First Bowl

[Alan Trout]

This is my first bowl and pretty much my first not tool turning. I did make a couple of lathe tool handles and a couple of pens at our local wood craft but that is about it for me. I just got my lathe last week but have not had much time to use it.

I got home late yesterday afternoon and wanted to turn something and did not have anything in the garage. I started digging around in the yard and found a dry old mesquite limb laying in the yard that a friend dropped off for the BBQ. I took it to my band saw and cut up what I thought would be a good blank.

This is what I cam up with. It was pretty knotty and checked. I roughed it out last night and after work went a got some thin CA and soak it real good so it would not fly apart. It is 5 3/4 inches wide at the top by 2 inches high and about 2 1/4 inches at the bottom. I finished it with a watco applied with 2000 git color wet or dry sand paper and let it dry for a while and then burnished in with a rag.

All and all I am pretty happy with it for my first official turning. Please let me know what ya'll think.

Sorry that the pics are not better I still have a bit to work on with my photo skills.

Thanks,

Alan

[laurie sullivan]

better that my first one. I won't eve bring it out of the garage.:D

Laurie

[Phil St.Germain]

1st or 100th, that is a great bowl. You turned the flaws in the blanks into great features of the bowl.

Nice Job

[Toney Robertson]

Alan,

Very nice. I sure hope it stays together.

I just turned my first piece of mesquite. It sure does turn nice, doesn't it?

Toney

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very interesting bowl Alan! Lots of charactor with all the knots and checks! Beautiful color to the piece! All in all - a very nice bowl! Make sure you hang onto it and set it aside so a year from now you can compare your work! Have fun - looking forward to seeing more of your turnings real soon!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Steve pretty well nailed it Alan! A lot of interesting stuff going on in that bowl. Nice first bowl!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great bowl with some interesting wood.

[Mark Hix]

nice looking bowl. I like mesquite. You need to have your friend bring you some more firewood :D

[lynn smith]

Great looking bowl.
I like the design, it goes really well with the knots and cracks in the wood.
If that's your first I can't wait to see the next one.
happy turning

[Alan Trout]

Thanks for all the kind words. I had a lot of fun turning the bowl but a little stress as well. I was really worried about it coming apart. Mark it is funny that you mention more firewood. He is going to cut down and old dead dry mesquite tree this week and says he is going to bring me more wood. :) I still have some left and am going to try a natural edge bowl. However I am leaving this week for a family reunion so I am going to be gone for about a week. So no turning for a while. :(

Alan

[Bob Hallowell]

I think it turned out real nice I like the rustic look.

Bob

[robert hainstock]

I realy lijke the reverse curve, and will also mention that the grain is extra nice. mesquite is great fun to turn, and for a rooky turner you did it "great" service. :D
Bob

[Ben Gastfriend]

Hey, I'd be proud to have turned that as my 50th bowl! Really nice.

[Richard Madison]

Alan,
Great first bowl. Although I usually don't care for that shape, it works beautifully in this piece to display the features of the wood. Nice job!