laburnum bowl

This bowl was made from the fork of the tree with a smaller branch at the top of the 1st picture. it was a difficult piece to make as the smaller branch was showing signs of breaking away. Made before I had made my new face plate tool which would have been a God send for this project, by using a 1/2” bowl gouge. Not finished as well as I would normally like because of the risk of loosing it, however it is just about acceptable. The base is a piece of Sycamore That is dyed black using a spirit dye then glued into the recess left by my chucking system. Made a few weeks ago and the Laburnum has continued to shrink, this has opened up a small split at the left hand end of the bowl (1st picture). Love working with Laburnum although it is not the easiest timber to work with and it does produce a toxic dust so respiratory protection is essential. The Laburnum heartwood will eventually turn a very dark brown, almost black in colour, leaving the sapwood a very pale yellow, almost white in colour, this adds to the character of the piece giving it a more dramatic effect (in my opinion). Not a project I would recommend for the beginner or the faint hearted.

-- Bill, Nottingham. Remember its not waiting for the storm to end, but learning to dance in the rain that counts. If you dont make mistakes, you make nothing at all.