Bowl #6

[Timothy Mann]

Turned from ambrosia maple blank I bought from a local store last summer. About "7 1/2 x "1 1/2, fairly shallow but the blank was only "2 thick and I had some issues getting it rock solid on the chuck after roughing it in so I lost some thickness trying to square it up. C&C are always welcome.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice looking bowl and wood.

[Thomas Canfield]

Nice looking #6. You have a nice bottom and finish. The tight radius at the inside bottom is a lot more difficult that a larger radius, especially as you go deeper. With dry stock, you can always glue on a glue block to use for a tenon and use almost all of the high $$ stock in your turning. Glue blocks do not work well on green wood because of the shrinkage problem. Some will use medium or thick CA to glue on a block, but I like to use Titebond or other glue and give it plenty of time to set, especially if one is prone to having an occasional catch or get too aggressive.

[Doug W Swanson]

Looks great! Love the color in the wood....

[Mike Cruz]

Timmothy, I have to grin at this. For a couple of reasons...

There really is nothing "wrong" with this bowl that I can see. I don't see tool marks, I don't see sanding marks, and the finish looks nice. The only thing left to comment on is form. And this is what makes me grin...

Usually, when turners start out, they make steep sided bowls. I don't know why. I probably did, too. Eventually, most of us get into a more gradual curve, a continuous curve that is part of a circle. That curve is different with almost each bowl in that it depends on the diameter AND depth of the bowl. Whether you turn a foot or not, the curve would continue from one side of the bowl to the other. Okay, that said, that is what many/most TURNERS evolve to doing. Why? I'm not sure. It is because that is what we, as turners, start to like in "form"? Is it because that is "better" form? Again, what makes me grin is that, as a new turner, this is what you "saw". And in many ways, as a new turner, you are more "in tune" and more "like" a customer or an actual buyer than most of us that have been turning for longer.

My point is that many of us that make that continuous curve bowl are doing it because we understand the "form". Yet, if you put a bowl with a continuous curve next to the bowl you just did, "most" turners would like the continuous curve. HOWEVER, your bowl might sell easier with all else being equal because most buyers aren't turners, and therefore might see your form as more "what they want".

I'm going into "why" I grinned because you asked for C&C. My C&C is that the sides are too steep. But that is the critique of a turner, not a buyer. If you put this bowl DSCF1156 - Copy - Copy.jpg next to yours at a party, your's may be the favorite because of its usefullness, utilitarianism, or other preference. If you put them side by side at a turner's symposium, you might get different results.

I am NOT a turning guru. I do not claim to be. I don't claim to be better than you. Since you have done 6 (or at least at the point of this bowl you had), I can say I've done more. But that doesn't intrinsically make me better. More experience with them, yes. But you an I could have booths next to one another at a craft fair and you could sell out, and I may be stuck with a lot of inventory. My point, is that this isn't a bad bowl. Even if the form is/may not be what turners look for, that doesn't make it bad. That you finished it well means way more. Keep paying attention to the finish (removing tool marks, sanding marks, and a nice crisp, clean, smooth finish), and then no one can tell you that what you did was "bad" only that they don't "prefer" that style or form.

Keep turning, and showing us your work!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Timothy - for bowl #6, I think you did pretty good! I am not seeing any tearout or sanding marks and the finish looks good! Turning bowls is always an experiment in form - especially when we first start out. Have fun with it and don't be afraid to play with the rules! You have to turn a bunch of them to see what works for you!

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Save this bowl. Don't give it away. It will be an important benchmark for you in upcoming years. Turning is a journey Tim. Every once in a while it is fun to look back at where we've been. You did a nice job on this bowl. You will do even better on the next and so forth.
faust

[Dan Beckman]

Tim, you and I are at about the same area of the "newbie" curve as I have just finished my 5th bowl. I have yet to make one without sanding marks. It appears this bowl has a nice finish without sanding marks. I also like the way you finished the base. Nice job all around!! I read all the discussion on here about "form" and while I get the concept, at this point in the learning curve I'm still learning the basics like eliminating catches, getting a good tool grind etc. etc. I hope someday to get to the point where I can worry about "form".

[Pat Scott]

I've made a lot of small bowls like your #6, they work great as candy dishes. In some respects this shape is harder to make because of the abrupt curve. Getting a smooth even flow from the straight sides to a smooth bottom can be a challenge at times. Sanding a sharp inside curve like that so you don't leave sanding marks also takes a little more attention as well. Nicely done.

My critique is when you sign the bottom I would write a little smaller. Not super small, just don't feel like you need to fill up the whole foot. Also if you ever plan on giving away or selling your work, I would not number them. Is it the 6th bowl you made in 2012, or the 6th bowl you've ever made? You're telling everyone that you're still a beginner. If you never tell them they'll never know, and your end product doesn't look like a beginners. Let them buy based on the finished product, not a preconceived notion of your skill level. Maybe that's just me. If you don't plan on selling, it doesn't matter if you number them or not.

[Timothy Mann]

Thank you to all that have commented here. Mike, I am very glad you took the time to give me your input the way you have, thank you. I have studied "form"
for hours on end it seems. But when the time comes to put steel to the wood my plans usualy go out the window. I am still trying to learn how to translate what is in my minds eye into the block of wood mounted in front of me on the lathe. I imagine this is the same for most if not all turners or any artist for that matter. But with every piece of wood that I turn I become more comfortable with the tools, the lathe, and the wood in front of me. I know which direction I want to go with my turning, but time will tell if the direction I want it to go is where I end up with it. I do have one of my first hollow vessels completed now, the finish is curing at the moment. I will post some photos of that once it is cured and buffed. I enjoy every aspect of turning that I have tried so far, including the pens I have completed this week, finished 3 more today but will post those tomorrow.

[Mike Cruz]

You are absolutley welcome, Timothy. I was hoping you would see my post for what it was, and not read into it wrong. The way I see it, while we all love a pat on the back, it doesn't help us grow. My comments were not so much bashing your bowl, rather trying to give you my opinion and maybe help you learn. I look forward to seeing more of your stuff!

[Thom Sturgill]

Nice bowl, nice finish , 6th or 60th. I will agree about the numbering comment, I do place the date. I WISH that I had started a log describing each bowl and who it went to . I have no idea at this point how many I have turned or where they all went and I don't sell any. I would strongly recommend to all new turners that they create such a log and list all turned items. Then if you want, use a line number from the log as part of the marking. If you do this on computer, you can link to a picture of the item.

[Scott Hackler]

Nice bowl Timothy. Mike touched on a few points regarding form. Not that there is something wrong with that shape, it's just a difficult one to "pull off" and ALL new turners do steep wall bowls. I did a bunch of them and remember how difficult getting the wall to bottom transition was. So as your moving deeper into the turning vortex, try to refine the outside profile of your bowls first. Then start working towards hollowing out the inside using the single pass method (rim to center) without stopping in between. Eventually you'll find your comfort zone and the inside curve will follow and match the outside curve. Besides the fact that the bowls are easier to turn and sand with smooth curves....it's a lot more fun to turn them without worrying about cutting through the bowl at the transition area of a steep wall vessel!


Keep up the good work and if you haven't heard it before, do NOT give away or sell your first bowl. That one is for you and a mark of your starting point in your turning!