Woodturning Firewood: Spalted Ash to Snack Bowls
We had some firewood delivered recently and there was a bunch of ash mixed in with the load, some of it spalted. Since it was far too pretty to burn, we pulled a bunch of pieces out and set them aside. I don’t know how long the firewood had been seasoned, but it was somewhere between green and dry. The spalting had not gone as far as making the wood at all soft or punky and I’m pretty happy with the two little bowls I was able to make literally by woodturning firewood.
For those interested in doing a Sticker Swap, you can email me at Lisa (at) LisaRamlow (dot) com for a mailing address.
You can purchase Brad’s finishing products from his Etsy shop at
www.etsy.com/shop/BradsWorkbe...
Beautiful job. Even the tiniest scraps of wood can be turned into the most beautiful of objects. We need to turn back the clock on today's throw away society.
Agreed. My only problem is I’m overrun with lots bits of this and that that “I might need someday” or “would make a really nice blank with a little resin” or….. 😂
@@LisaRamlow Yep, i'm the same. I just claim environmental responsibility when i'm accused of hoarding.
This is why I named my shop “Woodpile Art Works”. Good work and nicely repurposed wood.
Hi Mark! Love the name, thats great! This makes stacking firewood take much longer than it should, but hey if you rescue a beautiful piece of wood from the woodstove, it’s worth it!
Right on young lady. Enjoy watching you turn. Others can learn from you.
Thanks Ken, I appreciate it!
Nice set of popcorn bowls! Love your self effacing comments-they make me laugh ever time! 😂😂 Stuart
I’m glad Stuart! 😁
Something about once turned/warped bowls...............ya' gotta' love 'em. Nice turn, Lisa.
Thanks Louis! I do love the wonky bits 😁
More beautiful pieces saved from the fire.
Thanks Barb!
A couple of nice bowls there Lisa. I love how you shift gears to normal speed. I'm addicted to that sound of a sharp tool cutting. Excellent narration. Thanks for posting. Take Care!!
Thanks Mike, glad it works. Makes you remember turning doesn’t actually happen that fast 😂
HEY SWEETIE IT'S BEEN AWHILE SENSE I'VE WATCHED ONE OF YOUR VIDEOS SORRY ABOUT THAT BUT YOU JUST MADE TWO VERY BEAUTIFUL BOWLS THEY LOOK SO VERY FABULOUS KEEP UP THE AWESOME WOOD WORK WELL TAKE CARE AND STAY SAFE I LOVE YOU MY FRIEND GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND PEACE BE WITH YOU ALL KEEP THE WOOD CHIPS FLYING I HOPE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY AND WEEKEND I'LL SEE YOU ON THE NEXT VIDEO WELL IT'S BY FOR NOW❤🌹🍀🇺🇸🦅😄😂👍✌
Thank you Curtis!
Nice work, the warp gives it character.
Thanks, I agree. Love the wonky bits!
I would like all my firewood to look that good!! Keep happy,safe and well. C.
Hi Clive! It took a lot longer to stack since each piece had to be inspected for potential turning stock 😂
God bless you Lisa…you taught me a lot, I was turning these square firewood blanks (and I have plenty)..the wrong way…..thank you for the tutorial :):) and as I say watch, turn and learn Happy turnings, God bless Yiannis (Athens Greece)
You can turn things in both orientations, just be careful about using Spindle Roughing Gouge - they shouldn’t be used on a blank turned in cross-grain or bowl orientation, only in spindle orientation. Don’t want a snapped tang!
Firewood offers some great opportunities. Good job!
Thank you Noel!
A lot nicer than fire wood!!
I thought so too 😁
Great use for firewood. I love the color coding on the center finder. Thank you. 🤙👍
Thanks Stephen! It took me waaaaay too long to come up with that 😂
Your welcome. I will be borrowing that idea. Way too easy to get lost tracing those lines.
Beautiful work. Thanks for the LOTR reference.
I love it when y’all are stacking what I’m chopping 😂👍
They look very very nice. I love them. 😍😍😍😍😍
Thank you Margaret! I haven’t forgotten about you 😁
From firewood to excellent looking turned bowls. You have done a great job on this project. There is so much to see in those bowls. Lisa you are an inspiration. Have a great weekend.
Thank you Joey, I appreciate that 😁
Great looking fire wood Lisa.
Thanks Jack!
Love the snack bowls!! Always a joy watching you turn.
Thank you Annette 😁
Hi Lisa To get the wood worm out just loosen the chuck and then close it on just the head wws so that the wood is not touching the jaws and it will come off with one hand . Hint from the Old Guy's Wood Shop So good to see a lady turning . Have fun making saw dust .
