OK.....what is this?

[Odie]

Well......surprise, surprise, surprise.......

If I had known this was inside this Australian red mallee burl bowl blank, it could have been easily removed, by flipping the blank over......but, from the outside, there was no indication this was inside. The black stuff is brittle, and like glass......breaks like glass, too.

I may end up losing this bowl because, as measured, there is less than 1/8" before it will break out to the bottom of the bowl.....proceed very very carefully!

-----odie-----

 

[Bill Blasic]

Odie wood is like a box of chocolates as you never know whats inside

 

[Kevin Jenness]

It's... a feature! I know it's not your style but it can be filled and sanded out with various materials. The local burls I get are often full of bark inclusions which become voids in my finished pieces. If I threw away every piece with a "defect" I would never finish anything.

 

[hockenbery]

It looks like a pitch pocket.
These start with an opening in the wood ( insect or other damage), the void fills with sap and hardens over time.

See them in burls and crotch pieces or healed limb scars.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Sounds like pitch, but I wouldn't pitch it.

 

[Odie]

It looks like a pitch pocket.
These start with an opening in the wood ( insect or other damage), the void fills with sap and hardens over time.

See them in burls and crotch pieces or healed limb scars.

That's sort of what I was thinking, Al. What is confusing is it's solid black, and like glass, or obsidian.

It's... a feature!

At this point, I'm going to treat it as something naturally occurring...

Sounds like pitch, but I wouldn't pitch it.

No, it won't be pitched. I'll try to save it......but, it's so close to breaking through to the bottom, that I may end up losing it anyway.

It may be relegated to the give-away category, depending on the final outcome. That is very questionable whether it's going to end up otherwise!

-----odie-----

 

[Russ Braun]

That piece of wood deserves your added effort to save it Odie, it’s a real beauty!

 

[Richard Coers]

Somebody posted about pitch pockets about 1 1/2 years ago. https://www.aawforum.org/community/threads/what-is-this.16899/

 

[Odie]

Somebody posted about pitch pockets about 1 1/2 years ago. https://www.aawforum.org/community/threads/what-is-this.16899/

I hadn't realized I'd brought this up before, Richard........it's been setting on the shelf for a long time, as I've been avoiding it. It's mounted to a faceplate and will be final turned within the next couple days.

Thanks for the heads up....

-----odie-----

 

[robo hippy]

I feel your pain.... This can happen any time. I don't know if I would 'fix' it or not. You could turn off the bottom and use the upper half in a glue up with a similar or contrasting wood, but that doesn't seem to be your style. Reminds me of a big madrone burl I got years ago. It was 'dry' in the shop for 20 or so years. Looked solid on the outside. Opened it up and can you say honeycomb???? If you do 'fix' it, post pics.

robo hippy

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

I hadn't realized I'd brought this up before, Richard........it's been setting on the shelf for a long time, as I've been avoiding it. It's mounted to a faceplate and will be final turned within the next couple days.

Thanks for the heads up....

-----odie-----

It looks like a fossilized insect to me.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Just mill out the black pitch and fill the void with black epoxy and finish like a normal bowl. You really aren't changing any characteristics of the piece.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

I would put a Poho patch. We developed some now with Mark Stebbins. What used to take me hours I can do one now in about 15 minutes. We started with one, then I asked for 2 bigger sizes. I don't think he has them listed yet on his website. You have to call him. www.bigislandengraving.com You would apply it here from the back, then turn till the entire patch is exposed. Hawaiians were doing this 500 years ago... Of course, you can always do it the old way. No template, no router. I think you probably are not in a rush.

 

[Odie]

Well.....surprise me again! Time for a little good news......for a change!

I finished the exterior and interior yesterday, but I'm not out of the woods yet. The bowl needs to be parted from the waste block and the foot done. There is very little room to spare on the foot.....somewhere between 1/8"-3/16" before the pitch pocket breaks through.....fingers crossed.

I'm very pleased with how it looks now, and to think it sat on the shelf for a couple years before I finally decided to break down and see what I could do with it. The pitch pocket magically reduced in size, as the interior was thinned.....wasn't expecting that!

If the foot turns out ok, I might even try to sell it!

-----odie-----

 

[Tim Tucker]

Ooooh....oooooh...I LOVE THIS ONE Odie! I may have to buy it....

 

[John Tisdale]

Odie,
While we all encounter situations of "silk purse out of sows ear", I don't think you're there. All my mesquite pieces have lots of anomalies (bark inclusions, voids, worm holes) that become the focal point of a given piece.
Of course you have address both the cosmetic (artistic) and the mechanical - having only an eighth-inch creates a "whole nuther challenge".
My guess is you'll work through it, put it in a gallery, and find it a point of attraction.

