Almost Discarded Bowl

[Steve Mathews]

Some time ago I posted a pic of one of my early attempts at bowl turning. Most of the members here strongly suggested tossing it primarily because of some hairline cracks but also because the shape was less than attractive. In other words it looked like a dog dish. Well, I didn't toss it but instead let it sit on a shelf unfinished. A few days ago I put it back on the lathe after crudely putting some glue in the cracks and was amazed with the outcome. The finishing process brought out some features and beauty in the wood that I was unable to see while turning it. It still has the shape of a dog dish but the wood with its shades of blue and pink turned out very attractive, at least to my novice eye.

Bottlestoppers 001.jpg

This also turned out to be a good learning experience for me in how to repair hairline cracks with CA glue. Apparently it's not advisable to put the glue on bare wood without sealing it first. The result as seen in the photo shows a darkening of the wood where the glue is applied.

[Bill Carey]

I can see it piled high with apples, pears, oranges etc. Something doesn't have to be all artsy fartsy to have beauty. Clean, simple lines are always nice to look at. I like it. And would not let my dog anywhere near it.

And I sometimes get wood that looks very similar. Blues and pinks and pale green. Rainbow elm? Rainbow poplar?

[Alex Zeller]

Someday things may change but for now I throw nothing in the woodstove. I even have a bowl that I didn't tighten enough with the cole jaws and came off the lathe. It's now got several cracks in it but it's also a nice place to see where I started. I try to finish everything. As they say practice makes perfect. Now that you've finished that bowl you just learned that a nice finish can bring out some natural beauty that otherwise would of been lost. My first attempt at a natural edge bowl was on a piece of pin oak (I've heard it called swamp oak). It looked boring. When removing the inside of the bowl I went a little tool thin (maybe 1/8" to 3/16")and was going to toss it. I really couldn't do too much more with it out of fears that it would break apart. So it got some light sanding by hand. It sat for a week or so before I finished it. Now I wish I hadn't experimented on this piece of wood.

bow 1.jpg

[robert baccus]

I like both of these--sometimes a simple shape is unique and very nice.