Spalted Hackberry...

[DaveO]

Here's the product of todays fun. This is some more of the wood that I got the other week at NC Wood. It's about 5½" in dia. and about 3" tall, the walls are about ¼" I am not 100% happy with it because I got a fair bit of tear-out on the end-grain areas due to the punkiness of the wood. I tried everything that I knew to remedy it, but still couldn't eliminated all of it.

It's finished with BLO and wax, buffed out.

Normally I sign the bottom of bowls that I've made, but my wife noticed that I didn't need to on this one, as it naturally has my initial in it already

Either that or the wood was trying to tell me it wanted to be a lidded box (a little to late for it to bring that up :lol.
Thanks for looking comments and critiques always appreciated.
Dave

 

[jeff...]

Re: Spalted Hckberry...

Wow Dave that's gorgeous, spot on spalting, sweet... someone spent some time spalting that log and did a great job. Whats the low down on working with hackberry easy / hard?

 

[Big Mike]

Re: Spalted Hckberry...

Dave, that is a great little bowl. I like the form on it very much. I have tried a number of thinks to stablilize punky wood from using CA, wood hardener, thinned poly, shellac etc. I never have figured out what is best. If you do, please let me know.

Again, I love your bowl. Some of my favorite small bowls have come from spalted hackberry. Lucky your initial showed up. That is what I call a "signature" piece....:icon_thum

 

[DaveO]

Re: Spalted Hckberry...

Hey Dave do you have a bandsaw that will resaw a 12" wide board?

I wish :eusa_pray I can only do 6" on my 14" BS:crybaby2:

Dave

 

[DaveO]

Re: Spalted Hckberry...

Dave, that is a great little bowl. I like the form on it very much. I have tried a number of thinks to stablilize punky wood from using CA, wood hardener, thinned poly, shellac etc. I never have figured out what is best. If you do, please let me know.

Again, I love your bowl. Some of my favorite small bowls have come from spalted hackberry. Lucky your initial showed up. That is what I call a "signature" piece....:icon_thum

Thanks Mike, I tried to take some of your advice and create a rounder bottom to the bowl. I am still limited (for now) by my inability to re-chuck it and finish turn the bottom. I used some CA to help harden the punky areas, it did help but I still wasn't able to work all the divots out. Some of them were filled with CA and sanding dust, which you can't even see due to the wild coloration of the spalting.

Dave

 

[DaveO]

Re: Spalted Hckberry...

Wow Dave that's gorgeous, spot on spalting, sweet... someone spent some time spalting that log and did a great job. Whats the low down on working with hackberry easy / hard?

Jeff, I found this very easy to turn, in some areas a little too easy. NC Wood does their own spalting in a pit filled with saw dust from their mill and dirt...they did a great job with this one. Rotten enough to have a lot of character, but still solid enough to hold together.

I would think that without the spalting Hackberry would be pretty bland wood. It's ring porus like Oak with a creamy yellow color and not very hard.
Dave

 

[woodArtz]

Re: Spalted Hckberry...

Very nice bowl. Good work Dave! :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

 

[TV]

Re: Spalted Hckberry...

DaveO, what do you mean by punkiness? Just curious.

tv

 

[DaveO]

Re: Spalted Hckberry...

Punkiness or punky wood is soft and rotten. The microbes causing the spalting have started to breakdown the cellular structure of the wood. It tends to crumble instead being sliced by the tool.
Dave

 

[jeff...]

Re: Spalted Hckberry...

Punkiness or punky wood is soft and rotten. The microbes causing the spalting have started to breakdown the cellular structure of the wood. It tends to crumble instead being sliced by the tool.
Dave

What you need is a little secret sauce :-D

 

[erasmussen]

Thats one good looking bowl:eusa_clap
I do like that funky wood

 

[cskipper]

I love that bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Wildwood]

Dave, really like your bowl. Great job!

Don’t always blame the wood for torn end grain! Yes some woods are more prone to tear out than others, even so you can reduce tear out.

If your not riding the bevel of the gouge allowing it to cut, you’ll get tear out. Most of us get tear out because using a dull tool, poor tool control, or we are scrapping with the gouge! Also helps to cut in the right direction, outside uphill, inside down hill.

Have the best scrappers money can buy, but they make tear out worse for me. So when get tear out go back to the grinder to re sharpen, take lighter cuts, or change gouges and take lighter cuts.

When all else fails for me. 60 to 80 grit paper, won’t cure all tear out, in fact may do more damage. Filling in with thinned carpenters glue and saw dust never worked for me. CA, and saw dust, shavings run through coffee grinder does. Some folks swear by using BLO, or mineral oil on tear out as it occurs, never tried that.


I do use a pulling cut on outside of a bowl, during rough and a final pass, where don’t use the bevel. Some people can use a pulling cut inside, never been able too. Still end up riding the bevel to define shape.


This guy explains it better than I can, “Turning a simple bowl.”
http://www.sarasotawoodturners.com/basic%20bowl.pdf