Dovetail repair on King Billy pine bowl.

[artful bodger]

This bit of over 20 year dried KBP finally got turned into a bowl. I could see the hairline crack in it turning the outside shape and sure enough it was on the inside too.
Not often you come across King Billy, especially a piece this size so decided to repair the crack. I find galleries react like you have just opened a container of cyanide and waved it around under their nose when you show them a repaired bowl and often I just throw defected ones out.
Bowl is 400mm x 85mm
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Bowl wall thickness is about 16mm. Used 2 separate dovetails, one fit from the inside and one fit from the outside both going in 6mm deep.Glued in with 5 minute epoxy.
Close up pic of outside DT and crack.
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Cheers.

[NeilS]

Yes, Artful, a beautiful piece of timber like that deserves extra attention.

Personally I would pay more for a piece like that which has received that additional care and craftsmanship.

What I do is charge extra for pieces that have required such additional effort. The messages that goes with that is that they are getting a special piece that deserved the additional effort and price. They have all eventually sold.

I used to do the dovetails (butterflies) the way you have, eg.


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Later on I left a narrow margin around the butterflies and filled with contrasting coloured epoxy. This was a little less exacting and drew attention to the 'repair' as a feature and not a rescue measure.

[Nubsnstubs]

Hi Bodger, you have a nice looking bowl. Pine can be decieving before it's put on a lathe.

I can appreciate the work that goes into making DT repairs, but personally will never ever do one for they just look out of place. I don't like them even on large voids on table tops. .............. Jerry (in Tucson)USA

[NeilS]

...personally will never ever do one for they just look out of place. I don't like them even on large voids on table tops. .............. Jerry



Whereas I'm the opposite, Jerry.

Every time I see a well executed example I see respect for the material and homage to George Nakashima, the Japanese American furniture maker who frequently applied the technique.

Of course, Nakashima wasn't the first to utilise the technique. The Hawaiians were using bow tie dovetails on their valuable calabash bowl one hundred years earlier. I'd love to have an example of one of those early pieces! This short YouTube clip shows some magnificent examples with details on how this came about at 2:30 into the clip.

YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJsHMdlU-4)

You, Jerry, are fortunate enough to be able to probably go and see some of those magnificent pieces at Mark Sublette's Medicine Man Gallery in your very own Tucson... lucky you...:)

Last year when I was in Copenhagen at the Georg Jensen outlet they had a large table to display a single classic mid-century-modern piece of silverware. I love the piece, but also the table that had some exquisite examples of bow tie dovetails.


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458499 458501
I'd be happy with either or both...:B

Apologies to Artful for taking the attention away from his piece.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Nicely done. :yes:

I agree with Neil that such a repair, sympathetically done, can enhance a piece and add value.

[artful bodger]

Hi Bodger, you have a nice looking bowl. Pine can be decieving before it's put on a lathe.

I can appreciate the work that goes into making DT repairs, but personally will never ever do one for they just look out of place. I don't like them even on large voids on table tops." .............. Jerry (in Tucson)USA



Hi Jerry. I find all woods, not just pine, can have the knack of hiding a defect until the bowl is well on the way. If I knew before starting where the defect was I'd probably cut the defect out and use the bit of wood for something else. A veneer mill down near me used to use a large machine to take x-rays of the logs so they could slice them up for maximum gain avoiding the defects. Not really in the market for an x-ray machine though so I guess the odd defect is inevitable.
I understand your thoughts on the dovetails looking out of place. I would prefer not to have to do them but just could not throw out the bit of wood as it is very rare.

[NeilS]

....it is very rare.



.... and very old.

2,000-year-old King Billy pines reveal Tasmania's climate and fire history - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-07/king-billy-pines-reveal-tasmanias-history/9022430)

[Nubsnstubs]

Whereas I'm the opposite, Jerry.




458496

458499 458501
I'd be happy with either or both...:B

Apologies to Artful for taking the attention away from his piece.

Neil, thanks for posting. Gonna need to locate this gallery.......... Jerry In Tucson).