Hi Lowell! I’ll try that trick next time I get one stuck - seems easier these taking the screw out of the chuck and removing it within vise grips, which has been my method when it was so tight it was turning the chuck, even with the set screw tightened down 😂
Beautiful! You make it look so easy Lisa.
Well thank you, I appreciate that 😊
Another beautiful creation. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks 😁
Beautiful grain! Love the design
Thank you Norm 😁
ALL I CAN SAY IS AWESOME KEEP THE WOOD CHIPS FLYING TAKE CARE AND STAY SAFE TILL THE NEXT VIDEO SEE YOU LATER SWEETIE
Thank you Curtis!
They look awesome Lisa. Great job.
Thanks!
Great work! Amazing what you can find in a firewood pile! Take care, Dave
Thanks Dave!
Very nice!👍🏻
Thanks James 😁
simple elegance is best. these are lovely.
Thank you 😊
Beautiful.
Amazing what you can find inside a piece of firewood!
I love the look of spalted ash. I really enjoy turning ash, it is a nice wood to turn.
Thanks Ron! The ash grain can be a little persnickety but the spalting definitely made it worthwhile😁
These bowls turned out lovely 😀👍
Thanks Paully!
Beautiful
Thanks Scott!
A couple of very nice, and well turned bowls. Always enjoy watching you turn, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching! Hope you’re back in the shop!
Done a couple of private jobs for people. Need to get more videos done and uploaded. Been so busy with Lambing atm, and keeping up with jobs around the Farm, and now it looks like we'll be moving as we just won an offer on a more suitable property, so will be busy getting where we are on the market and sold. Hopefully, in between I can get some videos uploaded. Bonus is, new location has much better Internet Services, so might be able to do some live videos.
It is amazing what can be turned and reach some amazing results. Well done, I am impressed.
Thanks Neville!
Love it, thanks for sharing. One never knows what is hiding in an old piece of wood until someone like you gets a hold of it. Stay safe.
Thanks! I’ve since rescued a few more pieces and I’m hoping they’ll be hiding some treasure as well 😁
Very nicely done. Thank you for sharing your video.
Thanks Mark, they turned out all right! 😁
Very nice job!
Thanks Joe!
Great video!
Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊
Beautiful work
Thank you Alex!
I’ve got a different look at my firewood pile now that I turn, thank you for sharing your craft stay safe, peace out!
It made stacking the rest of the 2 cords we had delivered pretty time consuming-inspecting each piece as potential turning stock slows you way down! 😂
Just beginning wood turning. Amazed with the results of your art.
Hi Nelson! Woodturning is crazy fun and addictive! I hardly want to do anything else anymore 😁. I’m still learning new things every day - it’s a long and wonderful journey I only wished I’d embarked on 20 years ago when I started woodworking. Lots to catch up on!
Very nice for firewood ✌💪
Thanks! Sometimes some hidden gems in that cord wood 😁
great job
Thanks Mark!
Very Nice. I like the bowls.
Thanks John!
a very nice video. easy to see how you position your bowl gouges. i have a bowl gouge i've never had the courage to use. thanks to the clarity of your video i will give this a try.
It’s not as scary as you think. Brian Havens has some amazing videos in tool usage and I highly recommend checking those out. It will make sense watching him explain and having an idea about what’s going on with the gouge when you use it. There are lots of great channels with great instructional info and I’ve watched probably all of them but do check out Brian’s videos. I found they helped me a lot and I still go back to them to refresh my memory on stuff - skew chisel, I’m taking to you! 😂
Very nice Lisa.
Thanks Josephine!
Good evening, Lisa. Very enjoyable video. Simple, beautiful and very usable. Nicely crafted.
Thanks Ray!
very pretty Lisa, I love turning spalted wood.
Thanks Jane, me too!
Awesome stuff Lisa! Looking forward to your next vids!!! 🍻 pints indeed! 😂 ✌️❤️🍻🖖
Thanks Jack!
Spalted wood is so beautiful! Nice popcorn bowls!!!
Thanks Vickie! Yes, popcorn bowls for sure!
Nice job 👍
Thank you!
You are very talented!!
Thank you Ronnie 😁
Thanks for the informative and enjoyable video. I have a huge supply of firewood here in Alberta and look forward to seeing what I can find when they get to the lathe. Thanks again, I will be watching more of your cool videos 🤠
Thanks for watching, I’m glad you are finding the channel enjoyable 😃
Nice looking fire wood
Right!? I’ve pulled out quite a few pieces from this load and added them to the “much too pretty to burn, gonna turn instead!” pile 😁
Lisa, whoed a thunk you could get something to turn out so well from firewood. Nice job, I like them!
