Bowl #7

Carol Reed

In Memoriam
Messages
5,533
Location
Coolidge, AZ
Occasionally I get a little woodworking done. :D

This began as a practice bowl with my turning mentor, Wally Dickerman. He had glued up two pieces of alder, and this was the result. I got a lesson on hollow turning and a bowl I didn't blow up.

Bowl #7 Side.jpg

The wall thickness is 1/4", a little thick for a hollow form, but it is my first HF.

Bowl #7 top.jpg

The bottom is perfectly round.

Bowl #7 bottom.jpg

The form is called an olla (pronounced oy-ya) It is Spanish for pot. It is 6" in diameter, 4" high, the opening is less than 2 inches. It is also my seventh bowl ever, hence it's name - #7.

It helps to have a good instructor. I learned a lot of good things, a few tricks, and got to use tools I don't yet own. Now I know what I need to buy and how to use what I buy. The value of hands-on instruction is priceless!

The rim is burned, as are the waist rings. Those were done with wire. The rim was done with heavy paper and a stick.

This one is a keeper. Hope you like it.
 
Very nice, Carol. :clap: Wally may have steered you in the right direction, but you were the driver. Ya done good, you router wrangler, you. :p

In my limited experience, the general public doesn't seem to care how thick or thin the walls of a hollow form are. I'd rather have a nice form with 1/4" or thicker walls, than have a nice form blown into a bazillion pieces. It seems to me thin walls are more likely to impress other turners, but turners are not likely the folks who will be buying the finished product. I'm not saying thin walls are bad, and I like lifting a piece and finding it's lighter than it looks, but
I think there is sometimes more emphasis on the wall thickness than there needs to be. ;)
 
True, Vaughn, and I agree with you. Wally, however is the king of thin walled hollow forms. So he won't consider me as good as I can be until I turn one out with 1/16" walls. And I agree with that as well. However, that doesn't mean that later I can't turn them at whatever thickness the intended use dictates.

The best compliment he has given me is that I have good hands and understand wood. It is very motivating having someone soooo much better complimenting me on the skills I do have. :thumb:

As for routing, I confess to not even having held one in months and months. Something about turning being an abyss??? :rofl:
 
Your first HF is really nice Carol!

Hands on training is just so great, I got to agree!

I was making a lot of thin bowls etc, and my wife finally asked me to make something at least 5/8" thick, as she was afraid to use the super thin ones, she thought if she dropped it, it would break, to delicate.

Keep them coming, and yeah, it is an abyss, but I like it! :D
 
Well Carol, if Wally said to you, you have good hands for wood, I think you have the right feeling in your fingertips. This hollow form is looking great.
I saw for many years work from Wally, he's the best mentor you can get.
This man started with turning in 1938 !!, so talking about experience....)))

Keep em coming Carol.

Ad :thumb:
 
WOW Carol!!!

Very impressive hollow form! Love the form and the burned detail work! Wall thickness is always something I struggle with but if you can start off with 1/4" - you won't have any problems with hollow forms! Glad you were able to get hands-on instruction - take advantage of that as much as possible!

Looking forward to seeing your next hollow form! Extremely nice work!
 
Very well done! :thumb: I also think that the shape of a form is more important than the thickness of the walls....you nailed the form!!
 
Very nice HF Carol for your first. That is well done.

I have to agree with Vaughn and the others. At first the most important thing to me was oh I got to get those walls thin. A friend of mine Larry Hasiak who has helped me a lot and he has been a turner for quite some time at a demo he did said, "everyone needs to do one HF with a tiny hole 1" or smaller. Then do a HF with walls that are 1/8" or less thick. Struggle and work to get them both hollowed. Get it out of your system and be done with it." He said people look at the form and finish. If the form is good and the inside/outside is finished nice people will buy it. He said if you want a small opening put a collar on it. Now most of the HF and bowls I do are 3/8" to 1/4".
 
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