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joe greiner
3rd July 2008, 11:17 PM
I'm calling this a bowl, because I don't know what else to call it.

Most trees make at least a token effort to have round trunks. Viburnum does not. I cleared a few Viburnums from my backyard jungle, leaving about a metre or so of the trunks for later wrenching out of the ground in search of interesting stumps or root balls. One of them looked like it contained a natural-edge compote-like shape below the felling hinge. And so it did. Except, as I discovered later, a split extended into the blank and I had to modify the shape. I utilised the entire cross section of the trunk against(?) all advice to the contrary. I filled a small crack with epoxy-and-coffee mortar, but it didn't need enough sanding to produce a terrazzo effect.

I turned this piece green. I cut the blank directly from the trunk on 11 June, and took the final pictures 19 days later. As of this writing, the neck measures 3.62" x 2.86" - substantially oval. Overall dimensions are 5 1/8" (130mm) high, 5 5/8" (143mm) maximum diameter, with a minimum wall thickness of about 1/8" (3+mm). The finish is 9 coats of clear semi-gloss spray polyurethane (Minwax UPC 0-27426-33055-9).

A brief WIP sequence follows.

Joe AnVBxx, n=1,6

joe greiner
3rd July 2008, 11:22 PM
There was just barely enough room in the valley of the tree trunk to secure the live centre. A split from the felling cut extended part way into the blank, but I needed a region for the wheels of the steady rest to ride on, hence the peculiar profile. Cutting air, timber, air, timber, ... produces some tool bounce as well as sandpaper chatter, so I sanded part of the exterior by hand, generally by dragging the paper on a bias to the lathe axis, with pressure from a thumb or finger(s)..

I hollowed the interior with a bowl gouge, and the undercuts with Oland tools. I suppose the chuck might have provided adequate support, but the steady rest provided insurance. I don't yet have a vacuum chuck, and I was indisposed to make a jam chuck for just this one piece, so I shaped the bottom at an angle near the chuck. This is about as close to the chuck as I've ever made such a cut. I used a jumbo Lego block to make a self-centering pad for the live centre. The interior suffered tool bounce and sandpaper chatter similar to the exterior. I smoothed the surface reasonably well with a small drum sander on the Dremel, and did a lot of hand sanding while watching the tube.

Joe wnVBxx, n=1,9

BTW, my pictures for this thread were made over several cycles of camera memory clearance. I had to Rename the files a few times to achieve proper sequencing, and then I Renamed them again for these two posts. I've left the file IDs as cues to myself for uploading. Ordinarily, I'd delete that part of the text before submitting.

Harry72
3rd July 2008, 11:34 PM
Unusual shape, looks pretty cool!

Manuka Jock
3rd July 2008, 11:50 PM
Looking great Joe:2tsup:


I see you grow designer trees over your way mate :D

ss_11000
4th July 2008, 12:19 AM
cool:2tsup:

Ad de Crom
4th July 2008, 01:56 AM
Nice instructive shots Joe, and a very nice turning too.
Oh that was a narrow gab between the chuck and the foot, a bit tricky?
Well having a viburnum jungle in your backyard is not so bad!!
Ad :2tsup:

artme
4th July 2008, 08:39 AM
Nice finished piece and a great set of WIP information.:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

Apart from the difficulty with the shape, how was the wood in terms of turning?

BernieP
4th July 2008, 09:09 PM
G'Day Joe

Nice piece ! Thanks for the WIP it is always interesting to see how someone achieves the end result.

Cheers
Bernie

joe greiner
4th July 2008, 11:31 PM
G'day and thanks, mates.

I saved the tenon from the chuck, but didn't photograph it. It's now oval too, of course, and the remaining edge is almost sharp enough to shave eyelashes.

I may, or may not, wrench the stumps out of the ground immediately. Leaving them in the ground will postpone the onset of decay until I really want a root ball, and new branches sprout from the trunk after a month or two, thus restoring vegetative screening without so much high jungle.

Turning green is fairly smooth with most timbers, so I'd hesitate to declare much about this particular species.

I didn't mention it earlier, but I dribbled some CA glue on the bark and cambium to maintain the natural edge. Thus, the bark has both CA and polyurethane finish.

With digital "film" so cheap, I've taken on the practise of photographing almost whatever I can. (I simply forgot about the tenon.) A few tips:
* Carry spare batteries in your pocket. It's a right PITA to have to go fetch 'em.
* Adjust the colour balance against a white card. Even "daylight" colour can vary through the day.
* Use a tripod and self-timer to reduce jitters. Some higher-end cameras have software control, but those cameras have too many other features.

Cheers,
Joe

ticklingmedusa
5th July 2008, 09:55 AM
Nicely done Joe.

hughie
6th July 2008, 12:54 PM
looks good to me Joe. :2tsup:

wheelinround
6th July 2008, 06:39 PM
Joe an excellent bowl looks great :2tsup::2tsup:

there had to be some hairy moment surely knuckles, fingers, tools:oo:

joe greiner
6th July 2008, 10:28 PM
Thanks, mates.

Yeah, Ray, before and after inventory of knuckles and fingers have had equal counts so far. Not so sure about tools, though. Why are they never exactly where I left them? Probably too many "storage" locations.:rolleyes:

Joe