• Beware of Counterfeit Woodturning Tools (click here for details)
  • Johnathan Silwones is starting a new AAW chapter, Southern Alleghenies Woodturners, in Johnstown, PA. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Paul May for "Checkerboard (ver 3.0)" being selected as Turning of the Week for March 25, 2024 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Rough turning green crotch figures

Joined
Nov 30, 2021
Messages
17
Likes
17
Location
Portland, OR
I have several green cherry crotch figures between 7 and 15 inches in diameter (after rounding and
Balancing). For the thicker blanks, should I remove some of the wood from the center to speed up drying, or leave a uniform thicknesses? The pits are turned away. I am concerned about drying time vs yield. I prefer to not need to fill cracks with epoxy or add butterflies.

Thanks.

Danny
 

hockenbery

Forum MVP
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
8,590
Likes
4,886
Location
Lakeland, Florida
Website
www.hockenberywoodturning.com
I usually single turn them as a NE bowl. Cherry sap ring makes a spectacular heart shaped bowl.
See this thread for tip and a video of a demo

I also slab crotches 1.5 - 2” thick and dry the slab for platters. Expect 2” checking loss on each end and year + drying time.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 28, 2021
Messages
1,207
Likes
1,047
Location
Roulette, PA
Website
www.reallyruralwoodworks.com
Well, if you have them already cut into blanks, and want to minimize warping I'd twice-turn , and rough them out into the approximate shape you want them, leaving them thick but consistent thickness, and let them dry, but as Hockenberry does , I would probably once-turn them to a final thickness and do natural edge.. I just did one in Walnut green once-turned - my first attempt at doing an emerging bowl, just finished it today and I expect it is going to crack and warp.. but how much is what remains to be seen .. (I just noticed in the second picture what looks like tool marks.. re-checking the bowl, it is actually curl - as in like curly maple)
 

Attachments

  • 20220105_163947.jpg
    20220105_163947.jpg
    559.3 KB · Views: 68
  • 20220105_163958.jpg
    20220105_163958.jpg
    540.5 KB · Views: 68

Randy Anderson

Beta Tester
Beta Tester
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
834
Likes
1,227
Location
Eads, TN
Website
www.etsy.com
I single turn all my natural edge bowls. I don't use the tenon for a foot and the bottom of all mine look like the attached pick when I put them in the bag to dry. A shallow tenon is best to reduce cracking risk. The tenon will often go egg shaped a bit and the bottom will warp by curving inward toward the side grain. I leave enough material on the planned foot to finish it off flat and put a concave shape inside the foot area. It can be tricky sometimes to reshape the foot to the curve and be flat but it bugs me to have a bowl not sit flat when first done. Careful work with a gouge, a NR scraper and some sanding and you can get the foot to blend in. That said, a natural edge once turned bowl may sit perfectly flat in some times of the year and have a very slight wobble other parts of the year. It's wood. It moves.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5469.JPG
    IMG_5469.JPG
    52 KB · Views: 25
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
Messages
1,814
Likes
1,417
Location
Lebanon, Missouri
Like others I 1 turn NE crotch bowls to ~1/4” and let them warp. Thin warps, thick cracks. I rough out platters and leave them a bit thicker than 10% and slow dry. Takes a long time to dry them. Also make a lot of 1-turn hollow forms from crotches.
 
Joined
Feb 28, 2021
Messages
1,207
Likes
1,047
Location
Roulette, PA
Website
www.reallyruralwoodworks.com
Brian, does your emerging bowl set flat on the table?
The bottom is turned with a bit of an arc to it so it is supported more by the corners of the "flat" wood as it sits right now, there is about 1/8" or air space between the bottom of the bowl portion and the table top. It remains to be seen if that increases (which I suspect it may as the wood dries and warps, but which way it goes is a guess) - So, hopefully (and as I planned for it) it sort of sits on the points of the corners... for now Also the little bit of "bottom" of the bowl that I formed on the bottom side I managed to get just right so when you hold it up to look, it actually looks like the bowl is "sunk" through the flat wood...
 
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
Messages
300
Likes
158
Location
West Memphis, AR
I just received a crotch piece not shaped the greatest for turning but maybe with a little advice, I can make something of it. I'm not real sure but I think it is what we locally call osage orange or horse apple. I have not cut it, still waiting for the motor bearings to come in that have been in our local postal system for a week, that's another story, grrrr! I know when it's fresh cut it is really orange then turns red, this has been cut for a couple of days.
Want to once turn NE, thinking the first picture and catching the three big sections. I would like to have used the second picture but would have to put the small limb in the bottom so the three bid limbs would be the edgesIMG_1401.jpgIMG_1402.jpg, just wondering what you experienced guys would try, thanks.
 

hockenbery

Forum MVP
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
8,590
Likes
4,886
Location
Lakeland, Florida
Website
www.hockenberywoodturning.com
The big pieces could have a deep bark inclusion between them. I don’t like the way the bark looks.
Could also be real shallow and not a problem. Cut in half to check.

One option is to turn a heart shaped bowl from this side
Cut off the limb then rip the crotch in half. This will give the crotch figure if this crotch has one.
When you hollow the limb might be turned away completely. Or there may be a knot in the side but if you don’t see it when you
This should make a nice size heart shaped bowl.32080F97-27A9-4F98-8789-136B5F89B62D.jpeg

See the handout notes I use in demos to see cutting the blank and laying out the center of the heart shaped bowl.

