Not exactly Trinket Pots

[CHJ]

click on images for larger view
Work in progress on bowls in Cedar of Lebanon.


The Starting Block.


Trimming it to something like round to get it ballanced with my 650 watt Gouge.


I need some better tool rests for this deep.



Rapidly being swamped with shavings with a wash for me, the floor and the ceiling into the bargain..





As far as I can go until they have dried out.

 

[Philly]

Wicked, Chas!
It certainly is a different game when the blanks get BIG :lol:
Love the ceiling stripe
Philly

 

[CHJ]

Wicked, Chas!
It certainly is a different game when the blanks get BIG :lol:
Love the ceiling stripe
Philly

Initially just could not bring myself to let Cedar that size pass by without at least having a go.
Then two more people placed orders for similar, hence the latest saga, hope I can satisfy them with these two without them splitting, hefting 20+ kilo blanks around is not my first choice of amusement.

Ceiling stripe only noticed when it started raining onto the toolpost and gouge, immediate thought was that the blasted roof had sprung a leak through my new ceiling and insulation.

 

[Waka]

Chas

That big lump of wood has certainly turned into something nice.

 

[geoff_tulip]

lovely looking bowls - are they finished or are you leaving to air dry - they will be beautifully thin once they are re-turned after they have moved a bit - altough cedar shouldnt move as much as others - i noticed on your half log pic that you split your logs through the heart - and that the heart would appear in both blanks - do you turn a few inches off to get rid of it or do you take your chances with splitting ?

 

[CHJ]

lovely looking bowls - are they finished or are you leaving to air dry - they will be beautifully thin once they are re-turned after they have moved a bit - altough cedar shouldnt move as much as others - i noticed on your half log pic that you split your logs through the heart - and that the heart would appear in both blanks - do you turn a few inches off to get rid of it or do you take your chances with splitting ?

Geoff, They were rough turned and air drying at time of picture. As these were only the second time I have attempted this I left the heart wood on (made reaching into the depth more of a problem) to see how bad the splitting if any would be.

The first bowl I did had little heart wood to start with and was turned much thinner at first stage and I did not get any splitting, these two have both split, one about 25mm the other 35mm. I have further reduced the depth to remove the splitting heart wood and reduced the thickness, now awaiting a further drying period to see if anything else moves. (there is a lesson in here somewhere)

The Cedar is very wet, I think more from rain soak than original sap, there has not been a great deal of circumferential movement out of round, 2-3mm at the most, whilst drying.

Lost some 400+ grams of water though from each in initial turned state.

 

[geoff_tulip]

i have been using this method for several years now and loose very few bowls now. i thought you may have a couple of problems from your pics.
hopefully this will help :
1. when splitting the log always line up the centres - it is important to get the heart out on both sides of the log. you can do this on the bandsaw by cutting a plank of about 2" which contains the heart on both sides out. if you dont have a bandsaw that will do this you will have to turn the heart away and then another inch for good measure.
2. when rough turning your aim is to leave a diameter which will dry quickly but will also allow for movement to give a rime of the thickness you initially planned. the rim in your picture looks too thin - if it moves by a little your walls could be wafter thin in places or non existant by the time the bowl settles. again air on the side of caution. the thicker you leave it (not too thinck) the safer it is but the longer it will take to dry for a 12" bowl estimate1.5"- i allow a year for most bowls more for thicker ones. this sounds a long time but once you have roughed out a load it will be time to return to finish a few.
3. you have done well in keeping the thickness uniform the whole way through - this is also important - if you leave a solid bottom of several inches it will surely split through the base.

i'm sure you already know these things - any help ?

 

[CHJ]

Thanks for the input Geoff, I have made a point of getting a uniform thickness in the roughed out stage but did turn these to about 20mm. I have been weighing them each day and at the moment weight loss has stopped with no sign of further cracking now they are reduced in depth beyond the immediate heart range.

The next one is being started without a 75mm heart section involved so hopefully it will react as per my first one.

I will turn one much thicker and compare the results.

This cedar dries out rapidly if left uncovered so I think is is 'wet' not 'green', I have to wrap it in paper or in a plastic bag to slow it down.

Small (150-200mm dia) pieceswithout knots or heartwood dry out in a microwave very quickly and have not split on me so far.

 

[CHJ]

Not as big as initial blank size suggested due to heartwood shrinkage cracks but they seem stable now.