Natural-edge vessel

[RayintheUK]

I've just returned from my daughter's in North Wales with another load of wood (great having a future SIL who's a tree surgeon!). Here's a shot of the fourteen blanks so far cut from the new load:


One small piece of very old oak had been cut just below (and including) a fork, so I decided to try and get some sort of natural-edged vessel out of it.

It was absolutely rock hard, but after the best part of a day, here's the result:


There were plenty of bark incursions to deal with.


In this pic, you can see the incursion round the other side, plus the really wild grain patterns.


I decided that a flat base was the order of the day. With an incursion right into the bottom I didn't want to risk blowing it by any more turning.

Dimensions: 150mm (6") diameter, 120mm (4.75") tall. Finished with diluted sanding sealer, then wax.

Ray.

[JeffW]

Very-Very cool.

[Tequila]

Absolutely awesome. You're making me want to buy a lathe.

[boblon]

Very nice. And yes, it must be nice to have a great source of turning stock like that.

BobL.

[Whaler]

The turning is beautiful and I envy you for that stack of blanks.

[gerti]

Very unique! Makes me itch to go out and turn some of the Oak blanks I have drying...

[monte]

Very nice Ray!

[Dick Parr]

That is very nice Ray

[Ken Weaver]

Ray -
If you ever get the chance, I'd be real interested in how you make your blanks. Do you let them dry in that state or do you coat them with something to slow it down? Use a band saw to get the generally round shapes? Etc., etc.?

[RayintheUK]

quote:Originally posted by Ken Weaver

Ray - I'd be real interested in how you make your blanks.

Ken,

I make the blanks just as you suspect - with my bandsaw. The process goes like this:

First, cut through the trunk vertically. Whether this cut is central or offset depends upon the nature of the section - sap wood, heartwood, etc. How you do this depends upon the size of your bandsaw.
(I'm lucky enough to have a large saw and my future SIL knows how long a section I can deal with. If either of those factors weren't present, I guess I'd have to get a chainsaw to initially reduce the stock.)
Next, place the newly-produced flat surface against the fence, then trim off enough of the half-round side to make a stable base. This will become the base of the bowl, but at this stage is used as a base for cutting the circumference.
Now lay out the blank(s) on the face with a pair of dividers, making sure to heavily mark the center point, so that you can relocate it.
Cut out the blanks, getting near enough to the line (but don't over-worry about it!).
Off to the drill press to bore a 10mm hole in the center for the screw chuck.

In the case of the natural-edge vessel, the process is slightly different - as you would expect - and a piece of chalk comes in handy when marking out the required circumference on the bark.

Currently, I'm experimenting with a few different methods regarding the stock drying out. On some, I've used a commercial end seal, others get coated with natural beeswax, whereas others get rough-turned immediately, then soaked in denatured alcohol (DnA), as per this article.

It's still early days regarding the DnA experiment, but I'll let you know how it goes when I've had a chance to check it against some control samples. Initial results look encouraging though, apart from the smell!

HTH

Ray.

[jdoolitt]

Great score on the blanks Ray. Beautiful job on the vessel. Thanks for the write-up on blank prep too. Two thumbs up!