# Type wood for Bowl and spoons???



## Airecon

My mother always talked about the dough bowl her father built, so I'm going to try and make one. I think it was similar to the ones in the pics. A relative has it, so I'm going to try and get pics and dimensions on it. What would be a good wood to use for a bowl and some spoons? I have some wild cherry and white oak. Do I need to let it dry after I split it or can I work with it green? Thanks!


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## RatchetJaw

*no must be dry*

if you turn it green it will shrink warp and crack the finished product . you might consider myrtle wood the end result is a much much harder wood that looks awesome lemme Know I can arrange to ship you some for the cost of shipping I have tons of it I guess the only other place in the world it grows is in Jerusalem .:greenchainsaw:


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## brisawyer

Poplar or sycamore makes a good bowl it dosent affect the taste of the food if you are going to use it. Carve/turn it oversize let it dry slowly in a paper bag or in the basement. When its completely dry finish carving or turning.


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## Inspired by God

*Spoon Making*

When making a spoon, it's best to carve it from green wood. It carves and smooths so much easier. When you have it done, saturate it in Mineral Oil until it won't soak any more up. The mineral oil will preserve the wood, and keep it from drying and cracking. It's also food safe and won't go ransid after sitting around for a week or more. I have carved a lot of kitchen utencils (spoons, spatulas, ladels, etc.) and this process works very well for me.


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## pastryguyhawaii

RatchetJaw said:


> if you turn it green it will shrink warp and crack the finished product . you might consider myrtle wood the end result is a much much harder wood that looks awesome lemme Know I can arrange to ship you some for the cost of shipping I have tons of it I guess the only other place in the world it grows is in Jerusalem .:greenchainsaw:



Could you post a pic of that wood? I'm curious as to what it looks like.


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## RatchetJaw

I would gladly post a picture of the myrtlewood but my son played with my camera and scratches the lens up with a dirty Qtip dang 2 year olds !!!! just do a google img search for myrtlewood alot of the locals around here like the myrtlewood factory have very good pics of the stuff and can even give you an idea of how it looks as a finished product its characteristics range from a light blond to an almost mahogany appearance.


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## buzz sawyer

Sugar maple is also good for spoons, forks, bowls, etc. Very hard but durable.


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## Backwood

I know a few people that make them and they will only use green wood. Poplar is probably going to be one of the easiest to work with. I have seen them make bowls out of a lot of different kinds of wood, poplar, maple, sycamore, cherry, black gum, even elm and walnut. I would put white oak at the end of the list, thats a hard wood to dry without cracking. Sycamore is widely used for spoons.
The trick is to slow the drying enough to prevent cracks. Soak it good with oil and put in a cool dark place to dry. One guy puts them in a brown paper bag with shavings.
Also try and get the bowl walls the same thickness. They tell me putting handles on the ends will help with the cracking. And after it has dried they will work it again because it will probably distort some while drying.


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## Inspired by God

*More help*

I hand carve spoons, ladles, and other kitchen utensils and have found that just about any hardwood will very nicely. Just stay away from softwoods and aromatic woods and you won't have any problems. One of my favorites is flowering pear wood. It is very dense and carves well when green or fresh cut from one of the logs I have in my barn/stash. I have carved utensils from both green and seasoned woods and have found that carving the green wood easier. The only reason I would use seasoned wood would be if i were going to carve a Welsh Love spoon from it. I hope this helps.

May God smile upon all your endeavors.


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## Dennis_Peacock

You can turn that green Cherry just fine. Here's the process I have used over the last several years....with 99.9% success.

1. Cut the log to length
2. Cut the log down the pith and then slice off just enough to get the pith out of the log that is now cut along it's length.
3. Rough turn your dough bowl and leave it just shy of 1" thick on the walls and just every so slightly thinner on the bottom.
4. Soak the freshly turned green bowl in Denatured Alcohol for 24 hours.
5. Take the bowl out of the Alky bath, allow to air dry for about 10 minutes, and wrap in brown paper by laying the bowl upside down on the opened paper.
6. Tape up the paper rather fitted around the bowl bottom.
7. Cut a hole in the top side of the paper exposing the inside of the bowl, just don't cut the paper all the way back to the bowl rim...just shy of it.
8. Turn the bowl upside down and play on a drying rack for 21 days.
9. RETURN your now dry bowl on the lathe to make is all round again as some warping will occur...just not as much as it would in a normal drying method.
10. Finish turn the bowl, sand, and apply ample doses of mineral oil.

One thing to keep in mind...once you have roughed out a bowl, soaked it in DNA, wrapped it, dried it, unwrapped it? It will now keep on your shop shelves for YEARS until you are ready to finish turn the bowl. I have about 40 bowls on my shelves in my shop waiting for finish turning.

YMMV, but this is what has proven very successful for me MANY times over.


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## lumberjackchef

Dennis_Peacock said:


> 4. Soak the freshly turned green bowl in Denatured Alcohol for 24 hours.
> 5. Take the bowl out of the Alky bath, allow to air dry for about 10 minutes, and wrap in brown paper by laying the bowl upside down on the opened paper.




What does the alky bath accomplish exactly? I've never heard of this one. Does it help to remove some of the moisture or something? Thanks


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## Backwood

lumberjackchef said:


> What does the alky bath accomplish exactly? I've never heard of this one. Does it help to remove some of the moisture or something? Thanks



I have never tried it but remember reading ( I think at woodweb ) about some people using it as a cheaper subsituite for PEG.


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## Dennis_Peacock

The DNA encapsulates the water molecules in the wood and aids in getting the water out of the wood faster. I've done DOZENS and dozens of bowls and platters this way without loosing a single one. I tell more about this on my personal web site.


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## Linda Ambert

RatchetJaw said:


> *no must be dry*
> 
> if you turn it green it will shrink warp and crack the finished product . you might consider myrtle wood the end result is a much much harder wood that looks awesome lemme Know I can arrange to ship you some for the cost of shipping I have tons of it I guess the only other place in the world it grows is in Jerusalem .:greenchainsaw:



I am attempting to carve my first bowl. Do you still have maple wood I could use. Glad to pay shipping. Thank you.
Linda ([email protected])


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