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​As The Yarn Bowl Turns.

"A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working."

​~ Author unknown

Warping Adds Character And Beauty To Wood Yarn Bowls.

3/17/2022

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Many turned wood pieces are not perfectly symmetrical in shape. Even with controlled slow drying, the wood may "twist and turn" in response to the speed of moisture loss and relative humidity. Some species of wood move more than others during drying, but many develop charming irregular twists and bends. This process adds to the beauty and character of your unique one-of-a-kind piece!
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Green wood directly from the log of a felled tree contains more than 50% water. This “free water” is eliminated during the turning process, often giving the operator a cool shower. Bound water is what remains in the cells after the wood is turned. The outside surface dries first and becomes hard while the inner cells are still releasing water. This is what causes movement or cracking in the wood and is predominately tangential or diagonal to the direction of the grain thus causing the wood to twist. You can even find this in kiln dried building lumber at big box stores.
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Some wood turners will rough turn a bowl thick, let it dry then re-turn it at a later date to try to get the perfect round bowl. I try to work with nature preferring to turn my bowls once paying more attention to adjusting drying conditions in order to achieve the best outcome. This includes monitoring high and low weather fronts; temperatures, humidity, etc. that often cause uneven moisture loss and a more dramatic reaction in the wood.
All wood even after finishing is hygroscopic in that it will constantly release or absorb moisture to be in equilibrium with surrounding air for the life of the piece. Yes, all your wood furniture is doing this as well. That is why we always caution our buyers that wooden bowls don't like prolonged exposure to water or direct heat.
Editors Note: I love the beautiful shape of a warped yarn bowl however, I've noticed all the north/south views of our "warped" yarn bowls, look oddly exaggerated (see pics 2 and 3 below), sometimes even distorted in photos. With better imaging skills, I might do better... nonetheless, I include every view so you can admire the grains and unique properties of each dimensional piece. –PTH
Top L: Front (north/south view). Top R: Side (west view). Bottom L: Side (east view). Bottom  R: Front.
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Wood Wabi-Sabi Trending Home Decor

3/4/2022

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Weeping Bottlebrush bowl, enhanced by “Kintsugi”
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Weeping Bottlebrush Log.
​A few months ago a neighbor offered me wood from a Bottlebrush tree felled in his yard. I took a small log because the grain was interesting and I had never turned Weeping Bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis).
​When I prepared (two) bowl blanks from the log I discovered the wood was in advanced stages of decay and decided to persevere because decay often produces interesting spalted patterns. This was the perfect specimen to practice the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi; embracing the flaws as a natural event, while giving wood further life by enhancing weak spots with inlay, similar to “Kintsugi” The Japanese Art of Repair.
​One blank I had to discard because it was too soft to safely turn. The other I mounted up and took a chance that it wouldn’t disintegrate. What emerged was a fascinating bowl with a blend of decay interspersed with sound wood. In some spots it was very spongy with colorful decay. Other spots completely rotted through; indicating hours of work to come.
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Rough turned and stabilized.
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Filled with inlay, rough sanded.
I stabilized the piece with wood hardener, which petrified the decay, making it stable enough to work through the sanding and finishing stages. The blue inlay is where the wood was rotted through; the golden tones are various stages of decay while the rust areas are sound wood, unaffected by decay bacteria.
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After twenty sanding and finishing cycles, I was rewarded with a finish like glass, interesting spalting and grains enhanced by pools and veins of our proprietary inlay. This bowl was so much fun to work with, I'm saving it to my personal collection as inspiration for future wood Wabi-Sabi.
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