Walnut?

[Bonnie Campbell]

I just got notice a friend would like a walnut fruit bowl made. Size is up to me (he'll be cutting the wood green, custom size). So, my questions.....

1) How is walnut for stability? Do I need to worry about it cracking as it dries?

2) What's a good size for a fruit bowl? I'll have to turn the bowl on my Palmgren ( :eek:) So I suggested a size of 14" max 4-6" deep. Does that sound about right?

Thanks for any advice or suggestions! :)

[Frank Drew]

Bonnie,

I think that size sounds good but really it's up to the fellow who's getting the bowl plus how big a piece of wood he gets you and how big your lathe can handle.

I've never noticed any particular problems with walnut in terms of stability; I think coating the entire roughed out blank in green wood sealer and letting it season a good long while before finish turning does a lot to minimize cracking and checking.

Good luck; post pics.

[Raymond Overman]

Walnut turns beautifully. You'll need to turn and return the piece and treat it like any other wood by sealing the endgrain while drying. I wouldn't say it's any more or less prone to cracking as long as you get the pith out of the way.

As for a size, I think a 11"-12" x 4"-5" bowl is plenty big for a fruit bowl. I like to have a fairly aggressive curved taper from the lip of the bowl to the foot which is about 1/3 the mouth of the bowl. That way the fruit kind of sits on top of the bowl instead of being inside it.

[Reed Gray]

I like walnut as a turning wood. For me it is one of the more stable woods, and easier to dry, but like all woods, if you dry it too fast, it will crack, and if you dry it too slow, it will mold.

The size depends on the person who uses it. Some like wide and shallow, and some like narrower and deeper. Find out if the person has a favorite bowl that they use now, and shape yours after that. If they don't really have one, find out where they will be keeping it and size it to fit the space.

There is one down side to walnut, and that is it is very strongly scented. For dry foods, this isn't a problem as the dry stuff won't pick up any flavor. With wet foods like a salad (vegi or fruit) it will pick up some flavor. Some people love it, and it drives others nuts.

robo hippy

[robert hainstock]

You already havesome pretty good advice, and if you use a "curing" finish, not an oil there shouldn't be any scent transfer. good luck! Make happy chips. :):)
Bob

[Bonnie Campbell]

Thanks for all the help!!!!!

Not sure when I'll be getting the wood since it'll be driven here with some other goodies (cherry burl :p ). But I'll post a picture once I get it done :)

[curtis rosche]

just make sure you dont go to the edge or the tool rest if the wood is dry, you could end up breaking the toolrest like i did

[Tom Keen]

12 inches is a good sized salad or fruit bowl... it seems to me the challenges go up significantly when you get bigger...if you want to get out to the max swing of your lathe...say 14 inches you might consider something in between a bowl and platter... a shallow bowl, it would be easier to turn and would show off the wood a little better

The drier the walnut is, the better it turns and it will crack on you while drying if it dries to quickly or unevenly. I suggest soaking your roughed out piece in DNA for a couple of days and then wrapping it in a layer or two new paper for at least a month. Then air dry for another.

good luck!
Tom