15" Box Elder Bowl

[Bob Bergstrom]

One of our club members had two box elders to take down last December. We harvested over 60 bowl blanks from those trees. This one has some birds eye, quilted grain and red in it. I beaded the rim using a 3/8" spindle gouge. The beads are progressively larger as they descend into the bowl. Wood was pretty friendly and took only about 3 hours to turn and sand out. It is about 4" deep, oiled and lacquer for the finish.

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[Brian Kent]

Stunning wood and a fine, fine job.

[Steve Doerr]

Very well done Bob. I like your use of increasing bead size on the inside of the bowl. Very nice looking box elder.

[Dennis Nagle]

I like it!

[robert baccus]

Really nice bowl and super wood. Will the beads make it a display bowl??

[Mike Goetzke]

Bob - I really like your bowls. The beading is a great touch. I'm a new turner that needs to find more time at the lathe but I have some wood that I want to attempt making a bowl about this size (after I practice more on some smaller ones). How did you hold the bowl when you finished the bottom?

(I met you once when I visited your club. Some day I'll have to join so I can watch you turn.)


Thanks,

Mike

[Bob Bergstrom]

Bob - I really like your bowls. The beading is a great touch. I'm a new turner that needs to find more time at the lathe but I have some wood that I want to attempt making a bowl about this size (after I practice more on some smaller ones). How did you hold the bowl when you finished the bottom?

(I met you once when I visited your club. Some day I'll have to join so I can watch you turn.)


Thanks,

Mike

Mike, I used a vacuum chuck. It consists of a vacuum pump, a hose running into the spindle of the head stock. A 4" plastic pipe with a rubber gasket is attached to a fase plate. When the pump is turned on it sucks the interior of the bowl to the chuck and allows me to turn the bottom. We have them on a number of lathes at the club. We are still open Weds nights and Sat. mornings. Come on over and I'll show you.

[Eric Gourieux]

Another nice one, Bob. I really like your "signature" beading around the foot.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Another nice one, Bob. I really like your "signature" beading around the foot.

Thanks Eric, beading with a pointed gouge becomes relatively easy when the point is kept at the center line. I use a pull cut to shear the foot side of the bead and then roll the other half using the point of the tool. The cove portion is cut with handle low and the point vertical and just touching the wood. All is done taking off very little wood.

[Eric Gourieux]

You've got that down. It looks clean and crisp.