Hollow question

[Tony Sizemore]

Well this goes beyond Hollow forms really it has to do with burls and natural edges also but it is the same question for both. How do you handle them? What I mean is do you rough them in, dry them and then return them like you do a green bowl or do you just go for it and hold you breath?
I have been really lucky in the past few months in that I have turned a bunch a green stuff and not lost all of them, but I just can not believe that you guys are doing this way with beautiful stuff you coming up with so help me out here.

[Barbara Gill]

You can do either. I often will boil cherry burl bowls. I often rough turn hollow forms and let them dry before finishng. I have also had very good luck with soaking in denatured alcohol especially when I am in a hurry to have them dry.

[Jim Becker]

I generally turn my hollow forms start-to-finish without roughing.

[David Fried]

While we are on Hollow Form questions, I have one.

Can someone define Hollow Form for me?

When I think of HF I think of the pieces that have an opening at the top the size of pin but I have seen bowls that are described as HF. Is it simply a question of the maximum diameter of a piece not being the opening at the top? Thanks.

[Jim Becker]

Can someone define Hollow Form for me?

When I think of HF I think of the pieces that have an opening at the top the size of pin but I have seen bowls that are described as HF. Is it simply a question of the maximum diameter of a piece not being the opening at the top?

This is a subjective thing, David. Bowls with a rim that is canted inward could technically be considered a "hollow form", but most folks use the term for something that has a substantially larger proportion of the interior "hidden" by the exterior. Where is the point that you move from "bowl" to "hollow form"...pick one. For me, it's at the point that the object no longer really resembles a bowl...and that's a moving target! (Study some SW pottery books to get ideas for hollow forms, too...great resources!)

[Kurt Rosenzweig]

I'm with Jim on this one! I turn from blank to completion. Sometimes I'll take a couple days to complete one so I wrap the peice in a plastic bag right on the lathe in between sessions. The thinner you get it the less movement you'll get and the less chance of it going south on you. Just my opinion, but it works for me!