Some advice on this silky burl please?

[cedar n silky]

A mate gave me this silky burl on "consignment". It's fully seasoned (been in his hot container for about 3 or 4 years. I have a couple of queeries!
1. How can i get the bark off without having to try and slowly pick at it and possibly scratch the lovely "knobly bits". Any clever ways? Dont want to sand blast it or anything drastic like that!!:eek:
2.I was just going to turn a simple hollow form on the flat side if you know what I mean, so how does one attatch this to the lathe?:confused: I don't have the room to turn between centres. Do I try and sand or plane a flat bit on the bottom (bark side) of the burl, and cut a dovetail to suit my scroll chuck, or should I invest in a faceplate ring, flatten a section where the bowl is likely to rest, flatten it off and attatch the ring?
Indeed any and all suggestios would be most welcome. Thanks:)

[lubbing5cherubs]

No suggestion as i have no idea but good score.That going to make something really nice
Toni

[mal dinham]

Hi I use a wire brush on an angle grinder. Different types available from soft tohard bristle. Takes off bark and leaves a soft polish on the sapwood knobs.. Hope this helpsd. Mal.

[Farnk]

Faceplate sounds like the go, that's a fair bit of weight there!
Lovely bit of burl, should turn v well.

[Baz]

On the centre of the sawn face I would screw on a faceplate and then turn a natural edge bowl, ie: turn and finish outside of bowl with spigot or recess and then mount in chuck and turn and finish inside of bowl.
Cheers
Barry

[Toasty]

This link (http://www.thisturninglife.com/content/view/6/2/) shows how I tackled a similar burl while wanting to retain the natural exterior.

To get the bark off I just picked away at it with a flatbladed screwdriver and hammer... If you can get your hands on a high pressure water cleaner you might have some good success.

[cedar n silky]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Toasty, that is what i had in mind. Thanks for the link. I'll see what it looks like when I get the bark off. It's sort of loose in patches, so I'll try a high pressure water cleaner to start with.
Cheers:)

[rsser]

Did this with a lump of jarrah burl; spigot looks better than a recess in my view.

There are some options too if you don't want to spoil the natural edge bottom, ie, you want a turned inside but entirely natural exterior. Sing out if you're interested.

btw some 'naked' burls look pretty ordinary; others like Jarrah have a texture worth looking at.

[cedar n silky]

Did this with a lump of jarrah burl; spigot looks better than a recess in my view.

There are some options too if you don't want to spoil the natural edge bottom, ie, you want a turned inside but entirely natural exterior. Sing out if you're interested.

btw some 'naked' burls look pretty ordinary; others like Jarrah have a texture worth looking at.

Thanks rssr. I am definately interested, if your method differes from Toasty's link. A spigot might be worth considering. How? I think if this bark comes off OK the "naked burl" might be good!
Cheers:)

[rsser]

Well, sorry if this is teaching you how to suck eggs but for the sake of clarity, and bear in mind I'm no technical writer so am doing my best ;-} ...

Toasty turned a recess in which your jaws fit in expansion mode. I've found burls variable in their grain patterns and so variable in the strength of the recess so prefer to turn a spigot, ie. a stub, that I can then later refine into a foot.

The drawback is that your chuck jaws will likely leave marks on it when you've turned it so at the end of all the turning you have to find a way to reverse chuck again to clean up the spigot (ie. foot). An exception is if you size the spigot so that it is slightly smaller in diameter than your jaws so that it's the inside of the jaws rather than the sharp ends that do the gripping. Make sense? I'm a fan of a foot on a bowl btw, to give the overall form lift and flow.

If that's not possible and you have to clean up and refine the foot, you can do so by turning a faceplate carrier out of MDF and fix it to the top of the bowl with hot-melt glue. About five or six blobs will do it. You might need to shape your carrier with a shoulder so that it fits the top of the bowl in a self-centering way. Still make sense?

Then when you've done the foot, just knock the bowl off the carrier, or if you like get the missus' hair dryer and warm it all up and then knock it off.

