Two Burl Bowls

Real nice well done I had never turn any f those,burls ,some day Ill get one and try

-- peruturner,lima peru

Very nice. One suggestion would be to jam chuck it to turn the tenon off of the bottom. I like the finish that you put on it. Keep up the good work.

-- Those that say it can't be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

They are beautiful, I have had a couple of burls sitting under my lathe now for over a year. Seeing your bowls makes me want to finally bite the bullet and try turning them.

-- Joanne, New York, www.creationhollow.com

Very Nice! I love the look of burl when it is turned like that. Very impressive.

-- Dennis, http://www.maplegrovewoodworks.com/

Gorgeous turnings, just beautiful. You are a very good turner for a beginner.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

Very nice pieces. I tried a couple of these myself, but they did not turn out that well. I still have four burls left that I have not done anything with yet. They are a little big for the mini lathe that I have and I hate to cut them smaller.

-- We are the people our parents warned us about.

PetVet,
Beautiful turnings, both of them. The anniversary one is my favorite for sure. What did you use on the bottom cemter of that burl to give it all the different colors? Was that the recess turned into the bottom for the chuck jaws to expand? I’m a very new turner myself and only do a few necessary things myself. Congratulations again on such a lovely anniversary gift. I’m sure your wife has to Love it!

Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis

-- woodbutcher north carolina

Stunning, absolutely stunning!!!

Lew

Wow, and double wow,

Incredible turning my friend!

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Gorgeous turnings newbie or not.

-- Mike, American in Norway

Very nice how did you find the spray finishing overall ? Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Rich, Those are beautiful turnings. I love the Anniversary bowl. Absolutely breathtaking.

-- John @ Myrtle Beach

Both outstanding turnings. You are reaching for the stars and makeing it! Fantastic job.

Thank You for the link also. Keep up the inspirational work.

Scrappy

-- Scrap Wood's the best...the projects are smaller, and so is the mess!

Great bowls, love the color.

-- Tom D

Very nice job. Burls like that are just begging to be turned, aren’t they? I use spray lacquer on almost everything and patience is the name of the game. I usually give it 4-5 coats thinned out about 30% and sand lightly beginning after the 3rd coat mainly to get rid of the little nibs and bumps. I use 3M sanding pads because they don’t seem to leave sanding marks the way regular paper, even 600 grit or higher, does. Wait a day or 2 after the last coat before final sanding to give the lacquer a bit more time to cure.

One minor quibble that I’ve mentioned before to others. When you photograph the pieces, use a simple plain backdrop with no pattern or textures. Let the work be the focal point, especially with something as busy as these burls. Otherwise the backdrop fights for attention and you lose a little of the impact of the piece. After all, if it’s good enough to photograph, it’s good eneough to get top billing, right? You can get rolls of paper backdrops in various sizes at photo shops. Just tape it to a wall behind a table and let it hang with a smooth curve at the bottom and you’re good to go.

Keep up the good work.

-- Alan Carter, www.alancarterstudio.com

very nice

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Thanks guys.

Ken- I mixed some black pigment with the resin of 5 minute epoxy, thinned just a little with Acetone, then mixed the hardener in and poured it in the recess. I then sprinkled some glitter on it, which I regret doing. Would have been better just left black.

Alistar- Very primitive paint booth for me. I took a large cardboard box turned on it’s side, used an old microwave turntable, painter’s pyramids, and a can of spray lacquer. After about 3 coats I laid my turning smock over the opening to keep dust off of it and let it cure. Man, does lacquer stink!

Alan- all great tips, and I appreciate them. I like the lacquer finish, and will show more patience next time before I do the final polish. It can be a pretty unforgiving surface when you go for that high gloss finish. I need to spend some time setting up a photo booth with good indirect lighting and a plain white background. Thanks again for the help.

-- Rich in Richmond

Rich,
I liked the glitter in the epoxy. I didn’t know if it was some special inlaying material or what. Personally I think I like it better this way, as opposed to being just a black circle.
So was that in fact the recess for the chuck jaws? I mean is it a standard practice to remove these recesses on a turning or something? If they should be removed, I’ve got quite some work to do on somethings I turned in the past! Congrats’ again on a wonderfull turning

Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis

-- woodbutcher north carolina

Hey Ken,
That is the mortise for the jaws of the chuck. Most people just leave them, as they are not seen, however I knew the bowls would be turned over to look at the sides, so thought I would try and dress up the mortise. Of course, the other option is to cut a tenon and then part it off when you are done for a flat bottom. Just seems to waste a lot of wood that way though.
Rich

-- Rich in Richmond

This is so brilliant it hurts my eyes just to look at it…...yet I can’t keep from staring at it.

-- Mike, Waukesha, WI