The Secret Of The Oval Bowl
Two weeks before Thanksgiving several years ago, Sweet Janice asked me to turn a large salad bowl. I asked her when she needed it since I would be turning the bowl from green wood and it would normally need to dry for several months. She wanted to use it at our large family holiday meal in less than two weeks.
I tried to explain that with green wood we needed to rough turn the bowl (the fun part), let it dry for several months then do the final turning once the bowl was sufficiently dry. That is what I had always been taught was the proper way to make bowls; bowl turning from green wood always took months not hours.
And then she asked me a very strange question; “What would happen if I just turned the whole thing from green wood and skipped the months of drying the wood out? Couldn’t we then use it in two weeks when we needed it?” I explained that the bowl was sure to go oval when it dried and it might even crack during the process. Janice asked another intriguing question; “Suppose we dried the bowl out for several months then she put hot wet vegies in the now round wooden bowl. Would the bowl stay round or would it go oval?” Everybody knows that wood moves and water, especially hot water, makes wood move for sure. Her reasoning was flawless, if the bowl is going to move anyway, why wait for nothing?
Another astounding observation followed; “Oval bowls look like they are hand-made and perfectly round bowls look store-bought. Hand-made craft items are always better. From that day forward and for many years now, all of the woodturners in the Brown family turn bowls from green wood from start to finish in one sitting. Yes they all go oval, some more than others, and we love them that way. They are kind of like us, a little bit out of round.
In order to keep them from cracking, we simply turn the sides to a uniform thickness and make sure the bottom is about the same thickness as the sides. Only about 1 in 30 pieces ever crack. We sand to 220 grit and finish with walnut oil and everyone loves our oval bowls. Besides, there is just nothing like turning green wood. It cuts like butter and often smells wonderful.
I told this story to a friend of mine who said he had a bowl turning friend who regularly sold at craft fairs. Business had been good and his inventory of seasoned twice-turned bowls was insufficient for the demand. So, reluctantly, he produced several once-turned green wood bowls which, of course went oval. Much to his surprise the oval bowls sold better than the twice-turned round bowls and for just as much money. Now all he makes are Oval Bowls. No Waiting!!!
The fall is here in many places and the holidays are just around the corner, so this year why not make some once-turned green oval bowls and see for yourself if you like oval bowls too. With all of the bad weather here in the Southeastern USA there is an abundance of green wood this year. Oval Bowls, here we come! Remember that wherever you go, there you are.
Here is my inspiration for this message:
Song of Solomon 1:17 MSG We enjoy a canopy of cedars enclosed by cypresses, fragrant and green.
Prov 16:20 The one who understands a matter finds success, and the one who trusts in the LORD will be happy.
Luke 23:31 NIV For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
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