As for stripping the bark off your burl, it might be worth checking on the forum or with suppliers to see if it will look good. I've no experience with debarked silky burl.

Best of luck with the project.

[Toasty]

Toasty turned a recess in which your jaws fit in expansion mode.
I had actually planned on gripping the foot but stoopid me didn't measure enough times and cut the foot too small for the 100mm jaws *sigh*

With my burl in particular I chose a recessed foot as the piece was quite out of balance. I would have lost too much of the outside natural edge trying to make a spigot foot wide enough for the bowl to stand on without falling on its side. So it was easier to slice off the bottom and keep balancing off the lathe until I removed enough that it wouldn't topple.

[rowie]

silky burl???????

[cedar n silky]

Thanks for the tips, and it is very clear, and your not teaching me to suck eggs! I am a turning novice, but enjoying the challenge.:D
ROWIE- Silky burl is my abreviation for Silky Oak burl. A tree that grows prolificly up here and even down Sydney way. In the Grevillia family, with yellow flowers ,and gets to be a good size!:)

[TTIT]

Don't forget to post a pic of the finished product Cedar :cool: I've never seen a burl on a softwood like Silky so it should be interesting!:)

[cedar n silky]

Don't forget to post a pic of the finished product Cedar :cool: I've never seen a burl on a softwood like Silky so it should be interesting!:)
No worries TTIT. Might be a while though, got a few other projects on the hop!:) Cheers

[rowie]

ROWIE- Silky burl is my abreviation for Silky Oak burl. A tree that grows prolificly up here and even down Sydney way. In the Grevillia family, with yellow flowers ,and gets to be a good size!:)
yeah, i've used a lot of it, some 2ft diam x 12ft clear trunks.it is planted a lot in streets/car parks down here but ive never seen any burl growths:(

[Wild Dingo]

Yep interested here as well :cool:

Now about that "foot" you were talking about (spiggot etc) I read that and my mind began its usual weird wanderings and sorta thought with a foot why not when the bowls turned make it into a foot?... or a set of foots?... mmm combine your turning talents with your carving talents that sorta thing and carve some "foots" on four sides... mmm while your carving why not carve some thongs on the foots?

actually Im quite serious here as my mind asks... why couldnt it be done? rather than the usual round lift foot spiggot thingy carve some foots instead! ;)

[Toymaker Len]

Hi Cedar, I had many friends up around tuntable years ago, its a beautiful place. Re the bark; We use silky all the time and the bark is basically loose. it will just come off as you work the piece. I wouldn't use a water blaster unless severly provoked because the wood is very soft and you risk losing that beautiful leather-like natural surface that is under the bark. Good Luck with it.

[rsser]

Yeah, you can do feet Dingo.

Turn a ring underneath with the profile you want for your feet, mark out 3 or 4 points, draw the shape (I used a old flexible 1" sanding disc for this), carve out the waste with an ArborTech minicarver or the like, and sand by hand to refine the curve of the bowl. Bit fiddly. Pic attached. Also pic of Jarrah burl with foot and some natural edge left on both sides.

[cedar n silky]

Rowie. I must have had my eyes closed in Melbourne recently! I guess a burl is a bit unusual in Silky!;)

Len. Thanks for the tip on the bark removal. It's a good description of the texture "leather like". It's pretty wet up here at the moment, and MUDDY!:(

RSSR. Thanks for those pictures! A picture's worth a thousand words. Really nice work too, by the way!:D

[rsser]

Thanks Cedar.

The jarrah reminded me of another tip btw ... that's to start turning the burl with a good drive centre (edit: spur) and the tailstock. That makes it easy to reposition the piece if after you've taken some cuts you find it's not centred as well as it could be.

[Auzzie turner]

Thats a nice footed bowl there.

[hughie]

[.



