Pecan Bowl

Dave Hoskins

Member
Messages
5,252
Location
Parker County, Texas
I have been primarily working on "stock" pieces as of late. Even though the one fair I go to is not until November, it is amazing how quick it will be here. So, I start building up a stock of pieces that usually sell well. This is one of them. This one I put online but several others won't be. It's 12 1/2" in diameter, 3 1/2" in height, 2 1/2" deep, and has a volume of about 3/4 gallon. Was able to leave some of the bottom layer of some bark on it. That always adds appeal to buyers. As I usually do I sealed the wood with a couple of coats of walnut oil and then polished it up with a walnut oil/shellac mixture that was heavy on shellac. Not sure if it's this batch of walnut oil or the shellac, but I am needing to go a bit thicker on the shellac to get more sheen to the finish. Oh, well. I buy them both by the gallon. I left the tenon on this one for reasons that seem to escape me at the moment, other than I forgot to go on and get rid of it. Guess it's cuz I be in a certain amount of pain from Saturday. Seemed to have strained the ol' back some yanking on slip cables and chains to hook to the loader bucket. Might have to take a couple of days off and spend them with my tens machine. AWK!!!

 
Looks good Dave, I like the bit of bark as well.

Just so I understand you're not stabilizing the bark in any way past the shellac/oil coat?

I've been soaking it with glue, but I might be being overly cautious and making extra work that doesn't need doing (wouldn't be the first time :rolleyes:)...
 
Hi Ryan! No, not really. But, it also depends on the wood. The inner layer of bark on pecan is generally pretty stable on it's own. You could soak it with glue, but not necessary in my opinion. Keep in mind that this bowl already baked in my kiln after being roughed out at about 120 for about 10 days. Also, I always brush on a thick coat of oil before anything goes in the kiln. Keeps the checking problem way down that way. If the bark was going to fall off, it would have by then I would think. And a good saturation of the walnut oil/shellac mixture is kinda like glue anyway seeing I'm going about 80% shellac right now. Now with oaks I do stabilize the bark with glue. Elm also. But the really harder woods it does not seem necessary. Especially bodark. Nothing bothers that stuff it seems like. Sometimes I think you have to hammer and chisel that bark off. :D
 
Well, Ryan. Not a thing in the world wrong with some good maple and walnut. I'd love to have some of that. There's black walnut here but I never seem to be able to find any. Guess it's hiding. :rofl:
 
Top