I just turned my first natural edge bowl from a piece of Bradford Pear. I
had a short piece of Bradford Pear trunk about 10" in diameter and 12" long.
I bandsawed it down the middle and prepared two blanks. I used a 2"
forstner bit to create a flat on the bark side of the blank for my***
chuck. Then I bandsawed the blank round. I mounted the blank on the***
chuck and turned the outside profile and foot. Then I reverse-chucked the
blank and hollowed it.
It went pretty well, I think. I believe I was able to avoid some of the
more common pitfalls of beginner bowl turners, such as: leaving too much
wood in the base of the bowl, leaving that "nub" in the bottom of the bowl
and not getting a uniform thickness on the bowl walls, or not getting a
uniform curve from the base to the rim. The walls are a bit thick, though
at about 3/8". Maybe I'll try to go thinner on the next one.
My bowl is now in a paper bag drying. The bark seemed to hold very well.
Can I expect the bark to stay on? I've never worked with Bradford Pear
before, so I don't know what to expect. Thanks.
Barry