# spalted maple



## Mr.Hunt (Jul 28, 2012)

had this beautiful spalted maple blank that was sittin around. I had this old timer ask me recently why i turned one of my bowls so thick. i told him that is was partly lack of skill and partly because that bowl called for a thicker wall. mostly lack of skill tho well this one is for him.


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 29, 2012)

Nice work! IMO wall thickness is up to the maker, I don't get too hung up on it. Actually I like a little thicker wall for a user bowl, thin is nice to look at and for artsy fartsy display stuff. I have a shelf in my house that a bunch of my turnings are on and my cat likes to get up there and knock them off for fun, he hasn't broken any yet and they fall about 4' to a hard floor. Wall thickness is kinda determined by the piece. Thin is a good skill builder though and you did very good with this one. But don't feel bad about doing turnings that are a little thicker, just have fun! Let the piece talk to you and become what it want's to. Don't let your peers intimidate you or make you feel bad about your work because of wall thickness, just have fun!


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## NYWoodturner (Jul 29, 2012)

Great job on the bowl. Thats a gorgeous piece of wood and you did it justice. +1 to what Greg said. Couldn't have said it better. Your bowl, your design, your decision. 
Scott


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## DKMD (Jul 29, 2012)

Neat stuff! They say thin walls are just to impress other turners… Now that you've done that, you can make them like you like them. Nice curve on that piece!


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## Dennis Ford (Jul 29, 2012)

That is a very nice bowl, clearly you know how to turn them thin when you want to.


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## West River WoodWorks (Jul 29, 2012)

SUPER!
You brought out the grain wonderfully!
Tom


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## Vern Tator (Jul 29, 2012)

Very nice, it is my favorite of your work that I have seen so far.   Wall thickness is always up to the turner, but I think that experience will eventually guide you. I went through a thin phase in the 90's and thin was in, but my form suffered. Thin will not make a poor design look better. One of my favorite pieces in recent years was similar to yours in form, about 5" diameter and I left it 3/8" think. It was thicker than I would normally make that size bowl, but I love it, maybe because the thickness is very consistent though the piece. IMHO consistent wall thickness in more important the thick or thin.


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## DavidDobbs (Jul 29, 2012)

very nice ............................... I dont get the whole thin thing. Sure I turn thin sometimes but that is what that blank had in it.

Dave


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## Dusty (Jul 29, 2012)

That's a great looking spalded maple bowl. I just got a bowl blank, but my little lathe won't handle it. I'm not sure how I'm going to turn it, but I'll find a way... Here's a photo of what my bowl blank looks like now.

[attachment=8432]

The log is about 38" in diameter and 30' long. It's spalded and still firm. I cut off a piece and it's figured too. It's red maple and the heart wood is a lot darker than sugar maple. I like it much better for gunstocks than hard maple.


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## Mr.Hunt (Jul 29, 2012)

first of all, the guy is an old timer that came around the shop i used to work at so lets take it easy on him. he was a little wierd but i think he just wanted to challenge me. dont get me wrong, i turn what i want to 3rd, what i feel like 2nd, and what the wood gives me first lol. i was just trying a new technique on this one and this maple was dry so it let me turn it thin. hey dusty, i prefer red maple as well. it has a nice cream color and the heart almost always seems to be smaller than the silver maple. what is it that you guys call sugar maple??? i know soft maple to be either red or silver and that there is hard maple where is live.which one is sugar???


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## Mike Jones (Aug 1, 2012)

Very nicely done!


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