Thanks Gary! I rescued several more pieces while stacking the firewood so I’m hopeful I’ll get a few more beauties!
vary nice bowls
Thanks Jim!
Very nice bowls Lisa. Amazinf what it is possible to pick up from the firewood. Keep up the good work. Greetings from Norway.
Thank you Hans!
Enjoyed the video, I also turn the firewood. Some times its tough to fill the stove. Thanks for sharing
Hi James! Fortunately for me most of the firewood is oak and that’s not my fave wood to turn so unless it’s a gnarly piece with some potentially killer grain, I find I can usually put it on the stack. 😁
Lisa, Wish I'd thought of coloring the rings on the centering template! Glad you did and thanks!
It took me long enough to sort it out 🙄😂
Two nice bowls.
Thank you Brad 😁
Like the fire wood bowls I do the same thing some end up as fire wood others as gifts
Thanks Tom! It takes a lot longer to stack firewood when you’re inspecting each piece for potential turning stock, but sometimes you find some treasures! 😁
Very nice😃
Thanks Douglas!
I have the same trouble with my center finder. Great idea to color code it!
It only took me 2 years to sort that out 🙄😂
I am new to woodturning, and use only firewood at present as kiln dried wood is so expensive in the UK, so it's best to learn firewood.
Hi Graeme! Green wood is way more fun to turn that kiln dried anyway - I just finish turned a natural edge maple log that I’d roughed in early February and dried in my homemade dishwasher kiln. You get wet when turning green wood and burned when turning dry - it’s amazing how hot the shaving are coming off a dry blank! Sometimes the prettiest pieces are ones salvaged from the firewood pile! Cheers, and safe and happy turning! 😁
Fantastic Lisa! I just finished a little snack bowl it it was so much fun to do something very simple.. Nice splatting in your bowl! Mine is not spalted but a bit electrified! Keep up the great work, Gary
Thanks Gary! I still need to watch that one but I’m looking forward to it!
Hello from Texas
👋
Amazing spalted ash and bowl 👏👏👏 , i have lots at home and give’s me a nice view of what it will look like 👍🏼. In pint 😱😱 wow i’ll take tow 🤣🤷🏻♂️
Thought the snack bowls would tie nicely into the bar/pint theme 😁
@@LisaRamlow ohh yeah bring on the chips and beer 🤣👍🏼
A couple of lovely bowls Lisa, who said firewood should be burned and nice to see these two hidden in the pile! Well done and thanks! Cheers Al
Thanks Al! Takes a lot longer to stack firewood when you are inspecting each piece for potential turning stock, but 🤷♀️😂
What a great idea to color coordinate your circle center finder!! I am definitely going to copy!! I love your stickers!! Just to share: Whenever my project gives me an issue coming off of the worm screw, I use a strap wrench :-) Another wonderful video.....looking forward to the next one!
Thanks Laurie! It only took me a year to actually think of a solution instead of just tracing my finger around whichever one I thought was close! 😂 Great idea with the strap wrench - this one made was harder than usual by the stringy-pokey bits along the rim edge but it was on there tight! I’ve actually had one case where it was on there so tight I was turning the whole chuck *while the set screw was tight*! I had to take the worm screw out of the chuck and use a pair of vise grips to unscrew it, and I only hand tighten them on!?
I was only turning for six months but did quite a bit of Ash, found it varied a lot, some turned beautifully and some was just cranky. I think your tool contol is much better now, practice makes perfect as they say.
Hi Lewis! Yes, this is only the 2nd time I’ve turned ash and it was fairly nice to me. I rescued several more pieces with either spalting or some potentially nice figure so maybe my luck will hold out. I imagine this tree was standing dead for some time before it was cut down so it has dried out some, but not so much that it’s splintery
I like how your finishes don’t add too much color to your wood.
Thanks Victor! I don’t mind a little amber color but I agree and don’t want them to go too dark unless that’s what I’m going for 👍
For sanding out warped bowls, max speed for being able to keep your drill on the wood is about 15rpm. Do that all the time. Had my Robust speed range adjusted. My Vic goes down lower than 15 all by itself. Don't know if you ever checked out my video about 'articulated arm for sanding', but I can't sand bowls without it. Since your arm is resting/supported, all you have to do is pull the speed trigger. This makes it easy for you to hand spin the bowl with the other hand. Some one can make a much better one than I did.
