like honey locust. NRS though. Did it smell really sweet when turning, almost like honey?

Great looking bowl. On your next bowl, try making the sides not quite so vertical. The more vertical the side walls the harder it is to hollow out to get the sides consistent and to get the bottom smooth. The form is pleasing, just for beginners it's a little harder to do. Getting skills built up will make forms like this a little easier. GREAT JOB!!! Keep it up!!!
I tend to agree with Andy, I think the wood is cherry, and since you brought up form, while the finish is very nice and the wall thickness DOES look even, AND you managed to keep the bark on (no small feat), the missing element is "form." When I first started, someone said (I wish I could give them name credit) don't try to use the most wood, make the most graceful form...
It was a difficult transition for me... I paid for the wood, and it's pretty, why not show all of it off??? Because of what draws the eye.
A more graceful curve almost forces the eye to linger on it (think beautiful woman)... Even this is "in the eye of the beholder," but if you look to the classic forms and/or the most respected turners, you will see what I mean. AND, as Tyler said, it really is easier to work a gentler curve, once you give it an honest try.

I'm glad the issue was raised, we spend so much time trying to "be nice," while I think that we should "be nice" by making suggestions for improvement, when asked. Thanks for offering us the opportunity to do so. :)

[Shane Sura]

Thanks for all the replies. To answer one of the questions the wood did smell very nice when turning. I don't know if I would call it fruity or maybe just a sweet smell kind of like when you first cut green wood (though this was not green). Also thanks for the feedback on form. I have been having a real hard time come up with nice flowing lines. I always end up more vertical than I would like and I can't quite figure it out yet.

Shane

[Brian Brown]

Shane,

Nice first piece. I wish I could keep the bark on like that. Mine always falls off. :( I agree with most of what was said about the piece, especially the part about form by Tyler and George.


Also thanks for the feedback on form. I have been having a real hard time come up with nice flowing lines. I always end up more vertical than I would like and I can't quite figure it out yet.

Shane

Form can be a tough one. One thing you might consider, is going to your local book store, or library, and looking for books on classical pottery. These can give you some ideas on forms that have remained visually appealing for centuries. If you live near a college or university, you can also try the library on campus. Once you have a good grounding, you can begin to explore your own "style" as variations on these basic forms. Ancient Greek pottery was created primarily for function, but the asthetics were important and a great source of pride for the potter. Good luck on your future projects, and we want to see them.:)

Brian

[John Hart]

...just a sweet smell kind of like when you first cut green wood (though this was not green).....

Now that's how I would describe Elm.

[Brian McInturff]

Nice form there Shane! I would have to agree with John on it being Elm. By looking at the grain pattern it looks more like a piece of Elm I turned back last year as opposed to the Cherry I have turned.
Brian

[Jim Ketron]

Just looking at the picture it is somekind of fruitwood I would say Bradford Pear, or fruit pear.
the reason I say this is Cherry will have a blonde sapwood or some sapwood that will be a different color than the heartwood, and all the Elm I have turned has more of a corse grain compared to this.
All the Bradford Pear I have turned looks the same color all the way to the bark.
JMO
Jim

[robert hainstock]

My recolection of elm is that it has an unpleasant oder.cherry has a browner tinge to it. I can't tell from the picture what it is, but I can tell you that many of my bowls have somewhat that shape!
GOOD JOB!:)

[Tim A. Mitchell]

Congrats on gettin this one to hold together. As far as the form, I think I agree with others, but for the form you have, the lines look good.

Not sure of the dimensions, but it looks pretty deep. You could force yourcelf to get softer lines by cutting the blank in half.

[Mike A. Smith]

NE for your first bowl is pretty ambitious, ya done good! Form is something that we all struggle with and of course some of the folks around here are so good at it you just want to strangle them! Oops, did I say that out loud? It will get better with time, I can see a huge difference in my stuff from when I started about six months ago, course I still got a long way to go.

The folks here have been very helpful, listen to their advice and look at their pics, then do what makes you happy!