An HF Saga (Part 1)

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Well, it all started with a nice blank of Box Elder. I knew what I as going for, so I started to turn away at the 13" blank. I had gotten it just down the street from my old home in Ohio when I was there this past summer. I had also received some box elder from Tom, but was using this particular piece. All was going well and I got to the place where I had turned the tenon and flipped the work around to start hollowing. A few cuts in and "BANG":eek: the HF went flying. I had turned a pretty sharp edge on the vessel. The crash dented it up pretty good:( and so I remounted the face plate and reshaped the work again putting on another tenon. This time I went with a combo inside/outside as a precaution. Hollowing proceeded very well until I got a bit too thin on the top and saw that dreaded color change on the spinning work. I stopped the lathe and sure enough there were two areas that had broken though. I felt sick.:( Now I had to make a decision. Do I make this firewood, or let it become an unusual bowl. I chose the latter. Here is what was left of the top and the rest of the story will unfold as the new bowl does.:)

[Ben Gastfriend]

I know exactly how you feel (see previous thread). Oh well, lets see another one, and you can call that "modern art"!

[Tom Sherman]

That's the spirit Chris don't let that wood beat you.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Gonna be one impressive bowl as that is some beautiful wood Chris!

As I do more hollow forms I find I am getting them thinner and thinner but still they are THICK compared to what you are turning. Think the thinnest one so far is 3/16" in most places. Don't know if I really want to get much thinner than that!

[Ron McKinley]

Can't wait to see how you recover from a wide funnel! :)

[Burt Alcantara]

A hat for the garden.

[Terry Quiram]

Thats enough to tick off the Pope. I know what you mean this would have been a nice spalted Elm bowl until the bottom went bye bye. I will saw it in half and use it as a teaching aid.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Don't ya just hate that Chris. Sorry to hear and hope the bowl works out.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

The Bowl is well on it's way and from what I am seeing maybe it was just meant to be a bowl. I do believe all things happen for a future opportunity.:)

[Bill Wyko]

Take the side to the disc sander, make it flat, glue a piece to it and call it art .......or harry or maby jose. But don't call it fire wood.:D

[Jim Underwood]

Those pieces can be used again. I'd not waste the work, but turn it all into something else, even if one "deconstructs" it even more, and glue it into a new form.