Myoporum Root Ball Bowl

Here's one of the latest things I've finished up. It's a Myoporum root ball bowl. I mentioned this one a month or so ago in this thread. It's about 9 1/2" wide x 5 1/2" tall. This stuff dried pretty hard, and it was a bear to get sanded to my liking. (Way too much hand sanding, since I couldn't get my little 2" Grex ROS to a lot of the inside surfaces.) There's a lot of burl figure in the wood, and it is prone to showing scratches.

I'm still not completely happy with the finish. It's gloss tung oil/varnish mix, with the sheen knocked down a bit with a white Scotch Brite. I'll live with it for a few days, and if it continues to bother me I'll re-do it. I'm not overwhelmed by the form, but it was pretty much where the wood was in the root ball, so I worked with what I had. I wanted to slope the rim a bit differently, but again, the available wood dictated the shape. (If I'd beveled the rim, one of the main chunks of the rim would have been lost.) I also would have liked to turn it a bit thinner (it's about 1/2" thick), but I didn't want to press my luck. I did have one piece detach when I was rough turning it, but after it dried I glued it back in with epoxy and instant coffee, then cleaned up any visible glue with a Dremel. It looks like two pieces, but it's the little dark pork chop-shaped piece in the middle of the second picture right under the rim, and the piece directly below that one.

Enough excuses...here's the finished product:



Comments, crituques and catcalls are welcome...

that`s cool vaughn! sooooooo when are you going to sell your tablesaw and planer to buy more spin-crack?

Really a fine piece, I think the finish is perfect. A glossier finish wouldn't do this any justice. Only you would have known about the pork chop. You've got a good handle on this stuff, keep it going.

Randy

Unfortunately, I have to disagree with everyone on this one, Vaughn.

That piece is pig-butt ugly. So, to save yourself further embarrassment, please wrap it up along with any other pieces you may have lying about, and ship it to me. I'll even pay the freight!!

Absolutely stunning, as usual. Give up your DAY JOB!!!

Vaughn that is one flipping nice piece.

ah........um......looks like it might leak a little.

Seriously, as always, a very nice piece - and, I'll bet, a difficult one. Congrats!

Until I enlarged the photos, I didn't understand the problems you were describing. I'm not sure I would have even attempted the project. Results are amazing and you are to be congratulated for sticking with it. No apologies needed for shape or thin/thickness.

My, how embarrassing for you, Vaughn. Another merely incredibly gorgeous bowl! How sad! So, when are you going to start doing something we can really drool over. I agree with Sandy Navas, you really should just send it away and not have that bowl sitting there reminding you of the damage you did to that beautiful wood. And, because I'm a really nice guy, if you want to get it right out of the country you are welcome to send it up here to Canada and I'll take care of it for you. Heck, I'll even tell everyone that I botched it up so they can't point fingers at you. Nice of me, isn't it?

Okay, I admit it, it's beautiful and you should be very proud of finding that bowl in that nasty old piece of wood.

.....Gord

I think it's actually quite handsome, Vaughn! But if you don't want it, just send it my way. ;-)

It looks so tenuous, like it shouldn't be together... I like that. On the other hand... I can't quite put my finger on it, but it is not my favorite piece.

Thanks all for the too-kind comments. Sandy and Gord, I appreciate the offer, but I can't defile your homes with this bowl without feeling guilty, so I guess I won't be sending it to you.

Sam Blasco said:

...I can't quite put my finger on it, but it is not my favorite piece.

Click to expand...

My feelings too. It's great fun to look at, very interesting wood, but something just doesn't quite resonate with me, and I can't figure out what or why. Ah well, ya rolls the dice and ya takes what ya gets. It's still an improvement over the woodchipper-bound ball of mud and wood that it started from.

Thanks again, all -

I'm having a hard time trying to decide what you don't like about that. Oh, I know, it's the typical self deprication that is inate in all people with particular talents. That's a really nice form. Thanks for sharing!

Vaugh that is a real beauty. I really like it. You did a awesome job on it.

Vaughn, Real nice bowl.
If you don't think it is finished how about a 3/8" brass rod around the top on stand offs and brass feet, egyptian of course, orrrrrrrrrr
the top half of a jug.