First finished bowl...

[Don Carter]

This is my first finished bowl. It is spalted sycamore, about 5 1/2" x 3", with a lacquer finish. You can see a chip on the rim...I dropped it on my shop's concrete floor after finishing it. I was lucky that was the only damage. I have fallen into the vortex and I can't get out!;)
What do you think?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Don....beautiful first finished bowl! Yup.....dropping them or having the buffer drag them out of your hands as your are buffing then and play bank shots off the ceiling walls and floor tends to do that too! DAMHIKT!

Excellent first bowl! You are hooked....

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very nice first bowl Don! Love the wood! Make sure you always keep this bowl as you only do the first - 1 time! You will be amazed at your progress in a years time, 2 years, 3, etc!

Keep turning and you'll find that the more you turn - the easier it becomes and the more fun you will have!

Welcome to the Vortex!

Whatever you do......... don't try hollow forms!!! You been warned!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking first bowl out of some good looking wood. Like Steve said sign, date and keep your that first one so you can compare a year or two from now. You will be amazed.

[Mark Hix]

What Steve and Bernie said....nice job! Every once and a while I look at my first one and think I should re-chuck it and fix it. It will never happen. Put it somewhere that you can admire it. That chip in the rim just makes it more special.

[Dewey Torres]

Outstanding!

[Hal Taft]

Don,
Very beautiful spalted wood, and I wouldn't have seen the chip if you hadn't mentioned it. See my post "oops" a page or two back, I had to glue a piece of the lip back on, and remount the piece and turn out a few nicks and spots. Sometimes the "patina" process starts very suddenly. It all adds to the beauty.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Nice work. I've turned a few spalted sycamore bowls myself. Its pretty wood, but IMHO a pain because of how much sycamore moves around while its moving. Even re-truing bowls dried for 6 months induces warpage between re-turning the outside & inside of the bowls!! Anyway, its a very nice piece, and it already has a head start on a future well loved looking "patina". I'll bet since you're already talking about the "vortex", you already know the dangers of spalted wood, but in case you haven't........fungal spores can make for some nasty lung infections. Make sure that you wear a tight fitting dust mask at a minimum, or better yet some sort of respirator--you can get an organic vapor/paint respirator for under $40. That said, spalted wood sure makes for some pretty turnings. Hope to see more of your work.

[Don Carter]

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments.
Nathan, thanks for the advice on breathing protection. I have been wood working and turning for some time on a small lathe. I have been using a 3M half face respirator with the 1 micron filters. I have had some allergies to wood dust in the past and this mask has really allowed me to enjoy this hobby.
I live in a small town without many woodturners and without this forum with great advice like yours, I don't think I could do it.
I've got some more sycamore bowls to show when I can get them finished. Thanks again.:)

All the best.

Don