natural edge bowl question

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pete00

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methuen, massachusetts, USA.
howdy

question for you folks that turn natural edge bowls.

How long does the bark stay on the rim. Do you use anything like ca to keep it there.
Or do we just expect it to mostly fall off.

thanks.....pete
 
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OK, i've only just started turning natural edged bowls this winter so take what I say with a grain of salt. Anyways, what I've been told that if the tree is harvested in the winter then usually the bark will stay on. Otherwise I think its luck if it stays on.
 
CA will help keep it on. It depends on the wood. Some stay on and some don't. We have seen some that fall off if the wood is wet but same wood after some drying time it stays on. It is trial and error. Some say wood cut in the winter is better than summer and vice versa. Just keep a supply of thin CA nearby and soak it when you get close to the final thickness. I know, not much help am I.
 
I think it also depends on the species. I love turning natural edge bowls, but appears to be no real reason why some stay on and others don't. I have knocked off a small pieces that I would finally find on the floor and use CA to re-attach. Other times I just scrap all the bark off and do something different.
 
thanks for the info guess ill have to try my luck.

BTW Dario...........ive been meaning to talk to you about

Originally posted by Dario
<br />
Originally posted by pete00
<br />"Not much different than wives"

[:D][:D] before i was married i would have thought that was funny as heck....

but now im either too smart or too scared to make comments..
he'll find out what i was thinking......[:D][:D][:D]
Click to expand...

that was cute.....no wait.... im mad, you rotten kids have no respect for your elders.....
no wait.... what am i talking about...damn another senior moment ...oh ya i know nice to see you again dario take care
Click to expand...
 
LOL...joke only!!! [:D][}:)]

On natural edge...you are in luck...wood harvested the past 3 months are all good. Wait a few more weeks and sap will start flowing. Those will have super wet bark that will most likely fall off.
 
I have gotten 2 great pieces of advice from more experienced bowl turners on this.

One, do not get the bowl too thin. Why do a natural edge if you are not going to leave a thick enough edge to see the bark anyway.

Second, gouge out chunks of the bark before you start. If you think about it about 90 percent of the bark is in the center of the bowl and will be turned to sawdust. Collect some of that bark before you start the bowl and save it so you can GLUE IN NEW PIECES to fill the holes when it flies off. Christian Burchard taught me that and if you don't know who Christian is he is a very accomplished turner.
 
Here is a natural edge hard maple I turned a couple of years ago. I just put it top down on the scanner, sorry about the quality. It's 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 and 3 tall. The wall thickness is 3/32 thick. With the proper arch, the bark will show well at any thickness. Sharpen, sharpen, sharpen! Once you get it to thin, sharpen your gouge and thin it a little more. I've turned these when the bark and the wood is like rubber. As stated, you can cut it proper, but when you get to the bark, cut it towards the bowl.

2006234643_naturaledgemaple.jpg
 
Originally posted by Tea Clipper
<br />Those are nice looking bowls guys! Are the edges fragile? It looks to me like they would break off easily.. is that true?
Click to expand...

They are not fragile. As far as I know these still look the same and thay are still intact and this is more than 2 years old. Ofcourse I am not 100% certain now since these were given away to a family.

That said...the bark is still the weakest part of the bowl so proper care should be taken to minimize any form of impact.

If you are referring while it is being turned...yes, it could be tricky. As mentioned above you can do some things to increase your success rate.
a) use wood harvested during fall/winter
b) treat bark area with CA...esp as you get closer to final dimensions
c) Cut inwards the bowl to keep the cut supported.
d) Save bark prior to turning to fix any "oops" [:D]
e) choose wood that have "clingy bark" [;)]...sorry I don't have a list.
 
Allot of good tips.

One thing I do when a section of bark falls off and I can't find all the pieces to glue back together is to use coffee grounds and CA as a filler.
 
thanks for all the info........

i have a class tomorrow at the local rockler store to turn a natural edge, now i can go in and pretend i know what im doing..

although once i ask which end of the skew do i use... i think the cats out of the bag...
 
Originally posted by pete00
<br />thanks for all the info........

i have a class tomorrow at the local rockler store to turn a natural edge, now i can go in and pretend i know what im doing..

although once i ask which end of the skew do i use... i think the cats out of the bag...
Click to expand...

LOL...definitely out of the bag.

Psst...you also don't use a skew turning bowls [;)]
 
Originally posted by Dario
<br />
Originally posted by pete00
<br />thanks for all the info........
Click to expand...


Psst...you also don't use a skew turning bowls [;)]
Click to expand...

Ya know dario.......if in the past i have called you a rotten kid
that picks on senior citizens for a simple mistake I MEANT IT !!

But i will have my revenge, how you may ask.
Simple i'll be dead before you, then i will return as your guarding angle of blowouts.........[:D][:D][}:)][}:)][:D][:D]
 
LOL

BTW, asking ahead and preparing for your class is a definite plus. You may ask the instructor about our input and clarify which is good and bad. We all have our own "techniques and style"...some are not necessarily the best. I know I've learned a few bad turning habits that I need to shake off. Partly because I learned on my own...with the help of books and forums like this. Honestly I probably only learned 5% and need 95% more to be a competent turner and at the rate I am going...I will be lucky if I reach 25% before I meet my maker.

Just keep it fun...the rest will follow [:)]

BTW, in case you missed it in my pics I am 42 years old...not quite a kid anymore [;)]
 
Originally posted by Dario
<br />
Originally posted by pete00
<br />thanks for all the info........

i have a class tomorrow at the local rockler store to turn a natural edge, now i can go in and pretend i know what im doing..

although once i ask which end of the skew do i use... i think the cats out of the bag...
Click to expand...

LOL...definitely out of the bag.

Psst...you also don't use a skew turning bowls [;)]
Click to expand...

Why not, I use a bowl skew : http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11747
 
Mudder,

I stand corrected...I don't even know that tool exists! Shows how much I know [}:)]

BTW, I was referring to the usual skew. I know some use it for bowls but it is not recommended especially for beginers. Once you can turn using anything with a sharp edge then yes...go ahead and use the (regular) skew to turn bowls.
 
I watched a few minutes of a very bad demo where the guy was using a skew on the outside of a bowl, but in reality he was laying in it's side and using it as a scraper. I moved on to another demo.
 
howdy

OK returned from natural bowl class, here's the scoop.

I brought up all (99%) the topics and suggestions that were posted here.
The instructor knew about and tried most of them.

The final results are.
Bark
Sometimes the bark stays on sometimes not. The piece i was working on pelled off before i even had it mounted.
Drying wood
after trying all the other options(micro wave, soap, etc) his method is
Logs, to put a sealer on the ends and let it dry.
Or cut right away down to rough trim bowles then let them dry.

I found out some things i was doing wrong and some things was right.
All and all no magic answers to anything.

Did learn a tip in sharping, put magic marker on end before you put it to grinder, then give one small hit. YOu'll be abble to see if you getting the right angle on not by what was scrapped off. Then after sharping if your not going to use it right away, put more marker on. That way next time you go to play if your tools has magic marker on its all sharpened.

The bowl i did was nothing to look at, which is why no picture. The class was 55$ at rockler. I would reccomend it for a beginner like me.

thanks.....pete


oops forgot, got a chance to use the wolverene jig. My simple jig
gives me the same results as long as i dont use the attachment to
grind a finger nail. I may have to buy that piece, or figure out how to make one......ok now im done....
 
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