A short video showing some finishing techniques I use. Enjoy!

Well, the hot summer is finally cooling off a bit, which gets me in the mood to get back to my “environmentally controlled” shop and start turning. I just don’t enjoy turning when it is 105 degrees at the lathe.

Here’s a couple of turnings I finished today: a nice goblet turned from a piece of mesquite mistletoe burl and a shallow bowl with a natural edge. The goblet is 6″ high x 2″ dia. The bowl measures 10″ dia x 2.5″ dia. Click on the picture for a larger resolution.

Natural edge mesquite bowls like this one are always popular at craft shows.
This one measures 7.75 inches in diameter x 4 inches in height.
Price: SOLD

This natural edge mesquite bowl has some really beautiful grain patterns in it. The wood came from the area just above the roots. Mesquite beetles have made some interesting patterns in the sapwood.
It measures 7.5 inches in diameter x 3.5 inches high.
Price: SOLD

This is a very nice mesquite bowl with a unique hole in the side.
It measures 6.75 inches in diameter x 4.5 inches high.
Price: SOLD

Thanks to some really good neighbors, I got my hands on a nice large mesquite log this weekend. I had been wanting to turning some larger bowls but have had a hard time lately finding some quality wood.

Yesterday I broke out the chainsaw and cut a couple of large bowl blanks from the log. I then prepared one for turning by removing the bark, flattening the top and attaching a 6 inch faceplate. Here I am just beginning to shape the profile of the bowl.

My lathe is 7 inches over center, which means with the headstock parallel to the bed I can only turn a bowl blank that is less than 14 inches in diameter. Fortunately the headstock on my lathe swivels 90 degrees out, which allows me to mount a much larger piece of wood, like the one I’m working on here.

Once I turned the diameter below 14 inches I rotated the headstock back parallel to the lathe bed.

The wood was very wet, so I hollowed it out to about 1 inch thick and set it aside to dry for a few weeks. When it is dry I will turn it down thinner, finish it and post a picture.

Here is one of my latest turnings. This bowl came from a very dry piece of mesquite mistletoe burl. It measures 5.5 inches in diameter x 3.5 inches tall.

What is mesquite mistletoe burl, you might ask?

This beautiful burl is produced when mistletoe attaches itself to a branch of a mesquite tree. The mistletoe draws moisture and nutrients to the place where it attaches and causes the wood to swell up, producing fantastic grain and interesting patterns. This wood is perfect for turning into an attractive and interesting bowl.

I call this wood mistletoe burl, as do most woodworkers who use mesquite. The dark streaks appearing in the wood are the roots of the mistletoe. The grain is always unique in every bowl I turn from these pieces of wood.

Here are a few more examples of bowls I have turned from mistletoe burl.
Bowl #16
Bowl #17
Bowl #30

Here it is, the completed bowl I was working on in my last post. The natural yellow sapwood adds a surprising and beautiful color to compliment the rich golden brown of mesquite.

As I wrote previously, I let this bowl sit in my shop drying for a few weeks before I finished it. I sanded to 600 grit and rubbed in tung oil for a finish. When the tung oil was dry I buffed the bowl for a nice sheen. I’m no pro photographer, so the shine didn’t show up well in this picture, but take my word for it, the finish is nice.

When wet mesquite is rough turned into a bowl, the yellow sapwood often develops a crack or two when it is drying, but this bowl didn’t crack anywhere.

Since the yellow sapwood is much softer than the dark wood, it shrinks more when it dries and often cracks as a result.

COMING SOON!

I recently got my hands on a nice mesquite root ball, which has fantastic grain in it. Three rough turned bowls from that wood are currently drying in my shop. In a few weeks I will finish them and post pictures. You’ll want to see them.

Several people have asked me to post more photos of wood turning in action. So here is a basic series on how I turn a mesquite bowl.
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THE WOOD BLANK. This is a mesquite wood blank, cut from a large log and carefully sized with a chainsaw. This piece is around 8″ square, give or take the accuracy of cutting with a chainsaw. Mounting a square block on a lathe works just fine as long as the blank is balanced well.
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MOUNTING THE BLANK. I removed most of the bark to prepare a good surface for mounting the blank on the lathe. I flattened the top with a hammer and wood chisel, then attached a faceplate with wood screws.
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TURNING THE PROFILE. This is where I decide what kind of shape the bowl will have. For this one I have chosen to go with tapered sides and a flat bottom, leaving the natural edge on top. You can see the wood is very wet. It came from a mesquite that was cut down only a few weeks ago.
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THE FINISHED PROFILE. The light colored sapwood around the rim of this bowl is nice.
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MOUNTING ON THE CHUCK. Here is the finished bottom prepared with a slot for the expansion chuck. Time for hollowing! The bowl is light colored in this picture because the surface has started to dry. The tung oil finishing process will return the rich color and grain texture.
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BEGINNING HOLLOWING CUTS. I’m using a 3/8″ bowl gouge.
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SERIOUS HOLLOWING. Now we’re really gettin’ after it! Hollowing wet mesquite is SOOO much easier than cutting into a hard, dry piece.
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CHECKING THICKNESS. Measuring the bowl for uniform thickness is essential, especially for a bowl with a flat bottom. I once turned the bottom out of a bowl because I didn’t measure the thickness.

