Ambrosia Maple Bowl (long)
William
>Hi Everyone!
Well, I am very excited as this is the first real piece that I have done since getting my new lathe. This piece is by far one of my favorites:
I got real lucky with a score that my girlfriend found. It is Curly Ambrosia Maple. :)
It is the biggest piece that I have tackled thus far.
It was roughed out the beginning of May and I did the Denatured Alchohol drying method. I let it settle to a steady weight for 3 days before I did my final turning.
It was sanded to 320 and I hand rubbed 4 coats of Waterlox with a cotton t-shirt. Don't know if there is a better method of application but I did learn that foam brushes stink for application. I am all ears for suggestions though. Between coats, I knocked down any "bright" spots with a black scotch bright pad. I finally Beall buffed it using Tripoli and the Carnauba. I skipped the White Diamond in fear that it would get into the beetle holes and ruin the look.
The final dimensions are:
10 1/4" O.D.
5/8" Thick
2 1/4" Deep
What makes this even a little sweeter for me is that I actually took my time and did not "settle". Before, I used to get frustrated when I couldn't get a curve right or get a good sanding technique down or leave a little tear out. I forced myself to raise the bar per se. I concentrated on my form. I really worked on a uniform thickness and no flat spots on the curve of the bowl.
I cannot say that I got a smooth finish with my cutting teqniques because I didn't. I did what I could with a scraper and when I couldn't get that, I wasn't afraid to go to the 80 grit gouge and work my way up. I was having difficulty with some tear out.
I also got to try out my signing of the bottom for the first time and it was surprisingly easy. A little tweak here and there and it should be a bit more smoother.
Anyway, I am open for any critiques on form improvement or finishing. :)
Thanks for looking
William
p.s. Advanced apologies for photo techniques. That does need work as well as a photo box!