Hey Reed! I have watched that one, a couple of times, but it’s been a while and I probably need a refresher. The Laguna only goes to 50 on the lowest setting but I do have a BBQ rotisserie motor rigged up to turn the spindle… 🤔🤔🤔
Nice firewood conversion. Besides tenon or recess, another good mounting option would be a glue block, as expanding into some spalted wood could force it to split.
Hi Brad! Yes, I was a bit worried about using a mortise but I did orient it bowl-style and after I’d turned the first piece on the spur drive, I was as relatively confident it wouldn’t be explode or crack as the wood itself was solid. I do use glue blocks as well and that was probably a better choice for mounting these little guys. Thanks for stopping by! 😁
Lisa. Not only did I like the video I like the bowls! However I think your lathe needs a few more stickers!! Just kidding. Nice design. Well done 👍
Hi John! Yep, I’m looking forward to doing some sticker swaps!
Hi Lisa, I have the same lathe as you have and with the belt on the slowest setting the minimum r.p.m. is 50 r.p.m. Thanks for the video. I loved it!
Hi Terry! Yes, I should’ve qualified that, it is the slowest setting for the upper set of gears. I find at 140rpm I don’t have any issues getting myself out of the way with a blank this small. Anything bigger I’d have it on the lower setting and would be at that 50rpm mark 👍
When I have trouble starting a worm screw, I take a hand held countersink and use it on the hole. Makes it easier.
Hi Bill! Great idea, thanks!
hi Lisa,I see you are getting into the habit of NEVER leave key in chuck,threw mine once,dddddddddddduuuuuuuuuuu on small lathe,hummmmmmm,like I don't know that,love your bowls
Hi Fran! Yes, I try to remember to take it out even if I’m gonna need it right away to remount something-I have a feeling it would hurt it it hit you 😖
Very nice. The spalting is really cool. I think you sharpen that dovetail tool by honing the top flat on your diamond stone the same way one sharpens thread chasing tools. If you apply the sharpening stone to the dovetail, you are going to reshape the profile. Hope that makes sense.
Doh! That makes perfect sense. I don’t really hone any of my tools, I use the CBN wheels or raise a burr on my negative rake scrapers but am not well versed in honing.
BTW, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
You too Mel!
I’d eat popcorn out of them. Love the “wonky” look lol. I don’t know about pints- but with 6 you get egg tools. Be safe
Rolls. Not tools gremlin in my phone.
😂
Hi Lisa, Yep, firewood can be your friend. hehe. These turned out really well even considering the warping. Which didn't seem to slow you down too much - good job ! Thanks for sharing🙏 Take care. -Mike p.s. "you've had a whole half already!" p.p.s. I had a worm screw get stuck once - the chuck unscrewed before the screw budged. I ended up jamming the chuck key between the ways and then all was OK. The advice I got was to wax the screw beforehand.
I’ve had to take the worm screw out of the chuck and remove it with a pair of channel locks or vice grips. Crazy how tight it can get! Take care Mike!
@@LisaRamlow 👍😎
Sei bravissima
Thank you!
Love them both. Am weird because i like the look of a warped bowl? Lol
By the way, that was the first end quote I didnt recognize
Hell no, the wonky bits are the best! 😁
It’s from The Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring. They’re at the Prancing Pony and Merry comes back with a pint of beer and Pippen says “what’s that!?” Merry says, “That, my friend, is a pint!” And then Pippen says “It comes in pints!? I’m getting one!” 😂
@@LisaRamlow ahhhh it clicked now lol
Love the spalting. How do you like your CBNs? I took the plunge and I love them. CBN has the square edge wheels too for the dove tail tool. The chocolate oak burl was amazing as well.
Thanks Mel! I love the CBNs - I have a 180 and 600. I believe both of mine have a radius edge but they are an amazing addition to the shop.
Очень красивое изделие!
thank you Alexander!
Great video!! Bring on the popcorn. Thank you for your videos and great projects,
Thank you! 😁
I just discovered your channel. I especially enjoy those channels where the turner describes what is happening, and why they are doing it. Those are the people I can learn from vs. the folks that just silently make pretty things with no explanation of any kind. How long have you had the Laguna 18/36, and how do you like it? That is the model I am most likely to buy this Winter.
Hi Kim! I’ve had the Laguna for about 18 months and I love it. I’ve had a few minor issues that Laguna service took care of them right away. I have the 220v 2HP and am really happy with it. I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos!
I love the simplicity of the bowls, Lisa. Well turned! So, now that you have two bowls from the same chunk of wood, turned at the same time, and finished with the same products (except the final coat), can you tell a difference in the look and feel? Do you have a preference?
