Ax-man
Addicted to ArboristSite
My daughter is getting married next June . The wedding planner , my wife, thought it would be a good idea and something different to use my bowls along with some flower arrangement by a florist as a centerpiece for each of the tables for the wedding guests.
Now I am drafted to make bowls. At first I am told to just make these bowls out of any old wood I have around and no uncertain size. That didn't work out at all for the first few prototypes. The first ones were either too small, too big, wrong shape or the wood wasn't colorful enough. We finally got it worked out for the right size and shape and to have more dark colored wood than light colored wood. The florist also liked the first good bowl and was eager to make the arrangement with the flowers.
Now the stage is set to make the rest of the bowls along with a dough, trencher, style bowl with flowers for the bride's table. I was about to get a good education in keeping lathe tools sharp, making reproductions, sanding and finishing.
The highlight of this wood working project was doing the big center piece dough bowl made out of walnut. I had been saving some walnut for special projects and this qualified as one. I literally had to shape it from a thick blank cut with a chainsaw and planed the blank to the right thickness. Using a template from a serving tray, I then started to shape the bowl with my angle grinder with one of those Arbotech cutting attachments to carve out the middle and shape the sides, then followed by a flap wheel sander along with finishing sanders and finally finishing it teak oil, beeswax finish and lacquer. I stated to get some small cracking in the end grain but the final coat of lacquer stopped that, so far so good after a month. I never put so much time and effort into a chunk of wood but I think it came out pretty good, my wife and daughter like it and of course the florist who wants one also.
I put in a pic of another style of dough bowl made from a piece of spaulted elm. This was of course was a proto type so both my wife and I were on the same page when it came to how the brides table walnut bowl should look. From this one elm bowl we made the necessary changes to how the walnut bowl should look.
Now I am drafted to make bowls. At first I am told to just make these bowls out of any old wood I have around and no uncertain size. That didn't work out at all for the first few prototypes. The first ones were either too small, too big, wrong shape or the wood wasn't colorful enough. We finally got it worked out for the right size and shape and to have more dark colored wood than light colored wood. The florist also liked the first good bowl and was eager to make the arrangement with the flowers.
Now the stage is set to make the rest of the bowls along with a dough, trencher, style bowl with flowers for the bride's table. I was about to get a good education in keeping lathe tools sharp, making reproductions, sanding and finishing.
The highlight of this wood working project was doing the big center piece dough bowl made out of walnut. I had been saving some walnut for special projects and this qualified as one. I literally had to shape it from a thick blank cut with a chainsaw and planed the blank to the right thickness. Using a template from a serving tray, I then started to shape the bowl with my angle grinder with one of those Arbotech cutting attachments to carve out the middle and shape the sides, then followed by a flap wheel sander along with finishing sanders and finally finishing it teak oil, beeswax finish and lacquer. I stated to get some small cracking in the end grain but the final coat of lacquer stopped that, so far so good after a month. I never put so much time and effort into a chunk of wood but I think it came out pretty good, my wife and daughter like it and of course the florist who wants one also.
I put in a pic of another style of dough bowl made from a piece of spaulted elm. This was of course was a proto type so both my wife and I were on the same page when it came to how the brides table walnut bowl should look. From this one elm bowl we made the necessary changes to how the walnut bowl should look.