Turners Poll - Your preference in wood - bark inclusions or no bark inclusions

[Don Alexander]

i like the character that voids and inclusions provide

[Bill Wyko]

I'd have to say, I like the test of my skills a piece with voids gives me. My passion though is in segmenting, using the colors & contrasting grains to create a picture or a dimentional effect is a fun & rewarding aspect of turning. One down side though, you spend more time gluing instead of turning. Upside, you get to turn continuously long grain.

[Michelle Rich]

it depends..are the holes, inclusions attractive? or not? i see so many that look out of balance, too big, ugly, that it ruins the piece. Just because the holes/incusions are there, does not automatically make it a great piece.

[Ed Morgano]

I go both ways depending on the piece of wood I have and what I'm making. I really like the voids and inclusions but not all the time. Some pieces need to be smooth and shinny.

[Dennis Ford]

Like many others, I do both. I like to use what-ever comes my way and try to make the most of it. (I generally exclude pine, post oak and willow but have also turned those on occasion).

[Prashun Patel]

I dislike the technical challenge voids provide; I love a smooth, worry-free ride on the gouge.

However, I love the design challenge voids provide. To me, they make an otherwise formal form look natural. On a vessel that's supposed to hold something, I also like the irony that a hole gives to the form. Everything in moderation, though...


I made a cherry bowl last year that had a 1" knotty hole in the bottom half. I brought it into work and put it on my desk. Most visitors looked confused. A couple told me how I could stick putty in there and fix it. Finally one of my customers came in, picked it up, and said, "How beautiful!".

"But there's a hole in there," I replied

She said, "That's the point."

I gave it to her.

[Mike Cruz]

Roger, I would say that it all depends on the purpose of what I'm turning. Obviously, a salad bowl would be a little...difficult...to use with major (or any) inclusions/voids. But I believe that what makes wood so pretty is the uniqueness of each individual piece. And voids/inclusions make those pieces just that much more different. Same goes for any figure, crotch, spalting, burl, or curl. I just lump voids/inclusions in with those. But, again, for a utility bowl or vase, you obviously want it to be "sound".

[Tim Leiter]

I don't like bowls with the bark and voids. Some of them, even ones I see on this site, look to me like pieces of wood I would throw away. I understand there is a challenge in turning such pieces but I like a smooth, clean well proportioned piece with a nice finish with no bark or holes. Just because it is difficult to turn, does not make it a piece I care for. JMO

[Alan Trout]

The bigger and the more holes and voids the more I like it. Being I do mostly casting I will make pieces out of things most would burn.

Alan