Spalted Hackberry bowl

[SDB777]

It's finished....or as finished as I choose to make it. Untold numbers of coats of TungOil, allowed to dry and handwaxed. Not a very large bowl, as it only measures about 6" diameter and 4-3/4" tall, but the figure and spalting go throughout!

This blank was {Celtis laevigata} or Southern Hackberry, it is mostly noticed for it's 'bumps' on the bark......I found these blanks in a swampy area! Guessing the trunk being twisted as it was, that it was taken by a tornado.



The shape? Ah, had a crack that I needed to work around. And it is somewhat thicker then I had planned, but such is life.



Few photo's!












Comments/critique is most welcome, as I don't turn too many bowls...I'd like to know where I can/could improve!




Scott (next....) B

 

[longbeard]

That stuff has some crazy nice figure Scott.
I don't do bowls either, so i'm no help there.



Harry

 

[plantman]

Fantastic grain and spalting Scott !! Only thing I could see that I might have done, would be to give the top a rounder edge to make it feel smother to the touch. It's a matter of taste, many people like sharp crisp edges also, so any improvements on the next bowl would be designers choise. This one looks great to me !! Jim S

 

[edman2]

Looks like a May door prize to me! Nice wood and nice work.

 

[mark james]

Awesome grains! I like the shape also. Getting the walls thinner is just practice (as usual).

If the crack was much larger - do an inlay just like pen inclusions - very easy actually.

I now look for bowl blanks that HAVE cracks and holes...

 

[Old Codger]

Scott your bowl is AWESOME!!! I REALLY love the grain and the design you chose! I like the thickness of the bowl as it indicates it's not a 'DUST CATCHER' and can be used for a number of wonderful uses, always a reminder of your time, trouble and love of turning! Thanks for sharing and safe turning to your and yours!

 

[The Penguin]

nothing wrong with your shape - it's reminiscent of a traditional southwest bowl shape

 

[Bob Wemm]

Great Shape, Colour and Grain.
I love it.
Thanks for showing.

Bob.

 

[SDB777]

Awesome grains! I like the shape also. Getting the walls thinner is just practice (as usual).

If the crack was much larger - do an inlay just like pen inclusions - very easy actually.

I now look for bowl blanks that HAVE cracks and holes...

The crack was running through the blank from end-to-end, sort of thought in would become a 'detonator' for the blank if I tried 'saving' it. Didn't think the odds were going to be in my favor, so I just went at it with the roughing chisel.....

I do like worm holes though!!!!





Scott (gonna do another after mowing is done) B

 

[Phillip Kelley]

Grain!

The grain is awesome...Spalted wood is something I am looking for in my bowl turning. I personnally like the thick shape. You could even add a
contrasting lid with a finial. I think the shape is the turners choice.. Nice work!

 

[SDB777]

The grain is awesome...Spalted wood is something I am looking for in my bowl turning. I personnally like the thick shape. You could even add a contrasting lid with a finial. I think the shape is the turners choice.. Nice work!

Ah.......the lid.
Not sure about getting there yet? I like to go from green-to-finished all in one turning, let them 'move' and be done with them. Certainly don't have the room or patience to wait for a year from roughing to finishing.

I've practiced some finial turning, just to play around.....those shapes are hard to define and anyone doing them all the time, well my hat is off to ya! Most of them break, guess more practice is a good thing.



Thanks much!





Scott (spalting is always fun) B

 

[TellicoTurning]

Scott, Good looking wood... Hackberry is one of my favorite woods... the figuring you can get is crazy with the spalting.... my preacher had a huge hackberry standing in his field... the tornado that came through town last year took half of it down and he gave it to me.... it had some crazy spalting... this past winter the rest of the tree fell and I got it too....

This is a bowl out of the second falling.... the bowl is about 12 inches diameter and about 3 inches deep... finished with multiple coats of polyurethane.

 

[BayouPenturner]

the bowl is nice, you did a great job.

 

[Fishinbo]

Great find, like the shape and those grains and colors look amazing. Excellent job!

 

[Hubert H]

NICE, REALLY NICE!

 

[hippi]

that is really cool I really like spalted wood and how it brings out the highlights of the wood
I got a piece of spalted piece of avocado for pen blanks I do not think it is as pretty as yours