White Ash Wood Bowl

I’d been eyeing these huge chunks of ash at my local firewood yard throughout the year but passed; the wood seemed so plain. This past Thursday I succumbed and, for $20, loaded several of the large pieces (photo) into my Explorer. I took my chain saw to one chunk and Friday night I turned and finished this tapered 11 3/4” x 5 3/8” bowl.

I used my unconventional techniques; no aging or drying of the wood (although I always TRY to find wood that’s been sitting in the firewood lot for some time and looks reasonably dry) and mounting the bowl for turning using a one-time faceplate screw mount at the bottom side of the bowl (photo) and turning both the exterior and interior without removing the blank.

To finish the bowl I sealed a couple small cracks with CA and sanded the bowl while spinning using a Makita right-angle drill and rounded edge sanding disks (80, 120, 150, 220). Hand sanded using higher grits then buffed with Tripoli, White Diamond, and Carnauba wax (outside). I used a 000 pad to rub walnut oil in the inside of the bowl. This was a one-night project start to finish.

Finally, a parting tool to the bottom, handsaw for final cut and belt sander to even out the bottom.

Why am I telling this to guys that know tons more than I do and make beautiful inlay or segmented bowls? Just presenting another perspective, sharing ideas.

-- RobertJ, Southern California