# Wood Pile Bowl?



## Ben Holt (Apr 1, 2016)

Hey Guys. Wanted to see if one can turn a successful bowl from, more or less, fire wood. I wanted to try my first real bowl this evening. Went out where I had some decent size ash logs. Split it down the middle, removing the pith. Roughed it out a bit with the chainsaw and strapped to the lathe. It took me forever to get the outside roughed out but I got the outside ready for sanding. One thing I noticed was there were some checks on one side. Don't know if I should just scrap it or not. I tried filling the cracks with CA but don't know how successful that will be. Also if I don't scrap it, should I dry it somehow? (Microwave). If u guys need pics, I will try to get them tomorrow. Thx for the help.


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## ripjack13 (Apr 1, 2016)

Pix...front, back, and sides...
How wet is the wood? Fresh cut? Or seasoned?

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Dennis Ford (Apr 2, 2016)

Cracks in a blank need to be looked at closely, there are two issues.
One is appearance, that is mostly personal choice. If you are going to fill cracks for appearance, it is best to wait until the bowl is finished and dry so the cracks don't get bigger after they are filled.
The other issue is safety, a blank coming apart while spinning is a huge hazard. Personally I do NOT trust CA (or any other glue) to hold a piece together when used to fill a crack. I have turned pieces after inlaying a patch across a crack (some call this a dutchman). Most of the time, a crack that looks like it has any chance of separating the blank while spinning is reason enough to NOT turn that wood. That does not mean that I don't turn wood with voids / cracks, just that I use my best judgement on whether the wood will stay together AND stay out of "line of fire" in case my judgement was wrong.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ben Holt (Apr 2, 2016)

Here r a couple pics. Kinda bummed. @ripjack13

Reactions: EyeCandy! 1


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## bamafatboy (Apr 2, 2016)

Those look like pith cracks to me, you turn it around on the lathe and hollow out the inside, but be very careful, it can fly apart on you. I have a walnut bowl that was cracked the same way. After I let it dry in a bag of shaving for about six months, I put it back on the lathe and finished turning it. The cracks were still there after I Finished turning it, kinda looks like spider webs, was going to trash it, but my daughter decided that we wanted it. So she carried it home with her. I usually dry my bowls by placing them in a brown paper bag filled with the shavings that came from the bowl after rough turning it, then place on a shelf in house for 4 - 6 months then finish turning it.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## ripjack13 (Apr 2, 2016)

Well...there is quite a few. How much super glue do you have? I bought some huge bottles on ebay for $20 or so...
I would take it outside and soak it....

@barry richardson or 
@Schroedc 
Might have ideas also...


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## Schroedc (Apr 2, 2016)

Looks like that log was pretty checked before you started turning, Using CA to fill cracks only works well if the wood is dry although I prefer an epoxy or polyester resin, If that log was green at all or even just high MC from sitting outside it's going to continue to move and crack on you probably. I hate to say it but I'd probably scrap that piece and start over. if you cut further down the log can you get pieces without any checking? 

if you can get a check free block and If that wood is still wet, after roughing it out inside and outside (Leave the walls thick and don't worry about sanding) Put it in a paper bag surrounded by the shavings that came off when you turned it. Let it sit it a nice cool dry area for a couple months and see what happens once it's dry. Another option is to rough out, coat with anchor seal and store a while but if you don't have anchor seal the bag works reasonably well. 

After it's dry, put back on the lathe, true it up, turn the walls to desired thickness, sand and finish and Bob's your uncle. If you want bowls from start to finish in one sitting you need to probably pick up some dry bowl blanks instead of starting from logs.

Reactions: Like 2


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## barry richardson (Apr 2, 2016)

Not to be a downer, but I would toss it and grab another piece. All turning is good turning, as far as building skills, so chalk it up to practice, and find another blank. Oak is kinda of a tough choice for starting out in bowls, got any maple or cherry?

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Ben Holt (Apr 2, 2016)

Thx guys. Ill scrap this one. It is ash. Maybe ill get some anchor seal and try to process some of the ash and oak i have and then let it sit to dry.

Reactions: Useful 1


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## duncsuss (Apr 7, 2016)

Ben, it's much easier to turn green (wet) wood than dry, but there are a couple of guidelines to avoid problems.

1) decide beforehand, are you going to "rough turn/let it dry/finish turn" the piece (aiming to get a round bowl) or are you going to turn it all the way while wet and allow it to deform as it dries out?

2) once you start, do not stop. The reason wood cracks is the cells along the outside surface dry, causing it to shrink, but the middle is still full of moisture -- result = cracks. A lot less cracking once the inside is removed.

3) if you have to stop for any reason (bathroom break, phone call, lunch) wrap the piece to prevent the surface from drying out. I sometimes use a plastic bag with a handful of wet shavings and an elastic band to hold it closed around the chuck. (Kitchen wrap would be an alternative.) Even a couple of minutes is enough to get cracks started, and even if it's wrapped well I've had them crack when I left them overnight.

4) aim for a uniform wall thickness -- this reduces the different shrinkage rates, hopefully reducing the chances of it cracking while it dries. The thickness to aim for depends on what you chose in step 1.

5) if I'm going to let it dry then turn it again to true the form, I generally go for wall thickness 10% of the rim diameter.

6) if I'm going all the way in one sitting, I try to get the walls a uniform thickness of 1/4" or less. To do this, I shape the outside first, then hollow the inside in steps, going to final wall thickness about an inch at a time then stepping down into the next inch, etc. Resist the temptation to "go back over" an area near the rim -- it *will* have deformed, and a catch is guaranteed ... bye-bye bowl ...

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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