Waterfall Oak Bowl

Here is an oak bowl I made from a nice slab of Waterfall Oak. it's about 4" high and 10" wide. I especially like the wide brim I put on it - that coupled with a small bowl cut-out makes it unique. Oak can be hard on the tools, but I find if you have a sharp edge and approach all cuts lightly, it's not bad. 

One of the positives of this oak - it sands super smooth and really shows off the grain. It's characterized by a strong grain, but in between there is a lot of personality - lighter shade of tiger type striping, darker patches, etc..   Plus, when you are holding this bowl, you can feel the weight and sense the density.  I think it's a great wood for making gifts for men.  Anyway, enjoy!

My First Bowl

amazonHere is a shot of the first bowl carved on my lathe. I should clarify - this is the first bowl I actually completed. I had more than one piece fly off the chuck and break - one hit the floor, the other broke on a rafter above my head. So please - wear your safety gear - a full face shield really helps.


First, here is the bowl:

It's relatively small and simple in design. However, it's cut from a piece of box elder which fell in my backyard and is riddled with worm holes and truly unique characteristics. I absolutely love the gnarled wood, which brings nature completely into the piece. This is about artwork, right?

I definitely had a learning curve figuring out how to initially mount the blank, and then remount on the opposite side to somplete it. I tried several methods I learned in the books, but none helped me make it to the end

I ended up buying a Barracuda chuck from PSI (off Amazon). It REALLY makes chucking a partially finished piece very easy. I really couldn't do it before I bought it. It's a pretty solid tool and well worth the money.