Turn a ring underneath with the profile you want for your feet, mark out 3 or 4 points, draw the shape (I used a old flexible 1" sanding disc for this), carve out the waste with an ArborTech minicarver or the like, and sand by hand to refine the curve of the bowl. Bit fiddly. Pic attached. Also pic of Jarrah burl with foot and some natural edge left on both sides.
[/QUOTE]

Ern,

Nice job, my favourite, if forced to pick would be the three legged one, I like the edge design....very effective

hughie

[OGYT]

Ern, that bowl with the feet is bee-oo-tiphul !! Really nice work. That's some really fine work, making the inside follow the outside design.
Thanks for posting these. Like the other one, also, but the footed bowl is best...

[rsser]

Thanks for the feedback Hughie and Al.

The footed bowl took a long time for me to think my way into it. It sat on the bench for ages as I tried to imagine how it was to be proportioned, inc. whether to go for 3 or 4 feet and how to preserve a section with rippled grain.

That short side wall emerged accidentally as I was roughing out the outside and I stuck with it as a visual counterbalance to what was going to be the height of the feet. Then when turning the ring for the feet it seemed right to repeat the cove shape with them.

[hughie]

The footed bowl took a long time for me to think my way into it. It sat on the bench for ages as I tried to imagine how it was to be proportioned, inc. whether to go for 3 or 4 feet and how to preserve a section with rippled grain.

Ern,
Ain't that the truth? Often, I catch my self just standing pondering the shape of things to come.:D Poor shape will stuff the best timber.:o

What I tend to do is save any interesting pics, aka yours, and put em in a folder for future reference, comes in handy when the wheels fall off my inspiration.

greenie on the way, damn fine composition.

hughie

[rsser]

Many thanks for your comments Hughie. I feel honoured.

Yes, sometimes, maybe most times, the blank suggests the shape pretty readily and I'll draw up a cross section on graph paper and transfer the key points to the blank with a pair of dividers. Equally, while shaping it as planned sometimes a new line appears that suggests something different can be done so I'm happy to go with the flow.

But every now and again it pays to let the possibilities 'compost' in the back of the head before mounting the blank.

There are of course only a limited number of basic shapes for bowls and platters - and when you look through Richard Raffan's books you appreciate how p*ss elegant they can be when well proportioned and executed. That's pretty much my touchstone.

Anyway, gotta go. Some turning on the WW channel!

[hughie]

There are of course only a limited number of basic shapes for bowls and platters - and when you look through Richard Raffan's books you appreciate how p*ss elegant they can be when well proportioned and executed. That's pretty much my touchstone.


Ern,
Thats true, but, and it seems to be a big 'but' at that. Getting the shape to flow into that all pleasing shape that draws hands to it to pick it up.

But I notice there are certain forms that have distinct ethnicity about them. Asia being a major influence, and in particular Japan and China. Having spent some time in SE Asia, your three legged bowl resonated well with me. The elegance of a simple shape and form can be so elusive to the point that many of these asian masters pursued it their entire lives.

[rsser]

Yes, couldn't agree more, esp about the importance of feel as well as look and texture somewhere in between, and of congruence between all those and colour as well.

Finally presentation comes into play, esp the angle from which the piece is seen.

[cedar n silky]

A mate gave me this silky burl on "consignment". It's fully seasoned (been in his hot container for about 3 or 4 years. I have a couple of queeries!
1. How can i get the bark off without having to try and slowly pick at it and possibly scratch the lovely "knobly bits". Any clever ways? Dont want to sand blast it or anything drastic like that!!:eek:
2.I was just going to turn a simple hollow form on the flat side if you know what I mean, so how does one attatch this to the lathe?:confused: I don't have the room to turn between centres. Do I try and sand or plane a flat bit on the bottom (bark side) of the burl, and cut a dovetail to suit my scroll chuck, or should I invest in a faceplate ring, flatten a section where the bowl is likely to rest, flatten it off and attatch the ring?
Indeed any and all suggestios would be most welcome. Thanks:)

[Joash]

so.....yeah?? Why not just

bump?

