Just getting into turning. My first bowl.

Alan Trout

Member
Messages
199
Location
Texas
Hey folks. I just got me a lathe in the last couple of weeks and just got going with it. I have turned a few pens at my local Woodcraft and then I turned a couple of tool handles and that is about it.

I have really wanted to turn a bowl and this last Sunday afternoon had to time. I did not have any material for the job so started digging around my yard to see what I could come up with. I then remembered a friend of mine dropped off a pretty large mesquite limb for the BBQ. It was dry so I cut a chunk off and mounted a face plate and went to work. It was pretty knotty and checked and I was really scared it would come apart but was able to soak it with CA and get it done.

It is about 5 3/4 inches at the top about 2 1/4 inches at the bottom and about 2 inches high. Finished with Watco. Sorry about the cruddy photos I need to work on that a bit.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Alan
 

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Well Alan, is this is your first bowl, than I'll wait for the second.
Boy this is professional work, hatt off for you.
Keep them coming!
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Hey Alan, looks great, keep that one, in a year, it will be really fun to look back at it! :thumb:

The wood looks fine, the cracks and checks make it more "interesting", besides, it certainly looks like it will hold a few scoops of ice cream, so what else matters :D
 
Very nice Alan, especially for a first. Now you see why we're all hooked on this stuff. :D

What lathe did you get?
 
Thanks for the compliments. It was pretty scary to turn. When I roughed out the bowl and saw how checked it was, and every once in a while I would get a catch with the bowl gouge I decided to try to reinforce the checks and knots with the CA. I was sure I was going to throw it on the floor or blow it up. I finished the hollowing/thinning of the bowl wall with a nice sharp scraper and skew chisel. I think I learned some lessons making it. Things I want to try and things I was doing wrong. I guess it is all a learning process.

Sadly I have to go out of town for 5 days for a family reunion and will not get to turn for a while. However on the plus side I found a place where I am going that seems to have some awesome exotic burl bowl and pen blanks. I think I will have to ship home several USPS Flatt Rate Boxes. :thumb: I will let everyone know how it goes.

Thanks, Again

Alan
 
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