Natural Edge Cottonwood Bowl

This is an end grain natural edge bowl from cottonwood that I turned green, boiled for a couple hours, finish dried in the microwave and finished with varnish.

Photo Details

Robert_Harper

Registered: December 2009
Location: Sandy, Utah, USA
Posts: 375

10

Date: Tue February 2, 2010
Views: 1,038
Tags: 1
Keywords: cottonwood

Comments

Frank Van Atta

That's a stunning piece. Every piece of cottonwood I've tried is fairly punky; maybe I'll have to give green cottonwood a go.

#1 Tue February 2, 2010 4:21pm

Makepeace

Leo Makepeace

This is grat again. lovely work and the wood is beautiful

Ruining lots of good wood to get a few average bits.

#2 Tue February 2, 2010 7:31pm

Rev. Doug Miller

Rev. Doug Miller

Not sure I've heard of anyone drying a boiled bowl in the microwave. Looks like it worked well, at least on this one. Did you use the 1 minute on, cool completely, repeat protocol? 8-)

#3 Wed February 3, 2010 4:18am

Robert_Harper

The protocol I used was:

1. Boil for 1 to 2 hours. I usually turn green pieces first when I start a major turning session and then boil them while I turn dry wood.
2. Cycle through a microwave at two minutes on high. Allow it to cool until just warm. I'm a bit impatient still. And repeat until it no longer gives off water. I don't have a good scale so I set it on something metal in the kitchen and when there is no longer condensation, I call it good and let it sit at least over night.

I had one cottonwood bowl that I didn't boil but went straight to the microwave and the tenon cracked very badly. In trying to get away from the crack when I parted it off, I opened a small hole in the bottom. I'll use that one as a pot for a plant.

I tried the LDD protocol on a wedding goblet and it didn't work as good as the boil and microwave protocol for me. The base cracked into splinters. The rest of the goblet held up OK though.

I've found cottonwood to be one of the most prone to huge cracks because it grows so fast and hold so much water. Turning it green is like taking a shower but I cut three trees down last summer so I have a lot of it to practice with.

Live long, love lots, and turn fast.

#4 Wed February 3, 2010 1:25pm

Don Leydens

Don Leydens

Excellent looking piece. Nice work!
Don L.

#5 Wed February 3, 2010 7:25pm

TomTunget

Tom Tunget

Very nice Robert. Almost looks like Ivory in the pic.

#6 Thu February 4, 2010 2:42pm

Robert_Harper

Thanks guys. I turned another green cottonwood piece last night. No need to hit the shower, this one was very wet. I'll maybe finish drying it tonight. The wood is usually very pale but sometimes the punk is very thick and kind of an ugly color. With very sharp tools, it turns fairly easy but when they are somewhat dull, you make more fuzz than cuts. I use it mostly because I have a lot of it after cutting three trees down last summer. It also seems to be the predominant tree where I live so there is no end to the stuff. There's always a tree being trimmed or cut down.

Live long, love lots, and turn fast.

#7 Thu February 4, 2010 4:52pm