Bodark bowl (reclaimed farm post)

Man, I gots to get me a turning machine and lose the rest!

wonderful bowl with great color an neat wood

Nice turning there Richard, I have not had the opportunity to turn osage orange. It looks like a fine wood to work with?

Erwin Jacksonville, FL

Very nice shape , grain , and color…do you have any more pix to show us ?

Very nice bowl, Yes, Osage orange also is a top choice of Bow wood along with Yew and a few others, Bow makers take Osage orange and "chase the ring" as they call it, Keeping the seperating the latewood from the early wood and leaving the late wood as the back of there bow to prevent splitting. I have a stave of Osage orange myself that I intend to make a bow of sooner or later.

Nice looking bowl. I am just starting to finish up a bowl I turned yesterday, made from Osage Orange. I willl post pics when I get it finished.

real nice eatin' bowl

I love the grain pattern on this bowl, it really sets it off nicely, and that bit of detail that you put on the rim adds to the beauty, great job!

How were you ever able to cut an old fence post? I remember helping my dad take out a couple miles of fence in the mid 60's. He was going to cut them to length and burn them in the fireplace. The wood was so hard the chainsaw would not cut them. He and the old man that owned the farm estimated that the posts had been in the ground at least 50 years.

You did a great job. Its a good looking bowl.

Beautiful bowl.. I have a piece of osage orange sitting, becuase after hearing other turners comment on its density and hardness to turn, I'm afraid of ruining it! Guess I'd better bite my lip and go at it. Yours is lovely.

Thanks everyone.

Dusty, I'll post some pics of this bowl's sister next week as it is sitting at my desk at work. I shipped this one off to my mother-n-law as a gift.

Imallchalkedup, I've heard that this wood was a top choice for bows and I believe it - it is strong. I've never made a bow, but would love to give it a shot sometime just for fun.

Terry, you made me laugh - one old farmer I met who was talking about bodark said that you plant the post in the ground and put a big rock on top…when the rock has disintegrated, it is time for a new post

Barbs, don't be afraid of it, I thought it turned great - part of the great thing about some of the harder woods is how clean and smooth it cuts AS LONG AS (1) your tools are very sharp and you touch them up through the process and (2) take fairly light cuts along the way. Only one more tip - the most annoying part of working with this wood is that fine orange dust might as well be orange dye - your hands will be bright orange for a few days after sanding it!

Great looking bowl. I love turning it both green and dry.

Very beautiful Richard. I tried some of this and miscalculated the thickness and it exploded on me. I thought it turned very nicely and can't wait to get another piece to turn. The striping reminds me of myrtlewood and its coloring. The coloring along the crack also reminds me of certain bug infestation where the bugs excreations discolors the wood and gives it characture (like the ambrosa). Very unique and very beautiful. Nice job.

Like you told Barb, 'Go for it'. There's a bowl inside there just waiting to jump out and be freed.

Jim

Fantastic bowl. Simple lines and a wonderful wood. Nice detail to the rim.

Keep it up.

Scrappy

Very nice bowl, great finish, simple design to allow and show the natural beauty of the wood.

Great bowl!!! way to save that beautiful wood !

I showed this to my wife and she fell in love with it and its finish. How did you finish it? Just wax?

Jim

Hi Jim, This one was finished with Waterlox "High Gloss Finish". I have had overall good results with Waterlox finishes, but I tend to use Tried & True Varnish Oil a bit more now since it is (1) a little lighter in color and (2) substantially more forgiving that Waterlox. When you get the Waterlox right, it really pays you back nicely, but it becomes tacky pretty fast, so you have to apply it quick and evenly and then get it to a place to dry where there is no dust as it will catch every speck. After probably 3-4 coats of Waterlox with one day dry time in between each, I buffed this with some Tripoli and then a thin layer of wax. Cheers, Richard