Small Apricot Bowls

[W.Y.]

Some here might recall the apricot logs I got a month or so ago.
This afternoon I decided I would like to try a piece and see what they looked like inside.
I have turned lots of green bowls and tried all of the methods of rough turning and then drying and then final turning. .
I have also heard that if they are turned real thin as one shot with green wood they will probably not warp or crack like if they were turned thicker . This was my first try doing it that way .
My band saw can only saw 6" deep so I selected one of the 6" diameter logs and ripped it in half lengthwise this afternoon and turned two small thin wall bowls .

This was the first chance that I got to try out the Longworth chuck I made recently and it works real good.

Yes , I was told to turn thin for green wood but not this thin . . lol . . It came very close to becoming a funnel .

I have applied one coat of tung oil finish on them and will apply several more over the next few days. Don't know if the finish will cure enough to stiffen the fibers in the real thin one or if it will become firewood. Either way , they were fun to turn and I will see if I get any warping or cracking in the next few days as they dry out.

 

[KnB Polymers]

Wow, those are fantastic! One day I'm going to get up the nerve to try some ... Brian bought me the tools, I just have to learn how to use them!

 

[MarkD]

The bowls look great! I hope to have time someday to try turning green bowls!
The lampshade ain't bad either!:biggrin:

 

[SDB777]

I sure would like to know more about that Longworth chuck....please?


I would think the thinner the turning, the more it would warp....weird? If you haven't sold them in a few months, I'd like to see them again.




Scott

 

[W.Y.]

I sure would like to know more about that Longworth chuck....please?


I would think the thinner the turning, the more it would warp....weird? If you haven't sold them in a few months, I'd like to see them again.




Scott

Scott.
I sent you some info on the longworth chuck.


Well , I won't be trying that method again. The thinnest bottom one has already cracked in the bottom and the edges are warping on them. It is a waste of good wood. Have kept them in the coolest part of the house.
Will see how far they will go before taking another picture and before I toss them on the burn pile.

 

[bubbatww]

William, hate that it cracked but it was very pretty.

I too would like to more about your Longworth chuck if you dont mind.

Troy

 

[Haynie]

I had an apricot tree die this past year and people on this forum told me that apricot was nothing to write home about and should probably be destined for the smoker.

I hope they stand corrected. Those are pretty.

 

[W.Y.]

I had an apricot tree die this past year and people on this forum told me that apricot was nothing to write home about and should probably be destined for the smoker.

I hope they stand corrected. Those are pretty.

My experience has been that all wood from fruit bearing trees is beautiful color and grain pattern etc. but has a lot of internal stress's .
I will turn a bunch more from those logs but only down to 10% of its final shape and size and leave the tenon on and use one of the many methods of treating it and put it up on a shelf for several weeks or months (depending on which method used ) and then take it down and final turning it as dry wood and it will never warp or crack after that.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

I had an apricot tree die this past year and people on this forum told me that apricot was nothing to write home about and should probably be destined for the smoker.

I hope they stand corrected. Those are pretty.

As a "pen blank" it's not "unusual" but as a larger piece, ie "bowl", then William has obviously proved the point that it's a wonderful/colourful medium to turn.

 

[W.Y.]

I had an apricot tree die this past year and people on this forum told me that apricot was nothing to write home about and should probably be destined for the smoker.

I hope they stand corrected. Those are pretty.

As a "pen blank" it's not "unusual" but as a larger piece, ie "bowl", then William has obviously proved the point that it's a wonderful/colourful medium to turn.

Wood from fruit bearing trees can also be nice in a pen .
Here is one of my cherry pens

and plum wood

and grapefruit

 

[TerryDowning]

This almost makes me glad I have a Plum and Apricot in need of major pruning. Who knows, I may get something worthwhile of the effort.

Thanks for posting and letting us know the process is a fail.

The bowls really were pretty when first turned. Let us see others when they are done please.

Terry

 

[W.Y.]

Went out after lunch and ripped one of those apricot logs in half lengthwise on the band saw and turned two bowls out of each half only this time I left them thicker and left the tenon on them.

Then right away while the wood was still very wet I coated both top and bottom with a wax emulsion (same as Anchorseal) .
It shows white in the picture because it is still wet but will dry clear and transparent within a day or so in my cold shop.
Then up on a shelf and test with moisture meter every month or so and when dry enough will go back on the lathe and turned and finished as dry wood and will forever retain its new shape and size .

 

[robutacion]

Only if was possible for us to preserve the natural green colours and shape of most of the fruiting tree...!!!

Some are obviously worse than others, and one that I have had the worse experiences with is the Almond tree wood, particular on young trees yo to about 25 to 30 years old. On the other hand these type of young trees produce some of the most vivid and interesting heartwood shapes I ever seen and, despite every possible attempt to preserve this natural beauty, have dramatically failed...!

Some of these fruit tree logs and or blanks if processed into such while green, become unworkable, unless you like to make tooth-picks, the total separation of the wood while drying is one of the most extreme I also seen with logs naturally ripping themselves apart as if they were blown with dynamite, some do actually split in 2 or 3 pieces like if they were split for firewood...!

Making round blanks out of these type woods, is the most difficult, the same goes to making any decent size square size blanks, the only blank type that these woods many time are only useful for is to make pen blanks, even tough with a great percentage of waste...!

Turning them very thin to void cracking and or warping, didn't work for me either, and I had mine totally soaked/saturated in the Fungishield witch as proven to be a great wood stabiliser saving a good 80% of my green turnings from the firewood pile.

One other problem with most fruit trees wood is that, if left to dry excessively, the wood becomes extremely hard to work with, making tool sharpening a constant reality...!

Attached is a pic that impressed and intrigued a lot of people, some called the "tall boots pic"...! :biggrin:

Cheers
George

 

[Brian Davis]

I too would like to more about your Longworth chuck if you dont mind

 

[MarkHix]

Great looking bowls. I tried the turn it thin plan myself with similar results. Green wood is fun to turn isn't it.

 

[W.Y.]

One other problem with most fruit trees wood is that, if left to dry excessively, the wood becomes extremely hard to work with, making tool sharpening a constant reality...!

Attached is a pic that impressed and intrigued a lot of people, some called the "tall boots pic"...!

Cheers
George

Kool pair of boots George :biggrin:

I know what you mean about extremly hard when dry.
Someone gave me a big chunk of apple wood in lof form that was dry for about 5 or 6 years . Man . . that stuff was like turning concrete yet all of them are so nice to turn when green and seeing those long curly ribbons of shavings coming off the wood.

 

[philb]

Those look stunning!
So how does your wax method work, do you use your meter poked through the wax or scrape a little off then measure?

The long worth chick looks like a great addition too, your own design? Or can I punch the plans?!!

 

[W.Y.]

The pins on the moisture meter poke through it without removing any.

 

[W.Y.]

Some asked to see how much the original two in this thread warped before I tossed them in the scrap box.
This was only after 30 hours since coming off the lathe.

 

[nava1uni]

Really nice looking bowls. Too bad they warped so badly. I like fruitwood and apricot is my favorite. I usually rough turn it green to about 3/4" or a little larger, then put it with shavings in a brown bag and date the bag. Finish turning it several months later. So far none of them have cracked.