Why is mother nature so harsh some times!

[humdrum_hostage]

I have been working on my biggest project so far since I have been wood carving. It is a beech bowl around 10" round, about 4" tall and 3 1/2" deep inside. I split the ring in three equal parts to make sure I avoided the centre piece and used a 12" froe to split it nice and evenly. I have wrapped my knuckles on it holding the adze more times than I can remember, It has a nice deep red line running through the bottom exactly where I stopped carving inside which I thought was a nice feature. I have also learnt a new technique thanks to Dave Budd, using gouges between my Adze work and my knife work (thank you Dave, I will order one when I decide which shape I want ). I have also been keeping it in a carrier bag all the time I am not working on it with a load of woodchips from my carving and it hasnt been subjected to any warmth more than a badly heated workshop yet............... It has started to SPLIT!!! in three different places!!! :sulkoff:

what more can I do? or the question should propbably be what would should I not use or how much of the centre should I avoid on certain woods?

 

[forrestdweller]

ouch- that S****... . can you rescue it(== fixing the cracks with glue)?!

 

[humdrum_hostage]

ouch- that S****... . can you rescue it(== fixing the cracks with glue)?!

I didnt want to use any thing like glue on anything I made and also wanted to make sure all my bits were made by hand, not using any powered tools. Every time I am making something I get the comment "why don't you just use a chainsaw!" or "why don't you just use a drill!". I tell them, its the journey not the finish!

 

[Exbomz]

Steer clear of the pith by a few cms and make sure it's thin enough. If you leave it more than an inch thick, there is a real danger than the wood is too strong to warp, so the only way to release tension is splitting. How thin depends on the width of the bowl. Too thin and there is a danger it is not strong enough! There's a bit of learning by experience. Making deep bowls or larger shapes can also increase the inability of wood to move as it dries, and hence splits.

 

[Harvestman]

It is a hazard of woodworking. I've had two pieces split on me in the last week, one because it was not as dry as I thought, and one because it had centre grain in it. Neither was a catastrophe, and they were fun to do anyway.

 

[dwardo]

I know that feeling. Have put hours or days into choosing the right tree to fell. Spent hours felling, cutting, sawing and splitting.
More hours debarking, drying and clamping, countless hours on heat trating, bending, steaming not to mention roughing out scraping and tillering.
Add to this hours more of sanding oiling, leather work and finishing..........................
To end up with very fancy kindling.

We work with natural and completely unique material that can never be predicted or replicated. Pretty sure thats why we use it.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

It was thinner round the rim than it was round the base because I cut out the middle, then was taking the stock off the outside.

Does anyone think putting a luggage strap around it whilst im not working on it would hold it together?

 

[Fraxinus]

Does anyone think putting a luggage strap around it whilst im not working on it would hold it together?

No. If it's gonna move, it will. You can also work on something that has been properly seasoned and have it fall apart due to something called "fell shakes" the ninja's of the shake world.
I'd finish the bowl and re-purpose it as a fruit bowl or similar, imperfections can add to a piece of craft work.

Rob.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

No. If it's gonna move, it will. You can also work on something that has been properly seasoned and have it fall apart due to something called "fell shakes" the ninja's of the shake world.
I'd finish the bowl and re-purpose it as a fruit bowl or similar, imperfections can add to a piece of craft work.

Rob.

I have already done that with the first bowl lol

 

[Exbomz]

It was thinner round the rim than it was round the base because I cut out the middle, then was taking the stock off the outside.

Does anyone think putting a luggage strap around it whilst im not working on it would hold it together?

You need to ensure the wall thickness is even throughout. If it is thinner in one place, that is where the stress will relieve itself and split. A luggage strap will hold it but it will not allow movement as it dries. You take the strap off, and at some point in time, it WILL move. Aim for even thickness; I go for wall thickness about 10% of the width as a rough guide. Then into a paper bag and leave to warp away and dry. You can put wood chips in the bag to slow down the drying and create a moister atmosphere in the bag, but to be honest, I've given up doing so.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

thanks for all your advice guys. :You_Rock_

 

[Robson Valley]

For dead stuff, it moves.
Big alder feast dish, 20" x 8" x 4", 1/2 log.
It exploded in the middle of the night = 3/4" crack whole length.

