Salad Bowls with epoxy filled voids or cracks

[Ricc Havens]

OK - let me start by saying that I'm pretty sure it's not a good idea but I'm gonna ask anyway.

I have a 14" diam walnut salad bowl rough turned. It has come beautiful figure. But a bark inclusion went in way deeper than expected.

With all these river tables people are making with wood and epoxy pours it made me wonder if that might be a viable option. Some of these tables I have seen have the voids in the table filled with colored epoxy, then sanded and finished with poly. Others I have seen where they coat the entire table with epoxy as the final finish. Yet, I never hear of any bonding failures due to wood movement between the wood & epoxy.

But with a salad bowls usually finished with a walnut or other food safe oil and washed and dried after use I was concerned about the amount of potential wood movement.

Has anyone had any experience long term with filling voids or cracks with colored resin/epoxy specifically on salad bowls?

Thanks
Ricc

[Dave Mount]

Never had a problem. Epoxy will soften with extreme heat but not the kind of heat that comes from dishwater you could put your hands in.

Epoxy covered wood is considered a food safe finish by restaurant health inspectors here in MN.

Best,

Dave

[Rob Luter]

I did this with a walnut charcuterie board. It worked well.

[Richard Coers]

Long term has always been my reason for ignoring the process. That and I don't like plastic. The only filling I have done is a mixture of used coffee grounds and epoxy. It gives a mottled color look and not a solid plastic look. So far, you've gotten no long term experience references. Good question that you posted. I think it will be tough to find anyone who has done it for 5 years. I have my Grandmother's working kitchen wood bowl with the radius knife she used to cut cabbage in it. She came to America in 1903 and died in 1960. No idea when she got it, but we could use it right now.

[Peter Blair]

I have turned several items with wood and epoxy. Not a fan of the stringy things that wind up around everywhere. I have only used pre-stabalazed wood BUT in every piece I have done eventually I can feel the difference when expansion and contraction takes place. They still 'look' great but the hand feel is off.

[Neil Strong]

I think it will be tough to find anyone who has done it for 5 years.

I have been using two part epoxy for filling voids and cracks for decades.

It is stable, but wood never is. When the wood moves it can leave a sharp epoxy edge. I minimise this by turning to final size, leaving to allowing the pieces to do any further drying, stress relief and moving, then epoxy and finish.

Sometimes I do a second application of epoxy if there is further movement.

Epoxy work has been one of the main stays of my turning colleague, Brendan Stemp...

https://mobile.twitter.com/bwoodwork...48409394823168

[Neil Strong]

[QUOTE=Neil Strong;3217831]I minimise this by turning to final size, leaving to allowing the pieces to do any further drying, stress relief and moving, then epoxy and finish.
/QUOTE]

Here is a piece that I turned six months ago that was left and just ready now for epoxy application. It may still move after this but probably less so...

Hollow form epoxy application.jpg

Salad bowls that will go through repeated wet and dry cycles will continue to move, as does wood between the wet and dry seasons of the year, but the biggest movement is from green to seasoned.

[Doug Garson]

Don't know why anyone would immerse a wooden salad bowl in hot dishwater. Wipe with a soapy dishcloth, quick rinse and set aside to dry.

[Ricc Havens]

Neil - thanks for the input from your long term experience.

Doug - with the regular salad bowls I have sold or given as gifts in the past I always tell them not to immerse it. But, you can never guarantee they won't listen to you. No matter how many times I tell her not to - My wife to this day will scrub out a cast iron skillet instead of letting it build a a well seasoned coating from normal use.