Woodturning Two Bowls, One Disaster, Two Final Results
This video is also posted on YouTube, Vimeo, and FaceBook. But you’re already here!
I’m extremely disappointed (to say the least) when a bowl cracks. It’s bad enough if it cracks while drying. But it is even worse if it cracks while I’m working on it. In this case, it cracked during sanding.
In my period of despair, I turned another identical bowl from the same sequoia. I had time to think about the broken bowl. After weighing alternatives, I decided to cut it up to make flower petals then reassemble it into a flower bowl.
After cutting the bowl into five petals, I temporarily screwed each petal to a cylinder base while I dabbed quick epoxy into the middle. After three applications, the petals were secure and I removed the screws. What them remained was to turn and fit a center to cover the epoxy and a new base to cover the ugly poplar I used for the glue up.
Both bowls are about 8 inches in diameter of sequoia and padauk. The solid bowl is finished with walnut oil. The flower bowl is finished with rattle can lacquer.
Enjoy!
Hi Allen
Thanks for sharing your oops and the fix you did. I’ve got lots of oops in my shop so hate to put then in the burning pile. It’s big enough already
How did you glue them onto the popular? Just flat to flat, did you make a ridge to press them up against? Get a helping third hand, a bit more explanation would help.
Thanks again Cathy in Tennessee
The joint to the poplar is nothing to shout about. The top of the poplar was slightly concave.
I drilled a hole in each petal. Then drywall screws held it in place until the epoxy cured.
I counted on the viscosity of the epoxy rather than making any other mold. It took 4 small applications.
Then removed the drywall screws before drilling for the pistil. The still picture in the video shows it while the epoxy is curing with the screws still in place.
Again, nothing fancy. The padauk is to cover the ugliness.
Alan