Ash Root Ball Bowl...Finished

Vaughn McMillan

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This is another chunk of ash root ball from my neighbor's firewood pile. He gave it to me because he couldn't split it. Like some other pieces I got from this same tree, the roots engulfed a piece of lumber. My guess is that it was a redwood stake driven into the ground next to the tree when it was young.

The finished bowl is about 14" wide and 6 1/2" tall. Finished with Antique Oil and spray lacquer. I was reluctant to buff the inside, so I rubbed out the finish going through all the Micro Mesh grits. I started the outside with Micro Mesh, and finished it up with the tripoli and wax buffing wheels.

Sorry, I had a lot of pics to choose from, and couldn't decide which ones to post, so I'll do all of 'em.

Ash Root Ball Bowl 2 - 01 800.jpg Ash Root Ball Bowl 2 - 05 800.jpg Ash Root Ball Bowl 2 - 13 800.jpg Bowl 058 - 02 800.jpg Bowl 058 - 03 800.jpg Bowl 058 - 04 800.jpg Bowl 058 - 06 800.jpg Bowl 058 - 07 800.jpg Bowl 058 - 08 800.jpg Bowl 058 - 09 800.jpg

As always, comments and critiques are appreciated -
 
well vaughn yu got another one of kind piece again and the ability to make that stay together and come out in one piece is amazing. on the one pic there is a red line is that a laser you use to position the cutter?:thumb::thumb:
 
Very nice and artsy piece Vaughn, makes me want to dig up a few root balls. Also makes my hands hurt thinking about all those knobs sticking out to rap my knuckles as they come around....
 
That one need to be on display in my living room, on it's way to a gallery. It doesn't get any better. My hat is off to you Sir :bow::bow::clap::clap:
 
Leaks

If that is your idea of a bowl I wonder what the pots and pans in your kitchen must look like!

As a bowl it looks to me as it may have a leak or two.

Maybe you could fill those voids with glue and sawdust!


Very nice work!
 
Walls look abit thick to me Vaughan. Perhaps you need to rechuck it and take another few mil off.

Just joking. Lovely piece of turning. Bet you didn't know it'd be like that when you started did you?

Pete
 
Hyper-cool! Not sure I'd even try to play that game without a hollowing jig, but it can't be easy even with one! How fast was it spinning at the start?

Thanks,

Bill
 
Thanks for the comments, guys. To answer some of the questions...

... on the one pic there is a red line is that a laser you use to position the cutter?

Yep, that's the "laser guided chisel". By the time I was doing the finishing cuts on the inside, I didn't really need the laser because I could see the cutting tool through the gaps in the sides of the bowl. It was kind of flickery like an old movie, but I could watch the cutter at all times, even on the undercut rim.

Do you come across rocks often when working with root balls?

So far I've been lucky and only found one or two. I do clean the blank off with a pressure washer as much as I can before I start turning it.

...As a bowl it looks to me as it may have a leak or two...

It works great for separating the lumps from gravy, though. :p

Walls look abit thick to me Vaughan. Perhaps you need to rechuck it and take another few mil off.

A few mil? I don't think I can do metric cuts on my lathe. :D I think I should leave the wall-thinning to a more experienced hand. I'll go ahead and send it to you and let you take care of it for me. :p (And you're right...I didn't really know what it would be or look like until I got partway through it.)

How fast was it spinning at the start?
This piece was surprisingly well-balanced, and pieces with gaps seem to be easier to turn at higher speeds. I probably started with the RPMs somewhere in the 200s, then by the time I was making the finish cuts it was in the mid 800s or maybe a bit higher. I tried to keep the speed pretty quick when I was roughing it since the Ci1 seems to like the faster speeds.
 
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