# Hackberry bowl



## Janx Spirit (Nov 28, 2021)

I wanted to share some pics of a bowl I made out of half of the piece of Hackberry I got from @Albert Kiebert (thank you, sir!). I'm quite pleased with the results, though I am a newbie, and a bit self conscious posting my work alongside some of the truly amazing pieces turned by members of this community!

I ended up rough turning it, then stabilizing it in Cactus Juice. Turned it to final size and finished with home mixed 1 lb shellac and a visit with the Beall's buffers.

I'd welcome any pointers or feedback!

Reactions: Like 4 | EyeCandy! 9 | Way Cool 6


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## T. Ben (Nov 28, 2021)

Looks fantastic,you did a great job on it.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 3


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## William Tanner (Nov 28, 2021)

Nicely done. Fun to gaze at.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Mike Hill (Nov 28, 2021)

No pointers - just accolades!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## trc65 (Nov 28, 2021)

Great job! No criticism from me, it's a very nicely shaped bowl and a beautiful piece of wood.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## JerseyHighlander (Nov 28, 2021)

Beautifully done. You have no reason to be self conscious, be proud.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## DLJeffs (Nov 28, 2021)

Newbie?? Nonsense. That's gorgeous and can hold its own in any company. Love hackberry.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Nature Man (Nov 28, 2021)

Think it is the best Hackberry bowl I've seen! Really 1st class! Chuck

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## phinds (Nov 28, 2021)

TERRIFIC !

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## 2feathers Creative Making (Nov 29, 2021)

Janx Spirit said:


> I wanted to share some pics of a bowl I made out of half of the piece of Hackberry I got from @Albert Kiebert (thank you, sir!). I'm quite pleased with the results, though I am a newbie, and a bit self conscious posting my work alongside some of the truly amazing pieces turned by members of this community!
> 
> I ended up rough turning it, then stabilizing it in Cactus Juice. Turned it to final size and finished with home mixed 1 lb shellac and a visit with the Beall's buffers.
> 
> ...



How many more pointers you want?
Was the shellac finish to harden or just your choice of finish? How did the rough turn / stabilize routine work? Did it seem to penetrate fully? And how long did you let it soak? 
I believe, as a "newbie" you may have gotten ahead of most of the crowd here with that sequence.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Janx Spirit (Nov 29, 2021)

Wow - thanks for the kind words, everyone.

On the stabilization, I turned it down to less than an inch thick. It wasn't punky exactly, but it seemed like with all that spalting it might hold up better if I stabilized it. I weighted it down and put it under vacuum for at least 24 hours, then let it soak for quite a while after that again. It didn't float any more, and had that "substantial" feeling once it was cooked. Dense and permanent. I don't know if it penetrated all the way through, but it turned like stabilized wood does, and seemed to polish up well.

Shellac was just my choice for it, but I have a lot to learn about finishes. I like that it's not toxic. I usually put a few coats on, then sand to a really high grit, repeat. I'm never entirely satisfied with the results of my finishes because I always see the imperfections. But since I got the buffing kit, that has helped with the final look a lot.

I sometimes use tried and true, and I have tried friction polish once or twice, but that works better on very small bowls or pens and stuff


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## ironman123 (Nov 29, 2021)

That is a fantastic looking bowl. Love that spalted hackberry. Great job.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Barb (Nov 29, 2021)

That’s a beautiful bowl!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Karl_TN (Nov 29, 2021)

Very nice done. The only small suggestion is one that I’ve heard several times between turners. Remove any signs of how the bowl was mounted for turning. Consider turning off most of the footing (as long as it doesn’t create a funnel), and then round over any ledges left so it doesn’t look like the bowl ready to remount in a chuck.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Janx Spirit (Nov 29, 2021)

Thanks for that tip, Karl. I do not have a great system for getting perfect bases, and it remains a frustrating part of the process for me in terms of final results. I use a flat board mounted to a faceplate...functionally like a Cole chuck, but without pegs, and I bring up the tailstock. The tailstock definitely does not allow me the access I would like to get it perfect, or even to really access the entire base. Also it's incredibly tricky to get it perfectly centered, no matter how carefully I mark the center when shaping the tenon.

I thought maybe a Cole chuck would be a good purchase, but I read a lot of comments from people who don't like them and say they don't hold well enough. Also they don't help with live edge bowls, which I do a lot. 

Am I wrong about Cole chucks, or are there ways other than a Cole chuck to hold a bowl securely while finishing the base? (Please tell me the only way to do it right is with a Robust lathe...I need a good excuse to upgrade  )


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## ScoutDog (Nov 29, 2021)

Hi @Janx Spirit I'm not a turner, but I watch a lot of it on YouTube, and I hope to become one someday. (What kind of lathe do you recommend?)
Anyway, I'm a big fan of Oliver Gomis on YouTube. He's very creative and makes excellent videos. He recently posted one where he removes the tenon on a big bowl using a Forstner bit and a table-mounted router with a creative "jig" apparently purpose-built for the application. Here's the video link: 






Around *the 7-minute mark* is where he shows how he removes the tenon without the lathe on an otherwise finished bowl. Perhaps there's something there you could imitate? 
Good luck with things!
Stay well,
--JB

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Janx Spirit (Nov 29, 2021)

I really like his videos too, but I had not seen that trick before. Cool! He has quite a setup.


