Bowls from a single piece of wood

[powderpost]

At a recent club meeting I was challenged, "Bet you can't turn a bowl from a single piece of wood". Couldn't resist a challenge. The first one is red cedar from a very old tree, estimated to be over 300 years old. It measures 210mm x 105.
The second bowl is 240mm x 70 deep, made from a piece of mango. Both pieces have been in the shed for over15 years, so I suppose the were due for some treatment. Couldn't help myself, the just had to be "decorated" with a bit of self made banding. Otherwise, there is not a join in sight. :)SWMBO complained they were "spoiled" and should have been left alone.... no banding.
But then I had the final say???? :wink: :)
Jim

[tea lady]

:D Very restrained Jim.:2tsup:

[ron.F]

Wow, what a craftsman, well done Jim. :2tsup:

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

At a recent club meeting I was challenged, "Bet you can't turn a bowl from a single piece of wood". Couldn't resist a challenge.
[...]
Couldn't help myself, the just had to be "decorated" with a bit of self made banding.

Very nice... but I imagine that you had to pay up, for breaking the "spirit" of the bet? :D

[powderpost]

Actually I am the President, that allows me to change the rules at will...:wink: :D
By the way I forgot to mention, the mango was sanded to 600# and given a coat of Shellawax and heavily burnished. The cedar bowl was filled with sanding sealer and four coats of laquer and buffed with EEE.
Jim

[oldiephred]

Very much like them both.

[GoGuppy]

The cedar bowl was filled with sanding sealer and four coats of laquer and buffed with EEE. Jim
Hey Jim, I was wondering about that. Last night I started on a cedar bowl and it's the first time I've turned cedar. I am finding it hard to get a smooth finish direct from the gouge, especialy at the end grain section of the bowl. Did you find this also with your bowl and is that the reason you used sanding sealer?
Fantastic looking bowl by the way!!
Cheers

[Sawdust Maker]

Nice bowls :2tsup::2tsup:
but there looks to be a lot of little pieces around the decorative bits :oo:

[wheelinround]

Jim very well done like the banding is it your own making or commercial??

[Cliff Rogers]

... just had to be "decorated" with a bit of self made banding.....


Jim very well done like the banding is it your own making or commercial??
I like the mango one best. :2tsup:

[Ed Reiss]

...gotta have the banding, it adds character to the overall presentation:2tsup:

[powderpost]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.
Ray, Cliff answered your question, the banding is shop made... by me :U.
GoGuppy, cedar can be a pita at times. Sometimes the wood is "furry" during sanding. If this happens, rub some sanding sealer or shellac into the wood to stiffen the fibres. This one was largely turned with a bowl gouge and a sharp, wide scraper to refine the shape. Then I used a "shear scraping" technique to finish off. Three coats of sanding sealer were then rubbed into the wood because cedar is an open grained timber.
The next cedar bowl I do, I intend to try shellawax straight on to the wood to see if it fills the grain well enough.
Jim

[GoGuppy]

Hi Jim
Thanks for the tips:).

[artme]

Beautiful bowls Jim and some very helpful tips. Thanx!!!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

[Ad de Crom]

Jim, after reading all the flattering comments, you deserve them , I add my my comment with saying these bowls are gorgeous, I love the mango as it is my favorite.
What a very nice wood.
Ad :2tsup:

[dai sensei]

Great looking bowls Jim :2tsup: I particularly like your banding work.

I assume the challenge was due to the numerous beautiful segmental bowls you make. Not much of a challenge when you think about it, your bowls are far harder anyway IMHO.

[powderpost]

You are right Neil, the laminated bowls are a bit more complicated and I do still enjoy "extracting" a bowl from a single piece of wood. Actually it was more of a dare. Even so it is hard not to "fiddle" with it.
Jim

[Harry72]

Quality skills will always shine through... no matter the challenge!

[thefixer]

Am I missing something here? " I bet you can't turn a bowl from a single piece of wood" All my bowls are turned from a single piece of wood ("timber" as my dad taught me) as are those of most of the members here. Mine certainly dont have the decorative features as yours have, but still they are turned from the one piece timber. Where is the challenge?

Cheers
Shorty

[Cliff Rogers]

Most (all) of Jim's recent work has been laminated.

[thefixer]

Most (all) of Jim's recent work has been laminated.


Oh!:B

[Sawdust Maker]

Actually there were some of us wondering whether powderpost would seize a solid piece and cut it up and then laminate it into something grander then belief :D

[tea lady]

How about get a single peice of wood. Cut it up into little blocks, glue it back together like it was and THEN turn it.:D

[Ed Reiss]

uhhhhhhhh...then it would be a single piece, wait, no it would be segmen....uhhhhhh, nevermind :no::doh::doh:

[thostorey]

Great work! :2tsup:

Lucky you knowing how to make beautiful banding. To buy the commercial wood banding around here I'd have to re-mortgage the house:(

Tom

[powderpost]

Hi Tom
I am surprised by your comments about bandings being expensive in Canada. A good many of the commercial bandings in Australia are made overseas and sell on average about AU$6.00. I started making my own after my supplier in another state went out of business, (read died) and I had to wait for delivery. They should be available reasonably cheaply in Canada.
Jim

[Harry72]

How about get a single peice of wood. Cut it up into little blocks, glue it back together like it was and THEN turn it.:D
Yep why not, just add a different colour veneer inbetween the segments:2tsup:

[thostorey]

I'll look again Jim but it seems to me the 'real wood' banding I've seen in a local bulk wood shop was listed for well over $30 Can. a meter. When you started making your own did you have plans or a 'how to' book?

Tom