C&C Request

[Brian Gustin]

Well I was re-watching the Rudy Lopez videos from recent online Woodturning Fundamentals sessions (While anxiously awaiting the Ernie Conover ones I really wanted to watch in the first place) .

I got the idea to practice a couple tips of Rudy's and thought I'd shoot for a calabash form - Not having suitable dry blanks, I went with a smaller 4 x 4 maple blank I have had laying around for a couple years.

I was shooting for a Calabash-like form , but I decided I needed it to have a foot if I was going to try and sell it at market (it'd make a nice sized mortar for a Pestle yet to be turned)

I think I got fairly close, but wanted some expert opinions - So, disregarding the foot, how do you think I did at getting the curvature and at least the top 2/3 of a calabash form? (it's just a little over 1/4 inch wall thickness, and inside bottom does continue the curvature for the most part but I have a quarter sized flat spot in the very bottom.)

 

[Dean Center]

Brian,
I'm no expert on calabash forms, but that's a real nice pestle. (Or is it a mortar? Now I've got myself confused. In any case, it's the bottom part and a nice one

 

[Karl Loeblein]

Agree with Dean. Looks like a great start to pestle & mortal. Anything related to cooking seems to sell decently and make great presents.

I’m not a calabash expert, but you might be surprised how well a calabash bowl can stand upright with a rounded bottom like how the old weebles wobble toys work. I say keep this one since it looks nice, and try turning another bowl without the foot.

 

[Bill Blasic]

Brian it depends on who you listen to. Kelly Dunn would tell you a calabash would flare outward at the top. Pat Kramer would probably tell you that the shape is good. Here's a link to our own Emiliano's pdf about calabash. https://www.gvwg.ca/docs/Articles/Emiliano Achaval/WT308_Calabash_fea.pdf

 

[Michael Anderson]

Comment about the foot. A good compromise for a foot, if you want a true round-bottom calabash, is to make a separate piece to stabilize the bowl. Quasi-stand. Or you can use a beanbag or cloth instead. I’m about halfway through Jenkins’ book on traditional Hawaiian calabashes, and there are a few photos of round-bottom bowls paired with cloth bases. A way to adapt the Western flatwork that was becoming more and more integrated.

@Bill Blasic thanks for linking that pdf. Good read.

 

[Brian Gustin]

Thanks guys. and that is a great read, Bill, thanks for the link.

Looking at the article, I'd have to say I didn't quite make it to "calabash" style, but OTOH I am rather happy with the smooth steady curvature, which was my main goal - consistent even curves have been my biggest challenge in bowl turning, so I'm glad to have been able to develop my "eye" for the curves (and getting my body to obey what my eye sees for tool control!)

The biggest challenge was the inside to get a consistent thickness ( a lot of NRS work at the bottom transition) and , I suppose, an unorthodox method using a 1/2" spindle gouge (very light cuts) to refine the inner edge - My bowl gouge grinds were too steep of a bevel angle so I'd have hit the opposite rim trying to get bevel support at the inside top, I don't care much to use scrapers on the sides of bowls, so, spindle gouge was only thing with a bevel that could make the cuts there. (I don't have hollowing tools other than original Ellsworth style bars, and cutters would have been too small to get any smooth surfaces)

@Michael Anderson : Great thought on a compromise for the foot - Especially after watching the "Mood Owl" video posted to these forums elsewhere - I think that would have been a great solution to make a true calabash form stable enough for typical mortar & pestle (Wouldn't want your herbs spilling out due to bumping the bowl over by accident) - So it could still have the cupped-hand-friendly rounded bottom (this one actually feels real nice in the hand held at the side!) of a calabash form, but nest it into a separate foot to stabilize it when putting it down somewhere... I may have to try that when I get some more of my logs cut up into blanks and rough out some appropriately sized rough forms.

Appreciate the feedback very much, folks. (don't let this post stop you from future comments either, I'm always interested!)