Wet and wild!

[Les Symonds]

A few months back I posted pics of a mound of holly that I got, off a friend. It was extremely heavily spalted and wild with colour, but I had too much of it and I knew too little about working it, so I fear that much of it is going to be wasted because it's cracking seriously badly. I'd cut it up into bowl-sized pieces and waxed the ends, but the grain is so distorted that there's end grain on every single surface. I guess that what I need to do is to use this lot to get some practice in, then just get a couple of pieces at a time to work on in the future.



I got the edge down to about 3mm, but couldn't go any thinner because of all the cracks, and I found hollowing out the foot an impossible task....can anyone give me a tip on how to do it? What I did was to mount a block of waste wood in my chuck, turn a gentle curve on the end of it then trap the bowl against it, pinning it into place with a revolving centre in the tail-stock, but the revolving centre was too big and it didn't give me any room to get a tool into the foot to hollow it....so it's messy, to say the least!








All advise will be gratefully accepted....Les

[bodrighywood]

Easiest way to deal with the foot is with a small sanding disc (Simon Hope does them) in an electric drill. With end grain like this you can often get a good finish with as low as 240 grit. If it is still wet get as much of the finishing done now as you can as it will almost definitely warp and possibly split making any power sanding that more difficult. Worth the effort though looking at the wood. Any splits can be filled with CA glue and brass or aluminium powder for a good effect or, if they are too large for that try sewing them.
Just the way I would handle it, I'm sure others have different ways.

pete

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Hi Les try making a jam chuck and reversing it with that, this will allow you all round access.
regards
John BHT

[woodndesign]

Hi Les, one wild and sweet piece here.. if it comes to finishing the foot and to have room, what I've come up with and no doubt other too, is to turn a wooden extention, which for me sits in the cup of the Ax Hollow Live Center http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-axminster-hollow-live-revolving-centre-prod21274/ it applies the needed pressure and is replaceable should you cut into it and be of whatever size is best for the job, have a stock of them.

Cheers   Dewi

[Bryan Milham]

You're just making Bragging rights about this spalted Holly again - ain't you!

Yep, we're all still jealous and you've done a fine job of using it in this bowl.

Look back to the chuck mounted arbour I posted for you. You can use that to sort out the foot.

[Clavico]

I must add to the comments that this wood is phantastic - green with envy.

Robert