Judging from you past posts, there's a philosophical side to this: Is a bowl that don't hold corn-flakes really a bowl?

 

[Glenn Phipps]

I turn a lot of old growth mesquite and there is always a surprise in the wood. Kinda like when birthing longhorn calves you never know what colour you're gonna get.

 

[Odie]

Judging from you past posts, there's a philosophical side to this: Is a bowl that don't hold corn-flakes really a bowl?

Ha.....that's funny.......but, you're right that there is a certain psychological connection humanity has with bowls. It's one of the first things man created for his own convenience, so we've had a historical connection with bowls since the earliest humans walked the earth. Bowls have gone beyond utilitarian purposes, and have evolved into the base concept for works of art.....have they not, John?

I advertise my bowls to be "parlor décor", and I would think almost none of them ever hold anything at all.....other than the onlooker's imagination!

-----odie-----

 

[Tim Tucker]

I turn a lot of old growth mesquite and there is always a surprise in the wood. Kinda like when birthing longhorn calves you never know what colour you're gonna get.

Here's hoping they continue to be Longhorns...the world is changing you know......

 

[Tim Tucker]

Well.....surprise me again! Time for a little good news......for a change!

I finished the exterior and interior yesterday, but I'm not out of the woods yet. The bowl needs to be parted from the waste block and the foot done. There is very little room to spare on the foot.....somewhere between 1/8"-3/16" before the pitch pocket breaks through.....fingers crossed.

I'm very pleased with how it looks now, and to think it sat on the shelf for a couple years before I finally decided to break down and see what I could do with it. The pitch pocket magically reduced in size, as the interior was thinned.....wasn't expecting that!

If the foot turns out ok, I might even try to sell it!

-----odie-----

View attachment 44725
View attachment 44726

Odie - what wood is the glue block made of? Could you stain or dye it and finish it as a small footed bowl? I love this one and would be proud to have it in my collection. Maybe we can arrange that?

 

[Glenn Phipps]

Ha.....that's funny.......but, you're right that there is a certain psychological connection humanity has with bowls. It's one of the first things man created for his own convenience, so we've had a historical connection with bowls since the earliest humans walked the earth. Bowls have gone beyond utilitarian purposes, and have evolved into the base concept for works of art.....have they not, John?

I advertise my bowls to be "parlor décor", and I would think almost none of them ever hold anything at all.....other than the onlooker's imagination!

-----odie-----

Bowls have gone from being vessels which hold condiments and foodstuffs to those vessels that hold ones imagination. I like it!

 

[Glenn Phipps]

Here's hoping they continue to be Longhorns...the world is changing you know......

They will continue to be longer and longer Longhorns . The top animals now are over 100" from one tip of horn across the face to the other tip of horn.

 

[Tim Tucker]

They will continue to be longer and longer Longhorns . The top animals now are over 100" from one tip of horn across the face to the other tip of horn.

You feeding' them that magic stuff they feed the whitetails that have monster sized racks on 'em?

 

[Odie]

Odie - what wood is the glue block made of? Could you stain or dye it and finish it as a small footed bowl? I love this one and would be proud to have it in my collection. Maybe we can arrange that?

Howdy Tim.....

The glue block is pine or fir.....whatever is in inventory at the local Home Depot. They are made from the best quality of building stud 2x4's available at the time. I don't see them as useful for any artistic purposes, once they are parted away from the bowl.....but, I do occasionally find some utilitarian purpose for them around the shop, though!

Sorry to say this Red Mallee Burl bowl with the big pitch pocket (the main topic for this thread), was sold earlier this month to a previous customer, and art collector. At this moment of typing, it is in transit to the buyer's home.

I'll be adding this one to my AAW gallery pretty soon...

-----odie-----

 

[Glenn Phipps]

You feeding' them that magic stuff they feed the whitetails that have monster sized racks on 'em?

It's all genetic trait breeding and here are some people in both Whitetails and the Longhorn business that really know genetics, how to select and what to combine in breeding to increase desired traights and on those animals it is increase in horn ... several of the Longhorn breeders are also into Whitetail breeding .

 

[Kevin Weir]

I had a similar situation this week with the lid for a box. This cherry crotch piece only showed nice figure on both the top and bottom. But after turning material off, this void was revealed and I deemed it too dangerous to continue turning. You win some and you lose some.

 

[hughie]

This is great I love it and well done the new owner will very happy with this one .