Posted 10 years ago
BHock45
(807 items)
Not my usual type of posting but I figured I would post this for some feedback. I recently took up bowl making the old fashioned way. After about three months and two dozen failed bowls I finally finished one. The bowl is made from a piece of maple, a tree I had to take down, the top had broken off in a storm.
I worked the shape of the bowl with an adze. One I was happy with the shape I carved with a knife, and finally a bullnose chisel. I then sanded by hand until it was smooth. I wet it with a sponge....and let it dry. Lastly, I hand rubbed three coats of mineral oil. A food safe non-toxic option. The tree on the back, I burned in with a cheap wood burner.
As you can see a crack developed during the process. I dried the bowl slowly, minimizing the cracking, but I am still to make a bowl that hasn't cracked somewhere. Anyway, hope you enjoy the bowl!
Cool, nice shape carving BHOCK45! !
Love the way you did the tree !! ;-)
Ive actually got a piece of apple wood from a really old apple tree , felled last year , im waiting for it to naturally dry then ill have a go at making something from it ..
hope it turnes out as nice as yours ;-)
Hey surfdubb thanks for the compliment I actually carve the bowls while green. I dry them in ziplock bags. Slowly. It takes about two weeks to dry entirely.
Good idea !! The wood will be easier to chisel when green ..
thanks for that info ;-)
beautiful!!! my friend and how have you been ?
You didn't ask for school time but I will lecture anyway. Get some greenwood wax. After you cut your victim coat both ends with it before you try drying it. If you want a super cheap and effective home drying kiln.......find an old black cast BBQ grill and gut everything except the shelf. I use BBQ grills as kilns. They have air vents in the bottom and the black color draws the heat from the sun to dry the wood. I also use it for drying stock I glue up to get the glue to set faster but not too fast. Cheap kiln that works well and everyone has them so neighbors don't complain. The green wood wax will stop the splitting as the wood dries. Your baggie allows condensation which creates moisture and the resulting splitting. As for wetting it before sanding, that raises the grain. I usually wet wood several times and end with 4-0000 steel wool and clean up with mineral spirits. Cooking oil will make a good finish, non toxic and cheap. Hand rub a couple coats a day or two apart.
Sean, thanks for the complement! I am doing well, how are you?
fhr, I always love a lecture! That must be a large bbq if you use it to dry stock no? The idea sounds great, but I was under the impression that you wanted to keep the wood in a humid environment. Every day take the bowl out of the baggie and dry off the inside. But it really hasn't seemed to work, I will have to try something like you are suggesting. Also, do you carve your wood green or dry? I will try the cooking oil too. Thanks for the info, anything else you can think of I enjoy listening to you. Thanks again!
Just a regular BBQ grill for most stuff. The green wood wax is thick liquid you paint on the raw ends (be generous with it) Carving anything green will result in splits, cracks and warp. Carving green is easier but it will go to hell quickly. I have a Maple burl out back I cut 18 years ago in NH and the bark is just starting to come off. It would make a heck of a bowl but I am to old to care anymore.
do you work with an adze fhrjr?
I have a HUGE burly maple out back right on the edge of the stream. It is probably wide enough to make slabs out of. I took a branch down because it was dead but it was too rotten to do anything with. Nice talking to you fhr, thanks for the advice!
Brett
Not anymore, I had timber adze and hand adze up north. Never used a bowl adze, just gouges and chisels. When I moved south mostly just lathes. Most of my hand carving tools I gave away.
I must say stunning you should keep it up. Believe it or not a friend of mine was sent a gift of three wooden bowls & at first I thought similar stye
BHock - If you get a nice clear piece of close grain wood (maple or birch) try a flour scoop. They used to sell like hotcakes as long as they looked crude. City people loved them. If you want to try larger get a piece of ash and make a grain shovel. If you want to age it quickly wipe it with turpentine and set it on fire. Rub the fire out with steel wool or a wire brush. Let it sit a day or two and take a rag and mineral spirits and wipe it down. You have an old looking item made yesterday.
PS: Use welders gloves to rub the fire out
fhr, funny I was about to ask you another question. I will try the flour scoop, thanks for the info! My question: what is a cheap good food safe wax for the bowls? Keep an eye out I have another bowl coming and I want to see if you can guess the wood!
zowie, thanks for the complement, I've only been doing this a few months so I have a lot to learn.
I never wax a bowl someone may eat from. Fruits, nuts etc are a different story. Tung oil works well and keeps the natural color well if you hand rub it. Bowls I turn I use Australian friction wax which is about $10 a ounce.
I was cleaning out today and found some tools I will post shortly. Underhill, Weatherby and Max chisels. I bought them years ago from the estate of the man I did an apprenticeship under. I never used them, just packed them away until I thought I could fill his shoes. I never got to that point so they sit unused. Somewhere I have a timber slip or two of his and some molding head cutter heads and cutters for making stuff like crown molding and wainscoting. I never would have trained with him except I was married to his youngest daughter for 17 years. He was a real SOB but if you listened and learned you made your way. The man could barely read and write but he was a magician with wood. I am sorting it all out to pass it along. I bought it but never owned it, I am just the keeper for now.
In that case you are doing a great job & I love your brand.