Russian olive bowl (#52)

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Got some Russian olive from a friend last Saturday. This bowl came out of one of the pieces. There are two cracks that wanted to come apart as I was turning it, and the shape was largely dictated by another crack that did come apart (and which put a dent in the ceiling of my shop).

The lid was part of the chunk that came off. It had a branch near the middle that had rotted, so I filled that with epoxy and stuck on a handle turned from another offcut.

Mostly turned with a bowl gouge, but I also used a few scrapers, a carbide turning tool, a skew, and a bedan. Finished with homemade friction finish plus some wax. 

May you have the day you deserve!

24 Comments

that came out real nice dave. whats the size ?

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Good looking bowl.    Amazing the things we all go through to save a project.   You did fine.  

Ron

Nice color!
The utility is neat, a nice cap/lid and roomy interior.

Cracks are always a bummer with this wood, but looks like you did a great save.

Gonna store belly button lint or something more personal? 🤠
Feel like I have been cheating seeing the progress pics. Boy Howdy Dave, that turned out really nice.

Congrats on a first under the edge hollowing, or however you say that. Versus just a dish, it's a step up IMHO, and adds so much to the piece from my limited perspective. Lid, and all it's quite the piece, and no more flying pieces. I guess that CA glue is worth it's weight when it comes to mending cracks, and allowing you to keep the chunks together.

Nice job.

Looks great Dave. The shape gives it a unique design
Thanks, folks!

Pottz, it’s a little more than 6” across (160-170mm).

Splint, I expect someone else will be storing things in it. The inside is just finished with tung oil, so once it cures, it would be safe for candy or dog treats. But it’s not that roomy. I chickened out (apologies to poultry-Americans) while hollowing, so it’ll hold maybe a tennis ball, but not a lot more. As to the color, I initially finished the outside with tung oil, but that darkened it up too much, so I sanded most of it off and my friction finish was a lot heavier on the shellac this time.

George, I’m probably going to get one of those dinguses (dingii?) that shines a laser where the end of my gouge is cutting. I can reach in with my fingers and feel this one is pretty dang thick, but when I’m turning, I get afraid of making the inside bigger than the outside.

After finishing up this one this morning, I started roughing the next one out. Started with a faceplate on the “top” and got the outside pretty well turned, then slapped another faceplate on the bottom and am ready to start working the top and inside. But we’ve got three different groups of company coming over the next ten days, so I probably won’t be getting much shop time.

May you have the day you deserve!

Nice design. I can see it was a challenge to work with. 
For cracks in wood, as soon as I see them I treat them with CA glue, usually medium thick, and let it cure. It slows the process but saves worse problems like you had. 

For Inside hollowing I have had good luck with Munro's hollowing tool. The way it works makes it almost impossible to get a "grab" or gouge so I have a lot more confidence working "blind" inside....but it is not cheap. Packard Woodworks is the only place that seems to carry it. It comes from Auatralia.
Thanks, Les. I go back and forth on cracks. Some get thin CA, some get medium, some get thin epoxy with color. And some I say “well, I didn’t want that piece anyhow!” and let it become a lid or handle or pen blanks.

I’m not so worried about catches when hollowing. When I’m using a bowl gouge, I’ve got a pretty good feel for things now (and getting better with every catch), but I do the bulk of the wasting away with forstner bits and carbide tools. I’ve also made a few negative-rake scrapers with flat bottoms I can use inside a form if needed. All a matter of what the wood seems to need at the moment.

May you have the day you deserve!

Turned out real nice Dave!
This is really nice. I love the wood grain and color. Very nicely done
Looks great Dave!

"Duck and Bob would be out doin some farming with funny hats on." chrisstef

Cool design and the grain makes this very good looking, Great job. 
as rest said this is very kewl GR8 JOB 😍😎👍

*TONY ** Reinholds* ALWAYS REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN

Awesome bowl! Great work…

Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".

Thanks, all!

May you have the day you deserve!

Super nice looking bowl with lid, great work Dave.
Thanks!

May you have the day you deserve!

It takes skill to pivot from disaster to results that look intentional.  Nice job!