Woodturning: This Slab Bowl Nailed It

Slab BowlThis video is also available on YouTube, Vimeo, and FaceBook. – Same video – best right here.

Wood raffles can yield strange wood. Such is the case with this project.

I received a slab of wood that I would usually throw away. This time, since it was already dry, I decided to attempt to turn it into something nice.

The bark was already gone and the end grain had been sealed. I trimmed the ends slightly and sanded especially the convex side to remove dirt and any remaining bark. I sanded first to see if there was any good color to the wood. I liked what I saw so I kept on.

I mounted the wood offset from center. This made it even more difficult because it never cam close to balancing. Even with a heavy lathe, I had to keep the speed low to avoid the lathe bouncing across the floor.

Double stick tape did not want to hold this piece. I think the flat surface was not as flat as I thought. Hot melt glue came to the rescue.

The piece is finished with walnut oil. It is 7 by 10 by 2 inches.

I’m pleased how it turned out.

Enjoy!


3 Responses to “Woodturning: This Slab Bowl Nailed It”

  1. Lou Jacobs says:

    A great, quick project Alan. Thanks for the inspiration. I’ve got just the piece for a bowl like this. Can’t wait!
    Lou

  2. John Mathews says:

    Hi Alan,

    Very interesting turning project. I have never seen a bowl turn being left in a log; usually, you see a lot of typical wood bowl tutorials, so I’m going to try doing a “log” next time.

    The taping technique you used to secure the wood on your lathe was also very “unique”. Is that something you commonly do?

    Cheers,
    John

    • I check out the tutorial you referenced. From the style of English used, it seems to be written by a non-native English speaker. It’s very stilted. Probably a professional writer from another country.
      I use a variety of techniques. In the video you saw tape and hot melt glue. It depends on the project.
      Alan