Finished Bowl

Here's some (not very good) finished pictures of the Cherry bowl I started last week. I decided to leave the rim natural as it has a lovely sinuous texture. Apart from this bowl I've carved a few spoons from those Cherry logs and I have to say it is a joy to work. I feared it was going to be a race against time to avoid cracking due to previous experience with Cherry , but I had no problems at all. I took a couple of pieces to a friend's house to teach him about carving with knives and it was noticeable how the wood became harder and harder to carve as we worked; but we were going slow time, and it was thin stock. To finish I burnished the bowl with its own shavings/chippings and applied several coats of Cold-pressed Linseed Oil. I think I burnished it again after I took these pics to accentuate the knife cut facets. The inside has been refined with the Helgesse Spoon Knife pictured in my banner, and the outside with a Frosts Sloyd Knife.

The underside is dished to take a little bit of weight out of the base (also helps achieve even drying), and also a bit easier to keep the Base flat.

I went up to the timber yard last week and they had a massive Mulberry they had just felled so the guy gave me a couple of pieces of branchwood to play with. The timber is extremely gnarly and burry. I've never worked it before and decided to make a little Shrink Pot. It stands about 7" high. There are a few articles elsewhere on the internet, but basically- the log is hollowed out green, and a seasoned disc of wood is snugly fitted into a ploughed rebate near the base of the pot. As the pot then dries, the walls shrink radially and tighten around the disc, locking it in place with no other fixing.

The base locked in place by shrinkage.

Oh and by the way, I have just got hold of an allotment in the village so watch this space. As you can see it needs a bit of work to tidy it up but I reckon its plenty big enough for growing and a bit of Green Woodwork.

Cheers for now and thanks for looking. John