ABOUT TURNING BOWLS AND VESSELS

The woods that I use are found locally. Walnut, cherry and other native trees can produce spectacular woods that are just as beautiful as imported or endangered species which I do not use. A wooden bowl that is a foot tall and eight to ten inches in diameter comes from about a twenty pound log. Green wood is the easiest to work with, although it does present problems with cracking and warping as it dries. Dead trees can produce beautifully "spalted " wood that results from bacterial action in the wood. "Burls" come from damaged trees that have regenerated root cells as sort of a healing process: these are the "warty" looking bumps on a tree that you may see on occasion.

The lathe is a very dangerous machine. If a large piece of wood comes loose, or a tool catches, either one can fly with enough force to main or kill. Extra precaution must be taken to insure that the wood stays attached (as in "outboard" turning): the wood must be bolted to the faceplate and the lathe should be run at relatively slow speeds: 50 to 300 revolutions per minute. Once the wood is rounded off, the rough shape of the piece and the base can be sculpted. The wood is then taken off and re-mounted so that final shaping and hollowing can be done. Any lathe that is in working condition can turn nice pieces. Along with several smaller lathes, I have a custom made "outboard" lathe that uses a faceplate. This very basic machine has turned wood weighing up to 600 pounds. These large pieces are turned very slowly; 50 to 100 rpm's. The slow speed is compensated for by the large diameters of these pieces which results in a high "foot per minute" speed. At a relatively slow speed of 200 rpm's, a bowl will turn 12,000 times in an hour.

Large hand forged tools are made in the studio. The lance is a large tool that looks like a spear with one-half of the point cut away to form a curved cutting edge. This is primarily used to round off rough unbalanced pieces. To begin the hollowing out process, a specially made boring tool is used: this works like the tip of a wood screw. "Hook tools" have curved tips that are about an inch in diameter, with the inside edge sharpened, it will produce long wide shavings from the inside of the piece during hollowing. These tools are all from three to six feet long. Various other knives and gouges are used for finishing and for fine detailed work. Tools must be kept sharp for safe cutting. The long handles on most of these tools provide needed leverage in the event of a catch. To avoid catches, the tool rest is rigidly braced and frequently moved to maintain a close proximity to the work.

Designing Art. Some pieces are sculpted from drawings and sketches and may have to meet specific measurements and dimensions: such as a pair of candle sticks. On the other hand, some people think that the shape of the piece is in the tree. Essentially this means that after the grains and patterns in the wood have become visible, that this is the best time to decide the design of the piece. Many times turned bowls are primarily seen as art "forms": it is the "form" of the piece that gives it's intrinsic beauty. Pieces that are more sculptural, or that in one way or another convey ideas , messages or feelings are said to have artistic "content". Of course a piece can also exhibit both form and content. An important element of design is color and finish. Sometimes, for example, a piece turned from spalted wood will look and feel better if the finish is not to smooth or highly polished. Either very subtle or very vivid color can have a dramatic affect on the finished piece. Progressive sanding, down to 2,000 grit sandpaper, will create the impression of being able to see into the wood. Three to five coats of lacquer, sanded between coats, is what produces the final "piano" finish on most of my pieces. I use and recommend "Hydrocote Brand" water based, non-toxic lacquers, finishes and polishes (they can be ordered from Hood Products: 1-800-229-0934.)

Caring for fine woods. Although the finishes used on my pieces is highly water resistant it can be damaged. If you would like to use a piece to hold live flowers or food, a glass or plastic container can be used as a liner. Extemely high heat and moisture fluctuations as in unheated rooms, glass enclosures, cars and bathrooms should be avoided. Avoid placing wooden pieces in direct sunlight due to uneven heating and possible UV damage. A piece should be cleaned once or twice a year with either "Hydrocote" or "Guardsman Brand" products.