I originally rough turned this 3 or 4 years ago. It has been sitting in a box that I have been tripping over and I finally decided I needed to finish it or throw it away. It was actually a little boring and there was a huge loose knot that came out while I initially turned it. It did not warp much as it dried so I was able to mount it on my chuck without redoing the recess. As I turned it I started realizing that it was not so boring after all. The blank was from a crotch and the spalting really started to show. I filled the large knot with some mica dyed epoxy.
I initially finished it with oil based gloss poly but it highlighted some really ugly compressed end grain. It felt smooth to the touch but was too ugly to leave it that way. I turned away the poly finish and cleaned up the grain. I decided that I did not like the shiny poly look so decided to simply use Ack's abrasive sanding paste and polishing wax and nothing else. That really brought out the fantastic colors in the wood and gave a more satin sheen. It was hard to get good photos that really show how cool this looks. I normally use the Ack's paste and wax to polish the poly finish but after this, I may skip the poly more often going forward.
The bowl is about 12.5" wide and 3.5" tall.
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
