# My first bowl (pic heavy)



## DavidWayne1971 (Dec 25, 2011)

Back home with the folks for the holidays, and found an old oak branch about 9" round in the field next to my sisters house. I figured Id give it a shot and see what happened. Ive had to fight my sister and my mother off of it. This is my first and is going home with me :biggrin:.


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## Wingdoctor (Dec 25, 2011)

For a first bowl that is great! Great job and a very nice piece of oak. 

Bruce


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## DSallee (Dec 25, 2011)

WoW!! Nice first bowl! love the look and finish! Good job!!


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## phillywood (Dec 25, 2011)

For a first bowl that realy looks nice, but I don't think you have oak there or wich part of Houston you got that from? It looks different than the oaks I have seen around S. TX.


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## hilltopper46 (Dec 25, 2011)

Very nice.  And turned end grain as well - not always an easy job.


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## DavidWayne1971 (Dec 25, 2011)

Thank yall so much for the replies. Im back home in Louisiana for the holidays, and it is definatley an oak tree, but the branch fell off no telling how long ago.. most of it was starting to rot away. I dont know if it was the rot, or fungus or what caused the darkness of the wood. Im hoping to get a bit more tomorrow for future projects.


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## DavidWayne1971 (Dec 26, 2011)

Since my sister raised so much h-e-double hockey sticks over this bowl, I decided to turn a smaller one for her.... as usual, what I started to make was NOT the finished product. The edge had alot of rot in it so the diameter had to be shrunk way down, then it just started looking like a candle holder so I went with it. She was VERY happy when she opened her present this morning, but of course, now her friends are also wanting candle holders.


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## TellicoTurning (Dec 26, 2011)

phillywood said:


> For a first bowl that realy looks nice, but I don't think you have oak there or wich part of Houston you got that from? It looks different than the oaks I have seen around S. TX.



They have oaks in Houston... the bowl looks a lot like the spalted white(also called champion) oak I've found around here... it's a great looking bowl and pretty intricate for a first effort. Great shape and finish.


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## TellicoTurning (Dec 26, 2011)

DavidWayne1971 said:


> Thank yall so much for the replies. Im back home in Louisiana for the holidays, and it is definatley an oak tree, but the branch fell off no telling how long ago.. most of it was starting to rot away. I dont know if it was the rot, or fungus or what caused the darkness of the wood. Im hoping to get a bit more tomorrow for future projects.



The black is spalting where the fungus from laying on the ground started the rotting process... I have a pile of oak that I took from a friends house stacked in my shop area that looks just like yours... the tree here was called a champion oak or white oak... the tree was 52 inches at the base when it was cut... I only got limbs off it because the trunk was too big to handle... I actually ruined 3 chain saws trying to cut up the tree.


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## JimB (Dec 26, 2011)

Great job with your first. That's a beautiful piece of wood.

BTW, if you use a waste block between the faceplate and the bowl you will have more wood to work with.


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## rick roberson (Dec 26, 2011)

Thank yall again. Ive been turning pens and bottle stoppers for a couple of years now, this was my first attempt at something bigger. With the way the candle holder came out, I plan on making a few more out of the oak and with some sweetgum I found cut down next to my parents house. Ill probably end up giving them as late Xmas gifts to a few close friends back home in Houston that I wasnt able to buy anything for. Ive turned 2 candle holders and a couple bottle stoppers out of the gum so far and will post some pics as soon as I finish up the one Im working on now. I also want to say, that reading these forums has helped imensly. Im sure that without the info I found here the bowl and the candleholders would not have turned out as good as they did.


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## BSea (Dec 26, 2011)

DavidWayne1971 said:


> but of course, now her friends are also wanting candle holders.


 Sounds like a chance to get some money for future projects.  :wink:


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## bricketts528 (Dec 26, 2011)

I've also gotten a lot of ideas from this forum including candle holders! Beautiful job on these first time bowls - they look fabulous and also thanks for posting as now I have some new ideas!


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## rick roberson (Dec 26, 2011)

oops... just checked in and realized Im signed in on my dads puter... so the last response, and this one.... are from Davidwayne


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## phillywood (Dec 28, 2011)

TellicoTurning said:


> phillywood said:
> 
> 
> > For a first bowl that realy looks nice, but I don't think you have oak there or wich part of Houston you got that from? It looks different than the oaks I have seen around S. TX.
> ...


Chuck I know there are oak trees in Houston. From his pics they were not that clear to sistinguish about the blank. but, at closer look you are right it looks like spalted oak tree any ways.


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## bitshird (Dec 28, 2011)

Nice turning, White Oak isn't the easiest wood to turn, especially once it starts to spalt, but you sure did beautiful work , good jobs on both, .


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## Ruby pen turning (Dec 29, 2011)

That looks great. Very nice pc of wood and I love the shape!


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## robersonjr (Dec 30, 2011)

Those are some nice looking bowls there David, bet Joy is happy with hers. How did you like the new chisels? I sure like the ones I have, EWT sure makes some fine tools.  Robbie


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## 76winger (Dec 30, 2011)

Awesome looking fist bowl there! And I see it had a little bit of spalting going on, which also adds to the great appearance.


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## DavidWayne1971 (Dec 30, 2011)

Thanks Uncle Roger.... those chisels cut like a dream. Just need to get dad one of those s shaped chisel rests now...lol.  Dad and I went and cut some more off that oak limb and both times I tried to turn them, they blew apart on me. Now I have to replace the glass in the window behind the lathe and they took 2 hellacious chunks out of the ceiling... glad I was standing off to the side of them. There was a white fungus where both of the pieces split that couldnt be seen from the ends, so we are guessing the wood has just been sitting too long and I was lucky to get the pieces I did out of it. Ill post some more pics afterwhile of a few more pieces I turned this week, Im torn between loving sweetgum and being sick of working with it....lol.


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## robersonjr (Dec 30, 2011)

Just keep up the good work David, sweet gum is a beautiful wood but sure is a b$#^%$#* to work sometime, the grain just goes every direction. I don't ust that S shaped tool rest, I just like the straight ones. I think I am going to get one of those flat ones that I see at the Woodworkers Source. They look like something that could be easy to use. I may end up just making one depending on what the cost is.  Robbie


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## DavidWayne1971 (Dec 30, 2011)

What Ive been searching for, is anything showing how to keep the pink veins in the wood as long as possible... still havent found anything... I have to run with Joy and the girls over to Lisas house for a cookout, but I will post one pic of the sweetgum for now.... and I know its hard to tell from pics... but that is a 4" candle in there.


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## markgum (Dec 30, 2011)

WOW for your first bowl....  amazing... I really like the shape of it.


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## robersonjr (Dec 30, 2011)

The fact is David that the pink veins will always fade away reguardless of what you finish this with. Natural light will cause the pigment to change and in this case fade the beautiful red veins.  This is a very nice bowl.  Robbie


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