How to 'contemporize' small bowls and boxes?

A cabinet shop gave me a zillion mahogany cut-offs. 2X6's about 10" in length. My new Jet mini has sure had a fun workout. I've made enough bottle stoppers to cork Napa Valley's yearly vintage, enough small bowls to hold the world lettuce crop and enough small boxes to contain a retirement home's bric-a-brac. I need your suggestions for ways to embellish my 'old hat, 'same ole- same ole' usual designs. There are lots of lists of things to make, but not so much on gussying up standard small bowls & boxes, and what is available has been done so often that they have become standards themselves. viz, Raffin, Stott et al........and me!

Mahogany is bland but not unattractive. It turns easily and takes vinegar-iron ebonizing well. It's much too good to waste, but the 2X6 size limits bowl design, at least for me.

Like the old song," I don't want to set the (art) world on fire", I just want to make some unusual and different boxes & small bowls, Not tops, whistles, yo-yo's and garden dibbers. Remember that I am only an intermedite turner, whatever that is, and no, I don't want to ship the stock to your shop. ;) Arch

Fortiter,

Reply to
Arch
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Well, since you have just ruled out the best option, then how about: segmented turning, inlays, carved embellishment, hand-forged iron handles or pedestals, reverse gluing concentric rings to form deeper bowls?

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Working within limits can be a good design experience, though you could also glue some of these up to make bigger blocks (bothering or not bothering with segmenting, layers of veneer to bring out the segments and add design interest, etc, yadda, yadda.

I have what _I_ think is a pleasing design that does not quite fit in these limits (just over 6, just about 2-1/4) - slightly closed-top, tapering wall thickness, smooth. I've posted a scan of a sectioned one that died while being roughed (from a log, so it has a big tenon that would not even come close to fitting in your board, but that would have been cut off if the one in question had lived). I've retouched the top to approximate the wall I think I was going for - the bottom shows the wall of this one as it is.

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Reply to
Ecnerwal

Square turnings are fun. You can leave 'em open, cap 'em, even make them as "legs" for others.

Reply to
George

So that would be about 8,333,333,333,333,333 board feet of Mahogany ... or just a WHOLE FREAKIN' RAIN FOREST!

Ahhhhh. Think outside the box, young glasshoppah... Hows about this one?

You could rough out bowl or box shapes, then applying Artistic License

101 from the Jackson Pollack School of Technique, shoot them with a 12 gauge. Finish turn them to thickness revealing the scatter patterned orbs of lead. Perhaps not a food-safe item tho.

_____ American Association of Woodturners Cascade Woodturners Assoc., Portland, Oregon Northwest Woodturners, Tigard, Oregon _____

Reply to
Owen Lowe

Arch, as a law-abiding waterfowler uses only steel shot....

Reply to
George

Bowls are water fowl? Dang. The stuff they don't teach you in school these days. I never knew...

...Kevin

Reply to
Kevin & Theresa Miller

Well, Kevin, I'm sure you've seen the graceful, beautiful work of Ronald Layport...

{BTW, is it just my browser or is the Del Mano website 2 years out of date!?!}

_____ American Association of Woodturners Cascade Woodturners Assoc., Portland, Oregon Northwest Woodturners, Tigard, Oregon _____

Reply to
Owen Lowe

I dunno about your bowls Kevin, but the last few I've turned from very green logs have been both watery and foul. Does that qualify?

vic

Reply to
Victor Radin

One thing this whole thread has missed entirely... "Contemporize" small bowls and boxes... Easy. If the wood is dark, bleach it. If the wood is light, stain it. Then paint tasteless, overtly sexual designs on them (ie tattoos) and pierce them at random with various hoops, chains and studs.

Reply to
Silvan

Arch,

carve, texture, pierce, burn-pyrography, burn-torch, dye, paint, inlay-stone, epoxy, inlace, add feet, add handles, add wings, whatever, combine any of the above

I can't beleive you are really short on ideas. And who cares if you make a few ugly items. they are good practice on your way to the beautiful ones.

Good luck, Joe Fleming - San diego

Reply to
Joe Fleming

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