Birthday Bowl

Chuck Rodekohr

In Memorium
Messages
495
Location
NorCal, USA
Today is my birthday (I’m old) so I wanted to commemorate the day by turning a bowl. Earlier I had posted about turning Tupelo, but learned today that the end grain tears out very badly, so I went down to the local Woodcraft and bought a block of walnut. This is actually the first bowl that I completed on my own. I took a bowl turning class last month, but had assistance from the instructor as he used my bowl to demonstrate on.

The bowl is about 5 ½” X 2 ½”, sanded to 400 grit, then finished with lemon oil, first rubbed on, then sanded damp with 400 grit, then hand rubbed again. I will let the oil dry before I wax it with Johnson’s wax. I expanded my chuck into the foot to hold the bowl for hollowing. The foot still needs some work to finish it.

I learned a LOT from this, most importantly why I was catching with the bowl gouge and tearing out big chinks of wood. Thus, a planned enclosed form ended up as you see it, a straight sided bowl. I am pleased with it. I think it looks good, and it feels good to me. The Bride likes it, so that is what is important. Please give me some constructive criticism, as this is the beginning of the journey, and I can use direction.

Thanks for looking.

Chuck

Bowl2Side15Aug09.jpg


Bowl2Top15Aug09.jpg


Bowl2Botom15Aug09.jpg
 
Very nice bowl for a first attempt. the form although simple is done very well. Next time try for thiner walls. I also like the way you finished the bottom. This is a very important detail that most beginners neglect.:thumb:
Oh and Happy Birthday ..:b-day_cake::congrats::b-day:
 
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Great looking first bowl. Form looks good and like the way you did the bottom. Well done. One of the harder ones to do with straight sides. The transition from the sides to the bottom can be a bear and cause a lot of catches. Also most times you will see the bottom way thicker than the sides. You did well for your first.

Happy Birthday.
 
Looks good to me. If you were thinking of it for use then being a bit thicker isn't a problem IMHO. Personally I think we overdo the thinner walls sometimes. The foot looks neat, clean and functional. I agree with Bernie that doing a straight walled bowl isn't the easiest and yet it is what we all do when we start for some reason. You have done well. First bowl or not it's a good 'un

Pete
 
Happy Birthday, looks like you had a good one!:thumb:

I like your bowl, well done, way better than my first bowl!

That shape is very much like the typical Japanese bowl used for the hot soup that is drank in the morning, something like this...........

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....... great first effort for sure, sign and date it, and you will enjoy looking back at it down the road, it is a milestone! :D
 
Great work, Chuck. Much better than my first bowl, too. I respectfully disagree with Don...your second bowl is not a great time to try going thin. The thin walls will come at their own pace. Pushing things too much at this stage of the game can lead to frustration. The intended closed form was a perfect example of that. Many turners (me included) try to make closed form bowls right off the bat, when it'd be better to work up to them as you gain experience with the tools.

Critique-wise, I don't have a lot to offer. The form, as Stu pointed out, is pretty "Japanese". For my own bowls, I usually prefer an even curve from rim to foot instead of the straighter sides like yours, but that's just me. The form of yours looks pretty classic for that style of bowl. :thumb:

Congrats on a fine bowl, and congrats on your birthday, too. :b-day_cake:
 
Thank you all for the birthday wishes, comments and suggestions. The walls are 5 mm thick, also at the turn. I was afraid to go any thinner, not being sure of what I was doing (big chicken, no guts - no glory). It’s probably good that I didn’t go any thinner because the bottom is only 1/8” thick because of the depression I made for the chuck jaws. I'll have to take that into account next bowl.
 
...I didn’t go any thinner because the bottom is only 1/8” thick because of the depression I made for the chuck jaws. I'll have to take that into account next bowl.

And that is why I prefer using a tenon instead of a recess. ;) Sounds like you have it under control, though...signs of a good teacher. :)
 
Today is my birthday (I’m old) so I wanted to commemorate the day by turning a bowl.

Chuck

Funny, you don't look old.. but happy birthday anyway... :thumb:

That's a great piece of work for a first solo flight... it's always a challenge to get the walls thin, but not too thin... personally, I prefer the walls a little thicker... the bottom is the hard part for me, I seem to have a problem with depth perception... I have a number of really nice walnut and maple funnels though.:D:D

I think Walnut is a beautiful wood to turn... has great grain patterns.
 
I learned that this is Claro Walnut, which is readily available in my neck of the woods (Nor Cal.) Claro Walnut is cut from the stump of a grafted walnut tree, of which there are numerous walnut orchards around here (I live a few miles from Walnut Creek which is billed as ”The Walnut Capital of the World”). To successfully grow English Walnuts in this area, they graft an English Walnut scion to California Black Walnut root stock. According to Woodfinder.com “The wood near the graft tends to be variegated in color with beautiful marble-like, dark brown and tan swirls in the figure.” I have been passing fallen trees for decades that have been uprooted after high winds come in the rainy season. Guess I better get a chain saw before winter.
 
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