Let it crack, let it dry. Finish it. Turn a flaw into a feature.
Dam the backside with tape, fill the voids with stones or metal shavings and
flood to fill with epoxy.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

For dead stuff, it moves.
Big alder feast dish, 20" x 8" x 4", 1/2 log.
It exploded in the middle of the night = 3/4" crack whole length.

Ouch!

thats the trouble I had. been fine for about 2 weeks than bang, 3 splits, 1 on one side and 2 on the other!

 

[Robson Valley]

Was a hellofa bang! in the middle of the night. Like something hit the house.
Spent moments all of the next day trying to see what happened.
Decided to have another go at carving the dish.
Oh, well.

 

[Nativewood]

Oh, oh, I know that feeling only too well. Back when I didn't quite understand how wood dried and moved as it did so, I had carved a noggin from some Norway maple. It held just over a pint and had been carved solely with a spoon knife so you can imagine the work and patience it took. I wasn't so quick or experienced at carving then either so when it split on me, boy was I upset!

I've learned now to keep well away from the centre, to carve quickly and limit exposure on warmer days. Between carving sessions, putting the piece in the fridge or somewhere cool in a poly bag with a small hole in or a ziplock bag that has been left open around an inch helps as can packing it with moist wood shavings. It can still happen and catch you off guard so just when you think you've got it sussed - bang, there goes another split! Getting the piece thin enough i.e. to around 10mm or less helps as does the type of wood.

Cherry can be a devil for suddenly showing signs of a split and I once attempted to carve a spoon from a piece of Eucalyptus that I swear moved before my very eyes and became ridden with splits even as I quickly carved it! Never again with that stuff. Although Ash is hard and can be difficult to carve because of its toughness, it has a low natural moisture content and I've never had anything untoward happen like splits, shakes or the like. Makes for a very durable finished piece as well.

You'll get over it, move on and create something else that will help bury the bad side of the memory but leave the lesson intact.

 

[mrcharly]

Did you carve so that the concave (inside of the bowl) was towards the bark (outside of the wood)?

 

[humdrum_hostage]

Thanks for all the advice guys, it will all be taken on board

Did you carve so that the concave (inside of the bowl) was towards the bark (outside of the wood)?

The top of the bowl faced in towards the centre of the ring.

The worst has happened though!!! I think a few factors were involved here.

1: I have taken way to long to finish this and it has dried out too much.
2: I was getting more satisfaction carving out the inside when I should have been concentrating on using the Adze to cut the stock off the outside.
3: The top wasn't completely flat so when I flipped it over it was putting stress on the shorter sides when hitting it with the Adze.

On the plus side, I can see my efforts at shaping the bottom of the inside is quite good and my perception of keeping the thickness is quite consistant.








Oh well, in to the pile of fire wood scraps for my mother it goes and on with the next one!

 

[Harvestman]

You have carved two seats for small children. A set of three legs on each, and there you go.

 

[mrcharly]

Nice even interior.

The thick walls wouldn't help, tbh.

I'm having trouble working out the orientation of your bowl despite your pictures.

Robin Woods has some tutorials showing bowls being adzed out starting by halving a log, doing the concave work first (from bark side), then the outside of the bowl). This reduces the risk of splitting.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

You have carved two seats for small children. A set of three legs on each, and there you go.

They would have to be very small children LOL

Nice even interior.

The thick walls wouldn't help, tbh.

I'm having trouble working out the orientation of your bowl despite your pictures.

Robin Woods has some tutorials showing bowls being adzed out starting by halving a log, doing the concave work first (from bark side), then the outside of the bowl). This reduces the risk of splitting.

the thick walls were the part I was working on.

if the bowl was a square blank in the ring it would be standing on its side with the top closest to the centre and the base closest to the bark. the dark line was just a small spot in the top and bottom of the ring.

I was going to watch some more vids before my next attempt. definitely try the other way up next time.