Crotch - Grain Orientation

[howlingbaboon]

Hi Guys,

I've got this large Beech crotch and am wondering which way to slice it up. The slab is about 9" thick at the point the 2 limbs separate (sorry didn't get a pic of the top side). There also seems to be about 9" between the piths of each limb. I'm not sure whether to go for endgrain which will give me either 2 9" bowls or a larger form (you can see my scratched circle between the piths). Or should I go for face-grain orientation (my worry being that the bark inclusion might make it weaker). I've not turned anything like this yet so would appreciate any advice you may have.

The slab from just below it I chopped into an endgrain blank (8x8) and some smaller facegrain blanks.

[seventhdevil]

i'd split it at the bark inclusion and then work out what to turn.

[howlingbaboon]

Please excuse my ignorance here but would that not just leave me, more or less, with 2 regular logs? I was hoping to make some kind of feature of the inclusion and the grain pattern created by the crotch.  I find it hard to get my head around these 3D imaginings

[seventhdevil]

if you can see the bark inclusion on both sides then you already have two logs that are just held together with a bit of wood. the nicely figured stuff you are after would have been further down the tree.

also to get the figure you will need to orientate the bowl so that the bottom of each bowl was touching each other with that barkline going between the bases.

[bodrighywood]

If you try and do a larger bowl as you have chalked bowl from the crotch you stand the chance of it falling apart as you cut it. Depends if the split is going right through and just how far. It would be risky for sure.

Pete

[howlingbaboon]

Right I see. Would splitting it between the 2 piths and making 2 face-grain bowls with the Y pattern of the crotch work with this log and it's bark inclusion? I don't mind a little risk (to the wood that is) if there's a chance of a good result as I have quite a good stack of blanks now but obviously don't want to waste time on a no-hoper. I'm just really weighing up my options...

[seventhdevil]

if you are desperate to turn it then do so with care but personally i'd chuck it...

[GBF]

obviously don't want to waste time on a no-hoper. I'm just really weighing up my options...

Experimenting is never time wasted it is part of the learning curv.Are you in a hurry?

Regards George

[howlingbaboon]

Generally no, I'm not in a hurry. I guess I do try to get a move on with things when my health allows as such times can sometimes be rare. I wholeheartedly agree with you about learning from mistakes (safe ones at least). I am in a hurry however to get this last log chopped down so I can covert my garage from log mode back into lathe mode again  . It would also be nice to finally finish a bowl as I've got 13 roughouts sat in my living room glaring at me