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View Full Version : Why there is no such thing as a blackwood bowl blank that I don't want...



CameronPotter
9th April 2006, 08:32 PM
See the pics attached.

This is a simple design to try to bring out the chatoyance in the wood... It is unbelievable. My two pics are taken from slightly different directions (look at the grain) and you can see the different amount of reflected light.

As usual my pics don't do the bowl justice... :o

The finish is EEE followed by a coat of Shellawax Glow and Shellawax Cream applied at the same time. This finish is extremely glossy without that glassy polyurethane feel or look.

I gotta get me some more of this stuff!

Cam

cedar n silky
9th April 2006, 09:51 PM
Nice bowls and nice grain!
I notice your from Tassie. We have a couple of local wattles that are often "pioneer species" up here- trees that emerge after clearing. One we call the Mt nardi wattle and the other is a Sally wattle, the botanic names escape me! They probably only live about 30 years and cark it. they can get up to a metre in diameter, and are full of silica i believe.
Whatever it is it certainly takes the edge off the chisels quick, and if your chisels arent sharp, then it's real easy to tear out chunks. Is your Tassie blackwood equally as challenging to turn?
Certainly the bowls I turned look very similar to yours. I'll try that finish- thanks for the tip.:D

ss_11000
9th April 2006, 09:55 PM
mate, that is a beautiful wood, awesome grain. the finish sets off the bowl well. excellent stuff:cool:

CameronPotter
10th April 2006, 10:33 AM
Whatever it is it certainly takes the edge off the chisels quick, and if your chisels arent sharp, then it's real easy to tear out chunks. Is your Tassie blackwood equally as challenging to turn?
Certainly the bowls I turned look very similar to yours. I'll try that finish- thanks for the tip.:D

Nah, I find blackwood very easy to turn - but when turning with the gouge I find that I don't get problems with tear out, but I do get slightly frayed looking wood. It almsot becomes hairy. The is especially the case with turning the rebate in the bottom.

However, this all sands away VERY quickly so it isn't tear out in the traditional sense.

Anyway, I would love to see a pic of the wood you are talking about.

Cam

Cliff Rogers
10th April 2006, 11:18 PM
Blackwood Acacia argyrodendron MAT
Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon WIA

Mt nardi wattle doesn't show up in the Trees of Australia or a search of the internet so I guess it is a VERY local name.

Sally Wattle Acacia floribunda AOA
Sally Wattle Acacia implexa NAT
Sally Wattle Acacia mangium QUT
Sally Wattle Acacia melanoxylon FTA

Acacia melanoxylon shares the common names of Blackwood & Sally Wattle .

Cliff Rogers
10th April 2006, 11:32 PM
...the base is too blunt.

Yes, it is nice timber & yes, you did a good job of finishing it BUT.... if you want some constructive criticism, try making the base no bigger than 1/3 of the overall diameter, it looks more balanced, more aesthetically pleasing.... that one is cyclone proof. ;)

CameronPotter
11th April 2006, 10:35 AM
Fair call Cliff,

However, for some reason I wanted to have a nice thick base on this one. Maybe I am getting to be like Ruffly and listening to the wood! :o

I am presently at the stage in my bowl making that I am interested in exploring new shapes and new ideas.

I quite like the shape, but then I can certainly see what you are talking about too.

Thanks for the comment (bluntness certainly appreciated as there is no other way to truly hear another's opinions).

Cheers

Cam

TTIT
12th April 2006, 12:25 AM
Blackwood Acacia argyrodendron MAT
Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon WIA

Mt nardi wattle doesn't show up in the Trees of Australia or a search of the internet so I guess it is a VERY local name.

Sally Wattle Acacia floribunda AOA
Sally Wattle Acacia implexa NAT
Sally Wattle Acacia mangium QUT
Sally Wattle Acacia melanoxylon FTA

Acacia melanoxylon shares the common names of Blackwood & Sally Wattle .

Thanks for the info Cliff - I had been wondering if what we call 'Sally wattle' out here, wasn't the same as everyone elses 'Blackwood' :D

cedar n silky
13th April 2006, 08:59 AM
Hi Cliff.
I made a mistake and caled Mt Nardi wattle what should have been Nightcap wattle. I consulted a freind who said it is called "Acacia Orites", and only grows in about an 80 klm radius of Mt Nardi (in the Nightcap National Park)
Apparantly QLD Forestry put in a large plantation of it in the Atherton Tablelands, as the timber is supposed to be some of the best for musical instruments.
I'll take a photo next time I'm up in the bush, as the foliage is very different from an Acacia melanoxylon.
I don't have a chunk of wood to see how different it might be, but I will make it my businenss to folow it up.
Cheers

cedar n silky
13th April 2006, 09:16 AM
[quote=
Anyway, I would love to see a pic of the wood you are talking about.

Cam[/quote]
Hi Cameron.
I didn't have a bowl of the local blackwood, but have attatched a phot of a coffee table I made some time ago- the sun may have faded it a bit, but you get the idea:D

Cliff Rogers
13th April 2006, 10:10 AM
....Nightcap wattle. I consulted a freind who said it is called "Acacia Orites", ...

Yeap, also called Mountain Wattle.

CameronPotter
13th April 2006, 10:43 AM
Nice looking wood, but quite different to the wood I am working with. Maybe it is just my poor photography...

If you can find a Richard Raffan book I think that most of his have a Tassie Blackwood bowl in them - that will show you the figure and grain better than my shoddy photography. :o

Cam