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Not being like John

Dean Center

Dean Center

Joined
May 4, 2010
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Bozeman, MT
Having watched John's Hunter video and read his description of how he uses a Hunter #5 tool to cut undercut rims on bowls, I was very excited to give it a try. I really like the aesthetic of such rims but a rough surface has seemed inevitable and sanding there doesn't seem to work very well either. So with lofty expectations for my newfound technique, I grabbed my Hunter #5 and went to work on an easy cutting willow blank. After about 8 seconds, I heard "Tic" and "knock", stopped the lathe and was greeted with the attached bowl image. Oops!
brokenwillow.jpg

In fairness to John, a) the blank had short sections of ring shake on the end grain, so it didn't take much to break the chunk off and b) I didn't quite have a working understanding of how to tilt the cutting edge at what exact time. Sorry I'm such a lousy pupil, John.

No turners were harmed in the making of this bowl.
 
@john lucas take a look at this bowl by my good friend Dennis Hakes. I think with a little bit of practice I can do a rim like that the way you showed in the video. I have not tried it yet, I'll imagine I'll Crack a few rims before I get it right. You have to start somewhere and everything is practice, I do not worry about failures, I consider them lessons learned...
 
Gary--I LOVE the way you think. Make lemonade! Actually, joining the segments of ring shake together from the get go would have made a yarn bowl with a Lightenberg effect!
 
Making the best of a glitch in turning reminds me of a story. Sorry if a bit off topic but gives the idea of how to salvage an Ooops.
My uncle's neighbor built a rabbit hutch for his kids' pets. Of the four legs, one was a bit shorter than the other three. My uncle mentioned this. His neighbor replied, "The ground was a bit higher there."
 
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