Donald R. Watland scriveva:
Quote:
>One issue with staved oak barrels, as used by the wine and spirits industry,
>is that they remain water-tight due to the fact that they are filled with
>liquid, which causes the wood to swell and tighten against the steel bands.
>If you let the wood dry out, no amount of tightening of the bands will
>retain water until the wood soaks up moisture and swells again. The ***
>on the inside probably prevents any mold, but the damp outside of the barrel
>often ends up with a layer of mold that blackens the wood, and turns to
>"crude" over time.
Well, my idea was that the vat-sink will be finished, but I didn't write
it, relying on the group telepathy ;^)
Finishing should slow drying out: I am aware that barrels need to be damp
to be wine-tight (who cares about water!) but they do not need to be kept
full. Finishing should also keep mold at bay and allow water to flow away.
My simple minded guess was that the dampness of the bathroom and the finish
would have been enough to avoid drying. I now understand that this means
relying too much on the environment collaboration, though.
And, that's for sure, you want your bathroom to be more tidy than your
can***, where small spills and leaks are acceptable.
I still think that staved or laminated construction is a good alternative
to turning a big bowl from a big log.
Another route could be curved ply, using moulds or simply the
"super-flexible" grade of ply, but this wouldn't be woodturning.
I saw a very beautiful sink made with a single sheet of marine grade ply
curved like a wave (an open U coming to a flat part on a side) and closed
on front and rear with tempered glass set in a groove and caulked with
clear caulking material. The flat side was used as the table top of the
unit.
Pierluigi Zezza
Writing from Italy
by