Mulberry Burl Wood Bowl

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This was an attempt to make something out of a large hunk of Mulberry burl given to me by my brother-in-law Eric Wight. This was turned from green (wet) wood. This wood was full of voids, rotten sections, cracks and lots of knots, with grain going in every direction. Extremely difficult to turn. I purposely left this bowl a little thicker than I'd like it so that when it dries out and warps, I can put it back on the lathe and finish it. First I want to dry it out, then I'm goin to fill the voids with black Milliput epoxy putty and then remount it on the lathe and finish it . . . if it doesn't fly apart while I'm working on it. Anyway, I thought I'd give you a look at it at this stage. Maybe I can finish it next week. This bowl measures 2 inches high and 6 inches in diameter. It hasn't been sanded or finish applied yet.

Pear Wood Canister

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Here's a Pear wood canister with a blue glass marble accent on the knob. The canister measures 3.5 inches tall and 2.25 inches in diameter. There were hidden cracks in the wood that tore out when I was forming the parts where the body and lid come together. I was able to save the lid by adding a piece of red Mahogany (the darker wood) to the lid. Unfortunately a small section of the top of the canister body broke off after this piece was finished, with no way to put it back on the lathe to repair it. Still, a nice little fluted canister. This was wet sanded with mineral oil. A glass marble accent detail was added to the top of the knob.

A Small Pear Wood Bowl

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The simple beauty of a well turned bowl. Clean lines, subtle detail. This Pear wood is so nice to work with; hard wood, cuts cleanly, finishes beautifully. This bowl measures 2.75 inches tall and 3.25 inches in diameter. It was wet sanded with mineral oil, then given a coat of  boiled linseed oil. The finish on this feels like satin. I've more of this wood and can't wait to turn more of it.

 

 

There's a tiny sliver of bark left on the rim at the 4 o'clock position.

Inside view.

Small Walnut Wood Canister

Here's a small Walnut wood canister I turned two days ago. This one measures 4.75 inches tall and 1.25 inches in diameter. That's a blue glass marble on the knob at the top. Wood provided by my friend Ned Lycett, a great guy, master bonzai expert, and old and dear friend. Thanks Ned! I've a bunch more of this wood so there will be more of these beautiful wooden items coming in the future.
This was wet sanded with mineral oil, then burnished with its own wood shavings. I cut a 3-legged "foot" at the base of this canister. Beautiful wood. A real pleasure to work with. 
I'm getting a new band saw in a few days. With it I hope to cut into a lot of Maple and Eucalyptus and Pear wood I've been wanting to turn but didn't have band saw big enough to work with the logs I have. I'm looking forward to getting into this wood. Hopefully, I can make some larger bowls this Summer. Stay tuned. 

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Walnut Wood Bowl

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Here's a Walnut wood bowl I turned today. It measures 5 inches in diameter by 2 inches tall. The wood was given to me by my friend Ned Lycett. Thanks Ned! This wood is a dream to turn and so beautiful. Finishes nicely. This was wet sanded with mineral oil and then given the final finish with high speed wax polish (a mixture of alcohol, boiled linseed oil and carnuba wax). I'm not a big fan of high gloss finishes on my turnings but thought I'd try it on this one just to see what it looked like.

Small Teak Canister

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Here's a small Teak wood canister I turned today. It measures 1.75 inches in diameter and 3.75 inches tall. My friend Ned gave me some Teak last week, so I thought I'd try turning something out of it. Nice wood. Very hard. Finishes nice. This was wet sanded with mineral oil and burnished with wood shavings.

A Mulberry Bowl

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My brother-in-law, Eric, gave me a big chunk of Mulberry tree, almost like a big burl. This was green (wet) wood. I thought I'd put a chunk on the lathe and see how it turned. The lighter sap wood on this piece has a pearl or satin sheen to it. The darker heart wood has interesting variations in the grain. What's not sap wood nor heart wood is a yellow color. I'm wondering if these colors will change as the bowl dries out and sits for a couple of years. It's not a bad wood to turn. This piece, being green, warped a bit. However, took it off the lathe periodically and gave it a minute in the microwave and let it cool. I'd do that a couple more times then put it back on the lathe. This was wet sanded with mineral oil, then burnished with its own shavings. The bowl measures six inches in diameter and 2 inches high.