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FINISHING. Now that the bowl is turned to size it will sit in my shop for a few weeks to dry out. Then I will chuck it up again, sand to 600 grit and finish with tung oil and a good buffing. I’ll post a picture of it when it is complete.

I have turned some unusual bowls over time, but this is one is definitely the most unique turning I have produced!

This mesquite bowl has a natural crack running through the entire surface. It fits together like two pieces of a puzzle. One piece rests upon the other and enables it to stand up.

Turning the bowl was a challenge. After I had turned the profile I realized it might not hold together when I was hollowing it. I applied two hose clamps around the outside and proceeded to carefully turn out the inside. It held together and when I removed the hose clamps the two pieces separated.

I took this bowl to my very first bowl show a few years ago. I was new in the wood turning craft and wasn’t sure it was worth selling, so I had it in the back, visible but not priced. An architect at the show noticed the bowl and asked if it was for sale. I quoted him a price and he bought it on the spot.

Today I am fortunate to work in the same office as that architect. He was kind enough to bring the bowl in to work last week and I was able to take the pictures of it that I had not obtained a few years ago.

Lesson of the Day: Never throw away an ugly piece of mesquite. Chuck it up on the lathe and see what you can do with it!

Shop Safety Tip: Never spit when your face shield is down.

Here is one of my latest mesquite bowls being turned.

Want to see the finished product? Then come by my table tomorrow, Thursday, November 8th.

I’ll be set up at 5:00 PM in my regular spot in front of The Leaf at the corner of North 2nd and Cypress.

Additionally, during lunch time I’ll be set up right across the street in the entrance of Bogie’s Deli, 241 Cypress.

So come on by and pick up one of our specially prepared gifts of fresh coffee from The Leaf packaged with one of my beautiful mesquite scoops.

This wonderful bowl warped beautifully when it dried!

Natural edge Mesquite. 8.0″D x 2.5″H Purchase price: SOLD

(Wooden block is one inch square.)

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This naturally occuring hole was a wonderful surprise!

Natural edge Mesquite mistletoe burl. 6.0″D x 5.25″H Purchase price: $45

(Wooden block is one inch square.)

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Natural edge Mesquite mistletoe burl. 5.0″D x 4.25″H Purchase price: SOLD

(Wooden block is one inch square.)

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Natural edge, Mesquite mistletoe burl.   5.0″D x 4.5″H   Purchase price: SOLD

(Wooden block is one inch square.)

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Finished edge Box Elder.   6.5″D x 4.0″H     Purchase price: SOLD

(Wooden block is one inch square)

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Natural edge Box Elder.   5.0″D x 8.25″H     Purchase price: SOLD

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Finished, uneven edge Box Elder.   7.5″D x 4″H     Purchase price: SOLD

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Finshed edge Box Elder.     6.75″D x 2.25″H       Purchase price: SOLD

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Finished edge.     3.75″D x 4″H    Purchase price: SOLD

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Natural edge.    4″D x 3.5″H    Purchase price:  SOLD

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Natural edge.    9.5″D x 4″H    Purchase Price:  SOLD

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Finished edge.    6.25D x 4″ H    Purchase Price:  SOLD

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Natural edge.     4″D x 3.75″H    Purchase Price:  SOLD (more…)

“Vision of a River”

This natural edge bowl was turned from the largest mistletoe burl I have ever found.

11″D x 5.5″H Private Collection

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“Sun Swirl” 

This natural edge bowl was created from a very large mistletoe burl.  UPDATE:  I am sorry to report that this bowl was dropped and broken!  Yes, by me.  Sometimes that happens.

8.5″D x 5.5″H

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This was my first large turning.  It started out as a 30 lb block of wood.

It now resides in a home in Alaska!

Natural edge.   11.25″D x 5.74″H    Purchase price:  SOLD

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This is one of my best bowls to date. Finished edge with mesquite burl insert in the bottom.

Two strips of sapwood appear on each side, making this bowl very visually appealing.

10.75D x 3.5″H Private Collection

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Natural edge.  7.0″D x 4.0″H    Purchase price:  SOLD

Natural edge from mistletoe burl.    

5.625″D x 3.0″H    Purchase price:  SOLD

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Finished edge. 10.5″D x 3.125″H Purchase price: SOLD

I gave this bowl to a good ‘neighbor’ who was looking out for me and gave me some good logs.

THANKS CODY!

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Natural edge.    7.75″D x 5.0″H    Purchase price:  SOLD

 Finished edge from mistletoe burl.    3.75″D x 3.25″H    SOLD

Finished edge with insect burrows.    5.50″D x 3.0″H    Purchase price:  SOLD