Bugged about the Hole thing!

[Don Frank]

Whether you saturate the tennon with thinned epoxy or turn it away and glue a block, that is an easy fix. I'd go ahead and finish turning the bowl. A few hours of extra work at this point is worth it, even if the results are disappointing. I wouldn't take the time to fill the holes though. They tell part of the story.
Sycamore seems prone to ring shake and I have had a few that lost chunks. Since then, I don't turn anything that I can see visible ring shake. I love turning good sycamore though.

[Roger Chandler]

Whether you saturate the tennon with thinned epoxy or turn it away and glue a block, that is an easy fix. I'd go ahead and finish turning the bowl. A few hours of extra work at this point is worth it, even if the results are disappointing. I wouldn't take the time to fill the holes though. They tell part of the story.
Sycamore seems prone to ring shake and I have had a few that lost chunks. Since then, I don't turn anything that I can see visible ring shake. I love turning good sycamore though.

Not sure if you saw the last post I made, where I had turned off most of the bug/worm holes/tracks, but managed a platter form. Not a pretty piece of wood for sure, but I put a nice form on it, so I think it is a good use of that particular piece of sycamore log.

[John K Jordan]

...Not a pretty piece of wood for sure, but I put a nice form on it...

That might be an opportunity hide the wood and accentuate the form with some matte black paint. Might look pretty classy with the worm holes.

JKJ

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks everyone for the comments. Thanks Leo for the pics of your bowls...some of them are worse than this sycamore! Our experience here in this area and at the galleries we show at, things with all those bug holes do not sell, and end up taking up valuable space in the gallery for no purpose.

This sycamore is a fairly plain piece, and has nothing to make it an eye catcher other than its size which is now 16.75" diameter after turning away most of the holes/tracks. There are a few left, and they are filled now. Finish is Mahoney's walnut oil. Pretty much a utilitarian piece, if ever there was one. Just thought I'd show the end result, so....

I certainly do not like the looks you got with the oil you put on it and the finish of the wood Roger.

Sycamore is at least as interesting as hard Maple and some other woods IMO, especially if you cut the wood so it shows the fleck of the rays it has in there, even if only on part of the bowl, spalting is also nice in it.

I do finish sand it to a higher grit and get a nice surface on it, Walnut oil I don’t like, the stuff doesn’t polymerize for months, and even then it is barely harder than a hard wax.

Compare your bowl and finish with what I get on mine, yes you can do better .

Sycamore bowl.jpg Sycamore.jpg Sycamore hf.jpg Sycamore bark-on.jpg

[david privett]

I did put that sycamore log on the mill ,blanks are 17 inches wide and 7.5 inches deep any one want one let me know and come get one or two.

[John K Jordan]

I did put that sycamore log on the mill ,blanks are 17 inches wide and 7.5 inches deep any one want one let me know and come get one or two.

Did you see any spalting?

I'm sorely tempted by your offer, you are "right down the road." Better judgement is prevailing, though, since things don't get any busier than spring time at the farm! (And my Lovely Bride is in the middle of directing eight home remodeling projects...)

JKJ

[William C Rogers]

I certainly do not like the looks you got with the oil you put on it and the finish of the wood Roger.

Sycamore is at least as interesting as hard Maple and some other woods IMO, especially if you cut the wood so it shows the fleck of the rays it has in there, even if only on part of the bowl, spalting is also nice in it.

I do finish sand it to a higher grit and get a nice surface on it, Walnut oil I don’t like, the stuff doesn’t polymerize for months, and even then it is barely harder than a hard wax.

Compare your bowl and finish with what I get on mine, yes you can do better .

Sycamore bowl.jpg Sycamore.jpg Sycamore hf.jpg Sycamore bark-on.jpg

What finish are you using Leo?

[david privett]

John ,there is some slight spalting just enough for character , there is another ssycamore log we can half to see what is in it too if you wish it is larger diameter and 12 ft.+ long. I was gonna make boards out of it anyway.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

What finish are you using Leo?

Bill I use Polymerized Tung Oil on most all of my turnings, I buy it at Lee Valley, quite expensive compared to most of these other finishes that are mostly just thinners and volatiles in the 80% area of volume.

With the PTO it is, a little goes a long way