Heavy Duty

[David DeCristoforo]

I received this piece of cherry burl about a year ago from Roger Chandler. It's been lurking around trying to tell me what it wanted to become ever since. I had considered a number of options. Maybe one or two of my "amphora" pieces or, possibly, a natural edge bowl. Right after I got the new motor and VFD set up on my bowl lathe, the piece of burl crawled out from under my workbench and volunteered to become the reconfigured lathe's first victim. The problem was, I wanted to make a bowl, not a spindly pedestal form. This chunk of burl was full of deep inclusions that would result in voids in the bowl walls if it was mounted "bark side up". I decided to flip it around. That way, I could get the maximum depth for the bowl. This created another problem in that the tenon was a bit "loosy goosey", being comprised mostly of bark. Slow going on the inside!. Even so, it started to get a bit wonkky because the chuck was crushing the barky tenon. Even with as thick as I made the walls, I still cut into the inclusions! I had to fill one pretty good sized gash in the inside. One thing is certain. It's definitely not thin! 10" in diameter X 5" deep with walls at about 1.5".

heavy_duty_1.jpg


PS I am happy to report that the lathe with the 3hp motor and VFD is working like a charm. Plenty of power, the Vicmark tool rest is solid as a rock and the VFD is working without a hitch.

[Roger Chandler]

I wondered whatever became of that burl, David. Glad you brought it to life! I also am glad you made it on the concrete monster! All that being said, I wish it had been a pristine burl without the bark inclusions...........but you made the figure shine on it. Thanks for posting this.........nicely done!

[Sid Matheny]

Good to see something off the concrete monster and a nice job to boot!


Sid

[robert baccus]

Very nice bowl and killer wood. Sometimes a piece of wood wants to look massive. Any woman will tell you--thin is overrated.

[Harry Robinette]

DD glad to hear the lathe is up and running hope to see more.The bowl came out really sweet. Now just keep everthing
going. By the way how are you enjoying the concrete lathe does the mass from the concrete seam different ?

[charlie knighton]

very nice DD, glad got your lathe up

[Pat Scott]

I like what you did on the inside, the black contrasts nicely with the natural outside. Is it just dye?

[Peter Blair]

Just beautiful David. I too like the contrast but the bead . . . . oh ya!!!!

[David DeCristoforo]

"...the black contrasts nicely with the natural outside. Is it just dye?"

All of the voids and imperfections on the inside was filled and then it was painted flat black.

"...the concrete lathe does the mass from the concrete seam different ?"

Oh yes! Very solid even though an out of round blank will get it moving if spun too fast! I think this is more because my floor is just plywood over 2X4 sleepers laid on the concrete patio. If the lathe were sitting on solid concrete I think it would be even more solid.