Best native timber for a burned out bowl

[Toddy]

I need to make at least one of these bowls within the next couple of weeks.
I don't really have time to experiment with different woods just now.
Anyone know which timber would be best to use?
It needs to be food safe since I'm going to knead bread dough in it, so woods such as Yew aren't suitable.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[warthog1981]

what size a shape are you looking for ill make you one ? burned out and scraped what tools are permited ?

 

[Floyd Soul]

Ya cant go wrong with sycamore. It has a lovely grain that comes up nice when oiled and most importantly, theres no taste from it. Thats why its so popular for utensils.

 

[Toddy]

what size a shape are you looking for ill make you one ? burned out and scraped what tools are permited ?

Ah you're a gem Russ :You_Rock_

Oval and the hollow about the size of a loaf, but not as deep. I'm hoping to use the bowl for Bronze/ Iron Age bread making with kids so I'd like it to look *real* not a modern ornament, that apart I don't mind if you use a knife to scrap or flint or chert......

I would like something like a much smaller version of the one shown here
http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/museum/schnotes.htm

I already owe you barter......d'you want a mtm green linen shirt too?

cheers,
Mary

 

[torjusg]

I would like something like a much smaller version of the one shown here
http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/museum/schnotes.htm

They used birch for such trays where I come from. But then again, there wasn't really much else to work with. I don't think they burned it hollow though. Have several of those at home.

Since you are going norse it may be the wood to use.

 

[Don Redondo]

sycamore has traditionally been the wood of choice for food prep, for the reasons given above and also because IIRC the cells contain a natural antibiotic which is released when cut [ie chopping boards and the like]. not sure how burning out would affect this.

Conversely for easy of making how about lime? or for a real experiment try horse chestnut... if that works be sure to tell us all, because I'be nevere ever found a use for this most useless of woods.... wont even burn properly

 

[Toddy]

Thank you for all the info :You_Rock_

Sycamore sounds ideal, and I think long term it sounds the way to go, but I can get oak, birch, ash, elm, alder and larch just now.

Norse? I'm staying Scottish
Edit, just realised it was my link that caused the confusion, sorry, it was just the clearest image I could find quickly. The archaeo publications wouldn't copy

I have a beautiful spinning wheel and matching chair made from horse chestnut but the man who made them said it was a nightmare to work as it kept shaking (splitting). Up here we usually used the timber for chespale fencing since it seems to want to split into long skinny lengths anyway.

atb,
Toddy

 

[warthog1981]

can you give me some rough dimensions ?
Bronze / Iron Age :Thinkingo so can use my axe to shape the outside ........ im off to the woods for a look

Ah you're a gem Russ :You_Rock_

Oval and the hollow about the size of a loaf, but not as deep. I'm hoping to use the bowl for Bronze/ Iron Age bread making with kids so I'd like it to look *real* not a modern ornament, that apart I don't mind if you use a knife to scrap or flint or chert......

I would like something like a much smaller version of the one shown here
http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/museum/schnotes.htm

I already owe you barter......d'you want a mtm green linen shirt too?

cheers,
Mary

 

[warthog1981]

just back from the woods couldnt find any decent sized wind damaged sycamore but as usual found a selection of beech. Got a bit around 13" x 10" x 4"
or i can do bigger ??? could even do some spalted beech ? I could get some sycamore for later on but it needs to season a little had a big one blown down near my work could offer to tiedy it up for the owners

 

[Toddy]

Russ that sounds great. Beech is pretty innocuous stuff so ought to be safe to use of food and it works pretty well too. The size sounds very useable as well

There's a (hacked down by iijits late last Summer) silver birch just down the burn path from my garden, I could get a chunk of that if needed.

I found out how to post the academic links

http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_125/125_139_195.pdf

http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_123/123_355_362.pdf

cheers,
mary

 

[swyn]

A bit late here but will echo Beech and Sycamore for what you want Toddy although Birch would probably be good and more historically correct. Lime is another I have just remembered.
ATB Swyn.

 

[JonnyP]

Sycamore is not a native tree though...... http://www.the-tree.org.uk/BritishTrees/TreeGallery/sycamorec.htm

 

[Toddy]

Fiona and I took a bow saw to the fallen silver birch trunk this evening and lugged a half metre length of it back into the garden. It was the torn end of the trunk we took and it had split as it fell. Using an axe and a broad bladed cold chisel we split the log apart into two D shaped segments. I find I ache using an axe these days but I'm a dab hand with a billhook and we have roughed out a trug shaped bowl, with a hollow about 6cms deep in the centre ( the back path looks like a stray blizzard attacked )

I know it won't be as finished as Russ's but I'm chuffed with our efforts and I'm thinking that the kids might be able to have a go with the scraping out if we had quartz matrix or maybe slate for them to use. (The teachers are going to 'love' me )

Anybody know if I need to leave the rough to dry out a bit before I try charring it with hot coals?

I did take photos, but haven't gotten around to downloading them yet, and some were taken when it was pretty dark, so I won't promise to have anything worth viewing, but I'll give it a try tomorrow.

Thanks for all thehelp.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[pataviking]

you could look on e-bay type in trencher or woodenbowl see lots of examples. my wife does this and drools. i would like to carve out a nice trencher for her sometime. pat

 

[warthog1981]

its taking forever to burnout the bowl ive got nightmares off it splitting on me and its shrunk a bit kept getting splits to one side when you said rought how rough did you mean ill keep going with this one but i might attemped to carve a bowl to with my chisels to just in case

 

[Toddy]

There's a funny thing about burning wood, it hardens it and since it effectively boils the water out if done carefully it *doesn't* usually split it. Sort of roasted instead of burning.
Go for it Russ; your workmanship is excellent and for this activity even a damaged bowl will become a hands on example of how not easy it can be to make something just as perfectly as you would have liked.
I must admit I've been reluctant to try burning out the silver birch I've got here until it's not so sploongin wet ( the log was lying on the ground for about six months). If it's not raining tomorrow though I think I'll give it a go.

cheers,
Mary

 

[warthog1981]

ive been burning the bowl in for well over three hours and its only about two inches deep ive got burns and blisters this may take a while

 

[warthog1981]

I was lying in bed thinking about the bowl when I swear I could still smell a fire and hear the sound of it crackling. Then the seeds of doubt crept in what if it was my shed on fire oh no looked out my bed room window to see loads of smoke and an orange glow in the sky. oh bother was what i was thinking. or words not suitable to repeat on here but it turned out that the Fife Ice Arena was well ablaze seven fire appliances took three hours to put it out. i should point out its only 200yards ish from where i stay. Sad to say I was soooo relived it wasn't my shed

 

[Toddy]

Sorry Russ, but that was funny......not the burns and blisters though
I didn't meant to put you to all this bother, I thought it might be a good diy project Everytime I've gone out to have a go at mine the rain comes down again I'm at the point of lifting a slab into the kitchen and trying a burn on that; I think Gavin'd have kittens though :bluThinki
atb,
Mary

 

[warthog1981]

aye it was but I was soooooo dreading looking in the garden it would have been just my luck