joe greiner
10th August 2008, 11:07 PM
There's no way I could have completely planned a bowl like this. The number of growth rings indicates that a branch was cut off about 18 years ago, long before I took up the sport of woodturning.
Back in March, a neighbour dropped off a large cedar log in my driveway. He'd found it in the woods near his country property, and thought I could use it. This is the second or third piece I've turned from it so far. The log is almost 600mm diameter, large enough to cut into quadrants for bowl blanks, so that the pith is outside the bottom of the bowl; this also allows more orderly warping, which was negligible.
After rough turning the shape, I excavated some voids, and filled them with a "mortar" of coffee grounds and epoxy. Filling at this stage, or over-filling nearer final turning, allows cutting and sanding the fill to produce a terrazzo effect. I also filled some narrow cracks with CA.
At final turning, I got a small chip-out on the rim. I haven't decided what to do about it; possibly cut it finer and paint the cut surface a bright colour; and/or, cut more of them at equal or random intervals and claim a new design innovation.
About 10" (255mm) diameter, 4.5" (115mm) high, and wall thickness about 3/8" (10mm). The finish is 5 coats of clear satin polyurethane.
Joe
Back in March, a neighbour dropped off a large cedar log in my driveway. He'd found it in the woods near his country property, and thought I could use it. This is the second or third piece I've turned from it so far. The log is almost 600mm diameter, large enough to cut into quadrants for bowl blanks, so that the pith is outside the bottom of the bowl; this also allows more orderly warping, which was negligible.
After rough turning the shape, I excavated some voids, and filled them with a "mortar" of coffee grounds and epoxy. Filling at this stage, or over-filling nearer final turning, allows cutting and sanding the fill to produce a terrazzo effect. I also filled some narrow cracks with CA.
At final turning, I got a small chip-out on the rim. I haven't decided what to do about it; possibly cut it finer and paint the cut surface a bright colour; and/or, cut more of them at equal or random intervals and claim a new design innovation.
About 10" (255mm) diameter, 4.5" (115mm) high, and wall thickness about 3/8" (10mm). The finish is 5 coats of clear satin polyurethane.
Joe