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## Nubsnstubs (Nov 29, 2021)

@Janx Spirit, if you want something to aid you in safely removing tenons completely between centers, go to my website and check out my Tail Stock Steady. It's in my signature at the bottom of this post. There are a bunch of WB'ers that have it and they should chime in if they are using theirs. 
That's a pretty nice looking bowl. I have some spalted Hackberry I got in Missouri that looks like it's from the same tree. It's beautiful wood for sure...... .......... Jerry (in Tucson)

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Jolie0708 (Nov 29, 2021)

Beautiful!!!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Karl_TN (Nov 29, 2021)

Janx Spirit said:


> Thanks for that tip, Karl. I do not have a great system for getting perfect bases, and it remains a frustrating part of the process for me in terms of final results. I use a flat board mounted to a faceplate...functionally like a Cole chuck, but without pegs, and I bring up the tailstock. The tailstock definitely does not allow me the access I would like to get it perfect, or even to really access the entire base. Also it's incredibly tricky to get it perfectly centered, no matter how carefully I mark the center when shaping the tenon.
> 
> I thought maybe a Cole chuck would be a good purchase, but I read a lot of comments from people who don't like them and say they don't hold well enough. Also they don't help with live edge bowls, which I do a lot.
> 
> Am I wrong about Cole chucks, or are there ways other than a Cole chuck to hold a bowl securely while finishing the base? (Please tell me the only way to do it right is with a Robust lathe...I need a good excuse to upgrade  )



I use a cole jaws on most flat rimmed bowls and platters. Just keep the tail stock engaged until the near the end to carefully remove the little nub in the center. Also, make sure the screws are tight and keep the speed down when using cole jaws. 

Here’s another method that is cheap, and can also work with Jerry’s device:

Reactions: Useful 1


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## Albert Kiebert (Nov 29, 2021)

I like what you got out of the piece, Very nice shape and I am glad the sparring coloration came thru on the finished piece.
For the slightly punky wood like this I have been finish sanding with Danish oil and then using an old oil soaked rag to friction finish.


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## Barb (Nov 29, 2021)

Janx Spirit said:


> Thanks for that tip, Karl. I do not have a great system for getting perfect bases, and it remains a frustrating part of the process for me in terms of final results. I use a flat board mounted to a faceplate...functionally like a Cole chuck, but without pegs, and I bring up the tailstock. The tailstock definitely does not allow me the access I would like to get it perfect, or even to really access the entire base. Also it's incredibly tricky to get it perfectly centered, no matter how carefully I mark the center when shaping the tenon.
> 
> I thought maybe a Cole chuck would be a good purchase, but I read a lot of comments from people who don't like them and say they don't hold well enough. Also they don't help with live edge bowls, which I do a lot.
> 
> Am I wrong about Cole chucks, or are there ways other than a Cole chuck to hold a bowl securely while finishing the base? (Please tell me the only way to do it right is with a Robust lathe...I need a good excuse to upgrade  )


I use a Longworth chuck and the Tailstock Steady for flat rimmed bowls. For live edge I use the bowl chucker pad from craft supplies usa and the Tailstock steady.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Barb (Nov 29, 2021)

I will admit that I used to forget that I had the tailstock steady until after the fact. Out of sight, out of mind syndrome. Then I left it out and now I use it all the time.


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## Nubsnstubs (Nov 29, 2021)

Barb said:


> I use a Longworth chuck and the Tailstock Steady for flat rimmed bowls. For live edge I use the bowl chucker pad from craft supplies usa and the Tailstock steady.


Thanks Barb, for your comments about my TSS. It's encouraging to see a description of how some are using it. Using it with the Longworth Chuck is just about as safe as you can get, but it's, the LWC is not really needed. ................. Jerry (in Tucson)

Reactions: Like 1


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## Nubsnstubs (Nov 29, 2021)

Barb said:


> I will admit that I used to forget that I had the tailstock steady until after the fact. Out of sight, out of mind syndrome. Then I left it out and now I use it all the time.


I wished I had seen that post before I posted mine above. I'm glad to hear you are using it, hopefully faithfully. hehehee..... Jerry (in Tucson)

Reactions: Like 1


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## trc65 (Nov 29, 2021)

I don't have that fancy pad that Barb uses(but I'm going to get one), but do my natural edge bowls much the same, just turn a piece of wood to fit the inside and use the TSS. On flat rimmed bowls I will usually just wedge them on a flat piece of MDF that I cut a small recess to fit the rim - bring the TSS up and good to go.

P.S. Dont tell Jerry, but I also have Cole jaws that I sometimes use on smaller bowls

Bottom line, its a good to have options (and tools) that fit a variety of bowls/situations.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 3


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