Hi Crystal! To be honest, the look and feel of both bowls is pretty damn close. Since tung oil is a drying oil that actually does get into the wood and cure, I think the Tung Wax probably provides a bit more long term protection than the mineral oil used to distribute the wax in the Ack’s Polish, but they both have carnuba wax which is the hardest wax so it may come down to personal preference
I use pressure from the tail stock to start threading the piece onto a wood screw.
That’s a good idea - I’ll have to give it a shot. For small pieces like this I don’t worry about it too much but I don’t feel comfortably mounting bigger pieces that way. Thanks for the tip!
Absolutely gorgeous bowls. 😊 Perfect for the table at the tavern while drinking with Hobbits. 😉
I thought the little nut/pretzel/popcorn bowls would tie in nicely with the bar line 😂
Hi Lisa. I love it when turners rescue firewood and turn it into very pretty and functional pieces. Two questions if I may. Why remove sanding dust when your next step is to apply what is basically stone or shell dust imbedded in wax? And , if the wood has been sealed with shellac and polished with abrasive paste, how can it absorb a further finish before you finally buff it? I’m still getting my head around some of these nuances of finishing. Thank you for your time! Cheers, Rick
Hi Rick, lisa asked me to lend a hand answering this. But i'll preface this by saying theres a ton of different ways to finish and no single "right" way. Every piece of wood will have different characteristics and every craftsman their own personal prefrences. The key is finding what works for you. But I finish much of my work similar to lisa. Wiping down a project between each grit or before sanding paste has a few reasons. Sanding dust and sometimes abrasive thats come off your sandpaper can come together and form tiny, hard, "balls" for lack of a better word, which could scratch your project. Fairly rare, but an easy wipe down can prevent any chance of it happening. And also clean out pores with dealing with open grain wood. As far as the sealer, thats a great question! The quick answer is that "sealers" such as shellac, lacquer, etc do not completely seal off the wood. It would take a ridiculous number of coats to attempt that. A seal coat is basically there to prep the wood for your final finish. Now theres more to it then this but as you can see i've already written a novel just trying to give a basic answer lol. But I love this question and as soon as the holiday rush is over, i will do a video to try to go deeper down the rabbit hole. Hope it at least gives u a basic idea of the reasoning tho. 👍
Thanks Brad. I appreciate your input!
What warping? It was turned to be oval! Love it. Great job.
Thanks, I love the wonky look 😁
Love your videos and bowls you turn! What depth is this mortice you made on these bowls?
Hi Phillip! These are both about 3/16” deep, which seemed like plenty for this size bowl. I think I normally tend to make them deeper than necessary
I like these snack bowls! There seems to be some bias against small bowls, but we use them every day. If I could make a set of them, with a foodsafe finish, of course, then we could throw away the cracked/ chipped china bowls we have. Wooden bowls look good, are generally lighter than ceramics of equivalent size, and are made with TLC (Tender Loving Care). How can you get better than that?
Thanks Stephanie! I need to make some to keep here and use myself! 😁
Real nice but wondering why you don't finish the mortise before taking it off the worm drive.
I honestly don’t remember! 🤣
I have a bundle of firewood and I turn a lot of tiny bowls so this was very nice to see. Where did you get your custom stickers?
Hi Michael! I got them from MakeStickers.com. Price was quite reasonable and shipping was fast. I went back and ordered 2” and 1” black with white lettering for some projects. The ones on my lathe are 3” circles in the matte finish
Thank you for sharing. What are characters necessary in a lathe to produce this kind of work. If appreciate info
Hi Dora! I’m not sure I totally understand your question but generally speaking you can do beautiful work with a very basic lathe and tools. Many of the features and upgrades, like chucks and lathes that run in reverse, are basically luxuries.
@@LisaRamlow thank you for your reply and for sharing. Great work lisa. Stay safe and keep up the beautiful work
Lovely little snack bowls, Lisa. Will you be offering them for sale on your website? Horse whisperers are reputed to turn unremarkable, sometimes difficult, horses into something desirable. You made these desirable snack bowls from firewood, so it follows that you qualify as a firewood whisperer. Not a joke, by the way, but credit where credit is due.
Thank you Noah, I appreciate that 😁
Hai sobat .giman kabarmu .trimakasih kamu telah memberi tau saya tentang pelajaran baru dalam dunia woodturning.thankyou friend
Thanks for watching!
I was hoping you would show how you finished the bottoms.
Hi Dan! Most times I do - depends on the length of the video and how much time I have for editing
@@LisaRamlow Oh, that makes sense. I will look for another one that has that then. Thanks!