David Maynard Hello David! Yes, hackberry trees grow all around here, but they are not considered desirable. They grow fast but do not life very long. It does not make for good firewood because it burns too fast; leaves a lot of ash. I don't know anyone who makes furniture or lumber from them. But, I did get a nice bowl out of it anyway. Cheers.
Jamirobruno Ola! Bruno. Yes, a nice bowl I was a bit scared I would not finish the project. I must go to Argentina some day. Can you see the Southern Cross in the night sky from there? Thanks for watching the video.
You inspired me to try one. I have a few nice hackberry pieces. I have not been turning very long and have a lot to learn. Thanks for your videos because they help.
That's a lovely bowl Cip!! the grain in it looks interesting and what a superb finish on the piece.Our weather this side of the pond has been variable to say the least, a wet winter, a cold spring up to the beginning of July, then turns hot...... then us Brits moan because it is too hot LoL Oh well Lord Byron was right when he said the English summer starts in July and ends in August. Great Video Cip and many thanks for sharing!! All the best Bram
Brams shed Greeting Brams. I suppose we in Texas complain about the opposite, too hot. This year was almost pleasant. We had a mild winter, cool wet spring. Rain into June and July is rare. Only now is the temperature getting into the 90's (32C +). Thanks for watching. Cheers
I love it. we're currently using hackberry has firewood and it eats me up how pretty it is and we're burning it. I wish I had the tools to make something out of it.
Hey there Country Boy! I live in Texas. I don't know of anything made from Hackberry. I don't burn much firewood, I think hackberry burns a little too quick and leaves too much ash. I turned this bowl just too see. I think it turned out splendid! Cheers.
Frank Taylor Hello Frank! After a final coat of lacquer based sanding sealer and a through sanding with 120, 220, and 320 grit sandpaper, I finished with 8 to 10 coats of rub-on polyurethane. I gave the bowl two coats of paste wax and buffed on the lathe. Thanks for asking. I try to include things like that, then accidently cut it while editing. Cheers.
Keith Barrow Yes, Keith, give it a go. The hardest part is keeping the bark on. Check it often. If you see it is separating use some CA glue or epoxy. Cheers.
Very nice bowl! I am just beginning to find interest in turning. Picked me up a older lathe and some tools. Right now I am gleaning all the advice I can get and your video was very well put together, your commentary was excellent Keep it up. I just cut a nice Crotch out of a English walnut that has four branches I think it will make an good bowl.
Hey Cip, I've never turned any hackberry before and don't know that I've seen anyone else turn any of it but that turned out very pretty. We have lots of it around here so I may have to give some of it a try. Thanks for sharing bud.
That's a beautiful bowl Cip, like you I find that sanding sealer does a good job of stabalising the "punky" areas. Nice finish too, what did you use for the inside? Great video. Take care Mike
Mike Waldt Greetings Mike. I used the same process on the interior: Sanding sealer and rub-on poly. I cannot machine buff the interior. So, mostly sanding, maybe fine wire wool. The final coats of poly, very quick and very light. Cheers
I notice you cut in both directions without damaging the bark. Do you always do that on natural edge bowls? Would like to see more of your finishing technique. The bowl is stunning.
Greeting Wander! I got many comments on the finish. I use lacquer base sanding sealer and clear gloss wipe on polyurethane. Between coats I lightly buff with 0000 steel wool. It takes many coats to build up the finish. Sometimes I place the bowl in the sun to harden and shrink and tighten the poly. I buff with white diamond buffing compound. That is all there is to it, a lot of labor.
Hey, Cip, we've missed seeing you at the Alamo Woodturners meetings. Are you doing all right? I would love to watch you turn a bowl, vase or box. Whenever it gets cooler, can I come over and look over your shoulder and take notes? As you know I got started in this hobby about six months ago and I've been turning a lot of pens. I would like to move on to something a bit more challenging, and it would benefit me a lot to look at an expert at work! Recall that I saw you at the Olive Garden a few weeks ago, and would have mentioned it then, but it didn't seem to be the right time to do so. Cheers, Rick Hilton
Hi, Cip! I've actually started turning a few bowls! At the beginning of January, I attended a class for learning how to turn bowls at the Woodcraft store, taught by Louis. It was great, and I was very satisfied with the results. Since then, I've turned several small bowls. I need some advice, though. My last bowl was turned using Hormigo Negro wood, and it came out really nice, with spectacular gran and interesting colors. However, yesterday I noticed a crack in the bowl that wasn't there when I started. The crack is about an inch long, starting at the rim and traveling downwards. Where did I go wrong, and how can I repair the crack? I'll be at the 'Turner's meeting tonight and I'll show it to you if you're there. Thanks! Rick
+Rick Hilton Cracks usually come from expansion and contraction usually caused by changes in moisture and/or temperature. Some people sand with wax and mineral oil. This moistens the wood uniformly. I like applying lacquer based sanding sealer. Occasionally I still get a bowl that is destine to crack. I have filled a few cracks with epoxy while the bowl was still on the lathe, only if the crack does not extend to the rim. For small cracks I use clear. For larger cracks I mix it pigment, black or gold. When I can't hide it, I may as well highlight it.
