I took a one day break from pens and knives and tried my hand at a live edge. First attempt was a failure. With the use of some CA, the bark stayed on this time. Unsure of the wood. It might be hickory. I just sanded and put a walnut oil on. It's only about a 6 inch bowl. Thanks for looking.
Live edge rookie
- Thread starter MikeL
- Start date
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JimB
Member
Well done! You will find it is best to always use CA to hold the bark on when turning a Natural Edge Bowl. I often find it necessary to apply the ca, do some more turning, apply more ca, do more turning and keep repeating. How many times depends on the wood and bark but it is usually 1, 2 or 3 applications of CA. It's disappointing if you start losing the bark during the last few passes of the gouge!
stonepecker
Member
Very Nice.
I wish mine turned out that good the first time.
I wish mine turned out that good the first time.
TattooedTurner
Member
I think it looks great, and it's 1 more than I've done.
Thanks Jim. I didn't use CA the first time because I thought the shiney look as a finish would contrast with a satin or oil finish and I thought the bark was firm enough (wrong). I will lean on your experience to use it several times and , in the end, I don't think the somewhat shiney bark clashes with the oil finish. Yes, you are absolutely correct, I was 75% done with the first bowl when several pieces of bark came off.
Thanks for your advice.
Thanks for your advice.
JimB
Member
Depending on the bark you don't need to saturate all the bark. I often only use ca where the bark and wood join together. That usually holds things together but sometimes more ca is needed. It also means that I can remove the visible CA with a little hand sanding. I use thin CA.
When finishing I usually apply finish to the bark as well as the wood. I use paper towel and dab it on. Seems to work well.
Charlie_W
Member
Great job on your first...second natural edge bowl!
I use CA as well.
You will find that winter cut wood has better bark retention than summer cut. The bark is tighter against the tree as there is less moisture being carried up the tree in the winter than summer.
I use CA as well.
You will find that winter cut wood has better bark retention than summer cut. The bark is tighter against the tree as there is less moisture being carried up the tree in the winter than summer.
MDWine
Member
Man, I love these... well done sir!
SteveAxelrod
Member
Nice work Mike and welcome to bowl turning! One thing you notice right away is that it's a lot messier than turning pens! ;o) All my bowls have been natural edge and invariably I've had to apply thin CA to some of the bark to keep it intact. Better safe than sorry because not only can a piece of bark go flying but it can also get broken into pieces so even if you can find it you won't be able to reattach it. Can't wait to see your next bowl!