Check out the demo video to see how to align 3 rims.

Danger alert:
Watch for bark inclusions. It appears there is some “stitching” in the bark that is usually a predictor of bark inclusion.
Bark inclusions have no structural strength and the parts will fly apart if the is not enough connecting wood.

The other half find the center of the 3 leaders cut the blank with a small flat opposite that center for the tailstock center.
Then you will get a small bowl with 3 lobes in the rim.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
Messages
300
Likes
158
Location
West Memphis, AR
Thanks alot! My bearings did not come in today so I will wait to cut the wood. Still cold here so i'll keep it wet. When I cut it in half and do not see the knot from the limb, that side should really turn nice, should be able to see an inclusion at that point...I'll let you know what I find.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 18, 2018
Messages
1,061
Likes
1,719
Location
Baltimore, MD
D36B8A0C-0AA3-40F4-9EB6-2B8DEC3F1F10.jpeg
Here’s an Osage orange crotch bowl I made a couple of months ago (posted on this site asking advice). I’m happy with it, but the consensus was that if I had turned deeper, I would have gotten more of the feathered figure inside the bowl. I agree.
 

hockenbery

Forum MVP
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
8,590
Likes
4,886
Location
Lakeland, Florida
Website
www.hockenberywoodturning.com
Thanks alot! My bearings did not come in today so I will wait to cut the wood. Still cold here so i'll keep it wet. When I cut it in half and do not see the knot from the limb, that side should really turn nice, should be able to see an inclusion at that point...I'll let you know what I find.
The knot won’t be a serious issue. If there is a deep bark inclusion then either discard or cut along the bark inclusion and make things from those two parts.

Wish you luck with what’s inside.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2018
Messages
841
Likes
935
Location
Penrose, NC
I actively look for crotch pieces from walnut, and other species. This is a big piece of Camphor. VERY aromatic..... But - this one I turned to a rough thickness, applied 50/50 lacquer and lacquer thinner - and set it aside for about 9 months. Today...it was finished as a lazy susan. When I mounted it - it was green and probably 100 pounds. The blank was 25" diameter. 1/4" clearance above the bed.

Wish I could post a short video clip of it rotating. The feathering in the grain is fantastic.
 

Attachments

  • Camphor 1.jpeg
    Camphor 1.jpeg
    174 KB · Views: 23
  • Camphor 2.jpeg
    Camphor 2.jpeg
    141.8 KB · Views: 15
  • Camphor 3.jpeg
    Camphor 3.jpeg
    202.6 KB · Views: 15
  • Camphor 4.jpeg
    Camphor 4.jpeg
    186.8 KB · Views: 16
  • Camphor 5.jpeg
    Camphor 5.jpeg
    143.3 KB · Views: 16
  • Camphor 6.jpeg
    Camphor 6.jpeg
    172.4 KB · Views: 17
  • Camphor 7.jpeg
    Camphor 7.jpeg
    179.1 KB · Views: 22
  • Camphor 8.jpeg
    Camphor 8.jpeg
    199.7 KB · Views: 21
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
Messages
300
Likes
158
Location
West Memphis, AR
View attachment 42997
Here’s an Osage orange crotch bowl I made a couple of months ago (posted on this site asking advice). I’m happy with it, but the consensus was that if I had turned deeper, I would have gotten more of the feathered figure inside the bowl. I agree.
Well, Lou, you helped me make up my mind, I was going to go thin and maybe get both sides but I think I'll cut a little past the pith and turn back to just clear it. Hopefully it will be solid wood, not sure if horseapple as we called it as kids burns well...
Tim, I've been waiting for a piece to show up big enough I can slide the headstock down and turn off the lowered bed extension. Going tomorrow to see about a huge old pecan on the ground at Trumann, AR.
Both of them are beautiful pieces. Thanks!
Kind of thinking my motor bearings are lost, they were lasted tracked at the Memphis hub of the postal system last Thursday. I've had parts for my generators arrive through the postal system today that I ordered almost a week after I ordered the bearings and they took one day to clear Memphis. Maybe they will show up later, sooner has already gone by....
 
Last edited:

hockenbery

Forum MVP
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
8,590
Likes
4,886
Location
Lakeland, Florida
Website
www.hockenberywoodturning.com
Here’s an Osage orange crotch bowl I made a couple of months ago (posted on this site asking advice). I’m happy with it, but the consensus was that if I had turned deeper, I would have gotten more of the feathered figure inside the bowl. I agree.
Your bowl looks great.
Some crotches have little feather some a lot. You get a good view when the crotch is cut in half.

The feather grain is in the center and not very thick. When you slice a crotch in half you get two pieces with the feather grain.
The best feather will be on the bottom of the bowl. Thinner the bottom the more feather. I go with footless bowls and shorter tenons to get more feather.

One option is to slice the crotch a 1/2 to 1” off center to put most of the flame in one blank. The tenon and foot are now on one side of the flame and the inside bottom is close to the center of the flame.
Camphor bowl6374E798-CCCC-4C6D-B9B5-DBC34DF4C629.jpeg
 
Joined
Jul 18, 2018
Messages
1,061
Likes
1,719
Location
Baltimore, MD
B12EB722-A1E9-426C-B245-3D283D061C09.jpeg
Thanks Al. Yes, here’s the bottom of the same bowl showing more of the figure. I think if I’d done what you suggest, and cut the log off-center, I could have brought even more of it into the inside. The good news is that there’s always another chance.
 
Back
Top