Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Carving a Bowl from a Log - part 2

Well, this project wasn't a complete success, but I did learn a lot. I went too far with the wood removal and some parts of the bowl ended up being too thin and even cracked near the edge. I also got some feedback about using spalted wood. Of course, this led me to do some research. Here is a good article from a woodturner who offers some useful information. I think it is important to understand the condition of the wood with regard to safety with wooden food utensils and bowls. But I found it interesting that the fungal growth is stopped when the wood is under 25%. I also use a polymerizing finish, so that offers protection as well. Do your research.

3 comments:

Carvin' Tom said...

I understand completely. On my first "bowl turning adventure" I managed to cut and sand the center of the bottom (the part over the ~2.5" diameter chuck mounting hole coming in from the rear) down to a paper thickness. It never actually punched thru but you could "wiggle it" with your finger. The finish actually helped to stiffen it up:-)

Uhhh, that bowl, if we still have it, was never used for anything other than looks:-)

I was rooting for you because I thought it was going to make a James Dandy bowl.

You'll get'er next time.

Unknown said...

Thanks Tom. I appreciate the comments.

Anonymous said...

Look so beautiful! We all learn everyday, right? I do sometimes wonder if we ALL get into our power tools so much that we tend to forget a go ol' file and hand sanding once we reach a certain point lol. It's just that darn urge we get to go
" just a lil more" that gets us every time... Still look great!! IMO

Frank