[Nubsnstubs]

Hi Jerry. I find all woods, not just pine, can have the knack of hiding a defect until the bowl is well on the way. If I knew before starting where the defect was I'd probably cut the defect out and use the bit of wood for something else. A veneer mill down near me used to use a large machine to take x-rays of the logs so they could slice them up for maximum gain avoiding the defects. Not really in the market for an x-ray machine though so I guess the odd defect is inevitable.
I understand your thoughts on the dovetails looking out of place. I would prefer not to have to do them but just could not throw out the bit of wood as it is very rare.

Bodger, I know full well that wood has those cracks. I haven't found a piece yet that doesn't have millions of them, especially Eucalyptus. Cutting a tree in any of the summer months here is asking to have all woods crack......I think Mesquite is born with them because as soon as I separate two pieces of wood, there are cracks laughing at me. ............. Jerry (in Tucson)USA

[mattocks]

Whereas I'm the opposite, Jerry.

Every time I see a well executed example I see respect for the material and homage to George Nakashima, the Japanese American furniture maker who frequently applied the technique.

Of course, Nakashima wasn't the first to utilise the technique. The Hawaiians were using bow tie dovetails on their valuable calabash bowl one hundred years earlier. I'd love to have an example of one of those early pieces! This short YouTube clip shows some magnificent examples with details on how this came about at 2:30 into the clip.

YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJsHMdlU-4)

You, Jerry, are fortunate enough to be able to probably go and see some of those magnificent pieces at Mark Sublette's Medicine Man Gallery in your very own Tucson... lucky you...:)

Last year when I was in Copenhagen at the Georg Jensen outlet they had a large table to display a single classic mid-century-modern piece of silverware. I love the piece, but also the table that had some exquisite examples of bow tie dovetails.


458496

458499 458501
I'd be happy with either or both...:B

Apologies to Artful for taking the attention away from his piece.

We also saw that table in Copenhagen and admired both the table and the famous fish platter on it.
Our son who has spent quite a bit of time in Copenhagen and was there just after we returned last year. He met the guy who designed and made that table. He had come into a tattooists that our son was at to have further tattoo work. In conversation it came up of his time with Georg Jensen and my wifes admiration of their stuff and particularly that table and platter. he took a photo with him and sent to us. not for publication though.

[NeilS]

We also saw that table in Copenhagen and admired both the table and the famous fish platter on it.
Our son who has spent quite a bit of time in Copenhagen and was there just after we returned last year. He met the guy who designed and made that table. He had come into a tattooists that our son was at to have further tattoo work. In conversation it came up of his time with Georg Jensen and my wifes admiration of their stuff and particularly that table and platter. he took a photo with him and sent to us. not for publication though.

Great story Mattocks about a great table!

It's a shame that we woodturners don't get recompensed as well as silversmiths. That fish platter had a price tag on it of 1,000,000 krone (about A$215,000). Yes, it takes six months working full time to make a piece like that and, yes, it is made from solid silver, but I reckon I could struggle through on the proceeds from two of those a year...:rolleyes:

Our story is that it was our engagement anniversary and my wife had been wearing her Georg Jensen gold engagement ring for just on 50yrs; a piece that was a bit unusual at the time as he typically worked in silver. I went there hoping she would find a piece of jewelry that she really liked (and which we could afford) as an anniversary celebration, but unfortunately we were unable to meet both criteria. But, we did enjoy looking.

Apologies to Artful again for diverting attention from his piece.

[Mobyturns]

Wonderful bowl and an excellent expertly executed "repair." (say that fast) My only suggestion would be to accent the repair more, by say using some nicely figured Tas Blackwood or Myrtle for the pewa patch (dovetail). Its very pleasing as is though.

The Hawaiian's have been using Pewa patches on calabashes for centuries. Wood is a natural material, and "premium" flawless old growth blanks are becomming a rare commodity. Customers, and Gallery owners must acknowledge that simple fact of life and expect to pay premium prices for such and a slight premium for enhanced bowls.

Check out some friend's work at,

Kelly Dunn's work - Kelly Dunn | Kelly Dunn (https://kellydunnwoodturner.com/pewa)

Emilano Achaval - KEA Woodturning Studio Photo Gallery (http://hawaiiankoaturner.com/picture-gallery-kea-woodturning/woodturning_pictures_hawaii.html)

[Dalboy]

I think that it certainly makes a feature of it, I also have done butterflies in a bowl with a split in it but mine was a wider split which you could see through.