+Cip's Wood Chips I was surprised and dismayed by the sudden crack, Cip. I guess it's due to temperature and humidity changes as you say, but it's still an unpleasant surprise to have it happen. I haven't ever used sanding sealer, but I recently purchased some Minwax sanding sealer to use on bowls. I'm going to bring the bowl to the meeting tonight and see what suggestions I get. I've already considered using CA glue and epoxy, and mixing in some color to give a contrast to the dark bowl. Or, I can also use some sawdust and mix it with the epoxy. When mending cracks like this, which is better, CA glue, or epoxy? Do you have a good source for those colored filler, such as turquoise, and others? Using those as fillers give appealing results. Thanks for the suggestions, Cip!
Howdy! I usually use a coat of brush-on lacquer based sanding sealer and many coats of Minwax rub-on high gloss clear polyurethane finish. I apply 3 or 4 coats and allow to dry well in the sun or overnight, then hand sand with 320 grit. Then repeat until it I get a high gloss. For a higher gloss I sometimes buff on the lathe using a linen buffing wheel and white rubbing compound.
Yes a very attractive work. After applying sanding sealer, how long must it set before you then begin to sand? Do you apply additional layers of sanding sealer, that is - between the differing grade of sand paper? Thank you.
Torvig Johnson Hello Torvig. The sanding sealer is lacquer based. It dries in about 30 minutes, quicker on a warm dry day. I usually apply only one coat unless I decide to continue turning and expose untreated wood. The use of multiple grits of sandpaper is only to smooth the surface before applying the finish, rub-on polyurethane in this case. Cheers
Greeting Fifi! The bowl was finished with several coats of lacquer based sanding sealer, sanded, and many coats of hand-rubbed Polyurathane and buffed. Thank you for watching my video. Cheers.
I have had a good sized chunk of Walnut that I originally wanted to shape into a rifle stock for my Savage, but I know now what I will do with any excess.
Hey Cip, Enjoyed your video. I am just starting to learn to turn and what lathe do you have. What speeds are the ones you use. Slowest and fastest. Looking at Grizzly lathes. What are your favorite tools?
Howdy Fred! I mostly turn on a Nova lathes. I use a DVR-XP(variable speed) and a 1624-44(8 speed). I also have a small Jet which I do not use much. I mostly turn at 1000 rpm max.A bit slower than most turner. On large out of balance timber I may start at 150 rpm and work my way up. If I did not already have the Nova lathes I would look at Laguna. They appear heavy and well made. I lave many lathe chisels. My favorites are mostly Thompson. Pinnacle from Woodcraft, and Benjamin from Penn State pens. I only have one carbide tip chisel, which was a gift. Kind regards.
I have a little experience with hackberry, mostly for firewood. The problem with the hackberry that I have is the bark falls off very easily when dry. How do you stabilize the bark on a natural edge bowl to keep it from separating?
Good question David! Keeping the bark on is always a problem. I constantly inspect the bark. If I find loose bark, I separate it and clean out any debris. I apply yellow glue, epoxy, or CA glue. Sometimes pieces fly completely off. I find the piece and re-glue it. Cheers
I bought a old cheapy lath and was going to give it a go. I also got a couple of ash logs. How do I stop them from cracking while I wait for them to dry? I noticed your ends were black.
***** Howdy Brian! The Hackberry was not treated and had small cracks. Ash dries faster and cracks quickly. Many turns use special sealer. Some use latex paint. I use yellow glue and keep them dry. They all slow the drying but they can still crack. Cheers.
Hello this is Tom Wilcox from Louisville KY. I just come across your channel and I'm really liking your work. Can't wait until I can get through all of your videos. I have watched a few so far and I'm very impressed. I really like your style of turning. Your scraper use is different than mine. (That is not a criticism in any way)!! I seen you remove large amounts of wood where I would have kept using the bowl gouge. Any reason for that ? I'm always trying to learn something new. Any and all help would be appreciated. Now it's time to hit the subscribe button and watch some more ! As always thanks for your time and effort.
Tom Wilcox Hello Tom. I tend to use a scraper more than some because I am a bit new to gouges. Up until about 5 years ago I did not use them at all. I try to use them more. I just feel more confident with a scraper. I believe it doesn't matter which tool you use as long as the tool does the job.Thanks for watching, Cheers.
I want to get started in woodworking and was just wondering how come you don't wear gloves? Seems like it would be easier on your hands in a situation like the one above. Thanks and great video :)
+Utopian Dream Some turners do wear gloves. Your right they can be helpful. For safety reasons I don't. A spinning timber can snag the glove and I won't feel it until it pulls my hand into the work. You might see some turners using gloves that leave the finger tips exposed. That might be OK.
***** I live in Texas, USA. Lately it has been hot and humid. Humid is a bit unusual for July. After a final coat of lacquer based sanding sealer and a through sanding with 120, 220, and 320 grit sandpaper, I finished with 8 to 10 coats of rub-on polyurethane. I usually apply 2-3 coats of rub-on poly 30 minutes between coats. Then allowing 3 hrs to dry and harden. On humid days, I place the bowl in the sun. I must be careful to rotate or flip-over the bowl every 20 minutes. The last hour is spent in the shop, cooling and hardening. I sand with 220 grit sandpaper then repeat. The final sanding 320-400 grit sandpaper. Paste wax and buff.
Greeting! I believe this is Celtis laevigata (Sugar hackberry). It is a fast growing white wood tree. They seem to be short lived and susceptible to insects and decease. Thank you for your question.
Howdy Barry! Drilling is a good idea for many reasons. Not drilling is just a personal choice. I am not in any hurry. It let me practice more with other tools. Thank you for your question. Cheers.
