A while ago I was lamenting the loss of
an oak burr bowl that I had recently turned. Upon completion,
the bowl had proceeded to warp and develop a terminal
wobble. I couldn't reshape the base, and although it retained
an inherent quaintness as a result of the grain and form,
I had resigned myself to the fact that the bowl would
be destined for that great turnery in the sky.
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Photo 1
Click photo for enlarged view
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I had not, however, bargained
for the accidental flash of inspiration that arrived while
wandering around a local car boot sale. It was there that
I came upon a tin of three inch Victorian nails. As I
stood in front of the stall the idea was nurtured, developed,
and finally given in to as I handed over the asking price
to the stall holder (who must have thought that it was
his birthday), and rushed back home to the workshop clutching
the misshapen bits of metal.
I
turned a number of these bowls before the economics of scarcity
came into play and I unfortunately ran out of nails. Time
passed until a chance meeting with a local blacksmith
enabled further developments into the idea of combining
wood and iron, as well as a constant supply of hand-forged
and specially shaped nails.
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Photo 2
Click photo for enlarged view
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Photo 4
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The idea of a tripod bowl with iron legs
worked and the bowl in photo 1 was the first to be made
specifically to marry the wood with the iron nails. The
interior of the bowl has a patented wax finish to give it
an aged feel, and this works well with the wide grain in
the piece of ash used. The holes are drilled through the
rim of the bowl allowing the tapered nails to be put in
from the top and glued in place with a resin-based glue.
The tapering is more pronounced on the nails that I had
custom made in order to achieve a better fit.
Photos 2 and 3 show a 25 cm diameter sycamore bowl with
wrought iron handles. I had previously turned bowls with
integral handles (see photo 4), but I liked the idea of
combining the two contrasting materials. The handles could
be screwed onto the bowl, or if small holes are pre- drilled,
then short carpet tacks can be used to hold the handles
in place. Although the second method provides a more authentic
feel to the type of effect I wanted to create, I would recommend
using some glue to ensure a strong bond.
Photos 5, 6, and 7 show a further development of the tripod
bowl with the tripod and bowl this time being two separate
pieces. The tripod is again hand-forged, individually
designed, and measures about 22 centimeters diameter. The
bowls are turned after the tripod has been made and have
a ridge on the underneath to just drop onto the top of the
tripod.
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