[cedar n silky]

A slight distraction for a while, my mother flew up by air ambulance to reside in the Nimbin hospital, to die, basically, but it is all good, as I am near, as well as my daughter and grandson!
Wen't to the lathe to de-stress, and started turning this project!
What finish do you recomend? Notice the satin polyurethane spray can lurkling menacingly in the background!!:D Is this a good option for wavy edged projects with holes and sap inclusions?:eek: i know wax style finishes are hard to use in this situation. Your advice please!:)

[Joash]

Nice, but one problem, why have you put the faceplate into the back, you are going to have 8 screw holes. Why not just use a woodscrew in a chuck, turn a small foot, leave all the natural edge, spin her around, and do the inside, no screwholes, with a nice foot to boot?

very nice,

Joash

[cedar n silky]

Nice, but one problem, why have you put the faceplate into the back, you are going to have 8 screw holes. Why not just use a woodscrew in a chuck, turn a small foot, leave all the natural edge, spin her around, and do the inside, no screwholes, with a nice foot to boot?

very nice,

Joash
Joash, it's a big mother of a burl, and very "out of wack"!:eek: I couldn't fit it between centres, so I did not trust the single screw that goes with the chuck, especially turning outboard! I also needed a bigish area for the base, it is so unbalanced! I will putty up the screw holes, and maybe glue some felt on. Not the best solution, but all I had in my bag of tricks at the time!:)

[hughie]

edged projects with holes and sap inclusions?:eek: i know wax style finishes are hard to use in this situation. Your advice please!:)



Cedar,

Get some wipe-on-poly from bunnies, comes in all the usual types matt,satin and gloss.

It worked fine on my holy burl, although it may take 1/2 dozen coats if its dry as the poly is very thin. But light sanding...say 600 or so between coats, it will come up a treat, very smooth, but not a plastic looking finish

[Joash]

Same as when I turn my wane-edged bowls, I cannot fit a screw into my bowl, so I use a large forstner bit, and create a flat, and then stick the screw into that.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Joash, it's a big mother of a burl, and very "out of wack"!:eek: I couldn't fit it between centres, so I did not trust the single screw that goes with the chuck, especially turning outboard! I also needed a bigish area for the base, it is so unbalanced! I will putty up the screw holes, and maybe glue some felt on. Not the best solution, but all I had in my bag of tricks at the time!:)

Here's my answer to that problem; it'll handle very unbalanced blanks and doesn't need a flat for mounting. So long as you can drill a hole with a spade-bit to fit it, then Bob's yer uncle. :)


BTW, these images came from another mounting thread (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=35261) where I brought this device up... (Oh... and does anyone know how to link to attachments from another post in "thumbnail mode" instead of just *.*?)

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=29370&d=1156915957
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=29371&d=1156915957
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=29372&d=1156915957

[TTIT]

A slight distraction for a while, my mother flew up by air ambulance to reside in the Nimbin hospital, to die, basically, but it is all good, as I am near, as well as my daughter and grandson!
Wen't to the lathe to de-stress, and started turning this project!
What finish do you recomend? Notice the satin polyurethane spray can lurkling menacingly in the background!!:D Is this a good option for wavy edged projects with holes and sap inclusions?:eek: i know wax style finishes are hard to use in this situation. Your advice please!:)Sorry to hear about your predicament Cedar - I know the sort of stresses you're talking about through having been in the same situation. Sad that sometimes it takes something like that to gather a family together but good that it strengthens the bonds that make a family.

As to your finishing, I find painting Danish oil on liberally, then rubbing away the excess works really well on surfaces like burls. Spraying won't get into all the crevices and gaps without runs all over the place.:D

[OGYT]

Cedar, what a lump of wood!!! Looks like you're doin' it justice, too.
Vern says Danish... Me, too. It's probably the easiest to apply, and looks good, too.
Another alternative might be a good wettin' with 25% Lacquer/75% thinner, and a fast blow dry (to get rid of the runs and excess) with some hard pressure from an air hose nozzle. Wear your goggles, and cover your beard!!! (If you have one)
Hope everything goes well for you, after the trauma you and your family's been through. Turnin's the best stress reliever... you know that. :o)