Ocotea usambarensis

[Caveman]

G'day All

Finished a nice East African Camphor bowl. Lovely wood to work - quite soft and light.

Been trying a few beads recently to add a different 'touch' to the bowl.
Must say, I really like the effect.

Bowl is 30cm x 10cm (12" x 4") and finished with linseed oil.


Comments / critique appreciated (still need to work on the photography!) - maybe a little chunky - I think I should have taken off another 5mm or so off the wall thickness :shrug: .

[artme]

looks fabulous!!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:
Nice timber, nice proportions and shape, good finish. Perhaps the wall thickness could be a little less.

[joe greiner]

I agree the wall could be thinner, but otherwise spectacular. I especially like the wee step at the bottom: Makes the bowl float in air.

Joe

[OGYT]

Me too. I like it, and the bead draws attention to the wee bead at the foot. Nice touch.

[Rum Pig]

very nice The wall could be classed as a bit thick or it be called extra strength ready for a life time of use. Either way it looks good nice beads.:2tsup::2tsup:

Cheers Justin:drink2:

[oldiephred]

Very nice. Did you shape a tool for the bead or fashion it with "at hand" tools. It looks like (the bead) would be difficult to sand if the wood is soft but you did a very nice job. Thickness? Well there is just more of it to admire :U

[steck]

A very attractive bowl. I love the shape - very nice curves and the beading suits it well too.
Congratulations!!

[hughie]

Andy,

I agree 5mm would be fine. Otherwise a darn good shape.

I see its got that shadow type of spalting, get that over here as well.
Some times its a bit too strong and it looks like a smudge of dirt :~, yours is not too bad :U

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

What they said. :2tsup:

If I was making it as a 'working" bowl, ie. I wanted to keep the walls at that thickness for durability, I think I'd have rounded over the outside lip so it met the existing inside lip. The curve would be almost a mirror (perhaps a bit tighter) of the curve below the beading.

That way it'd reduce the visual impact of the thickness and, I think, still keep the same appeal.

(But what do I know? I've all the artistic sense of a lump of mud. :B)

[BernieP]

G'Day Andy

Nicely exercuted, love the bead.

Cheers
Bernie

[TTIT]

Yet another timber I'll probably never get to try:C.

As long as you think it's too thick then it's too thick. Otherwise it's perfect :shrug: Nice work mate! :2tsup:

[rsser]

The bead closer to the top works better IMHO - very Raffan-esque.

[Caveman]

:2tsup:Thanks all for the nice comments.
General consensus concurs that the wall is slightly too thick:2tsup:.


I see its got that shadow type of spalting, get that over here as well.
Some times its a bit too strong and it looks like a smudge of dirt :~, yours is not too bad :U
Yup - I guess this is more as a result of the fact that I covered the roughed out bowl in wax and some spalting occured underneath.


If I was making it as a 'working" bowl, ie. I wanted to keep the walls at that thickness for durability, I think I'd have rounded over the outside lip so it met the existing inside lip. The curve would be almost a mirror (perhaps a bit tighter) of the curve below the beading.

That way it'd reduce the visual impact of the thickness and, I think, still keep the same appeal.

(But what do I know? I've all the artistic sense of a lump of mud. :B)

Makes sense Skew, thanks for that.


The bead closer to the top works better IMHO - very Raffan-esque.

So you reckon a tad closer to the top would have looked better?
Was trying to keep it at round about 1/3 the hieght.
Will try on the next roughout with similar proportions - see what it's like.

[Caveman]

Very nice. Did you shape a tool for the bead or fashion it with "at hand" tools. It looks like (the bead) would be difficult to sand if the wood is soft but you did a very nice job. Thickness? Well there is just more of it to admire :U

I normally use a small spindle gouge ground a bit more 'pointy' than the norm. I think it is a 6mm gouge.

Seems to work ok for me.

As for the softness of the wood - it took a real sharp, light touch on the final cuts on the bead to get a decent finish off the tool.

[rsser]

So you reckon a tad closer to the top would have looked better?
Was trying to keep it at round about 1/3 the hieght.
Will try on the next roughout with similar proportions - see what it's like.

Just my taste Andy, but higher up it becomes part of the rim treatment and helps to clarify the wall - top transition.

[littlebuddha]

Nice piece, chunky nothing wrong with that, its all down to what it appears and chunky on that looks okay, maybe some detail on the top of the rim would have done something more but we all see something we could have done after.
The way we learn is seeing and doing something next time, if you say well its a bowl and happy at that then you don't progress, me im still learning one day ill get really good:U hopfully still be around:2tsup: LB

Good finish to by the looks of it.