Another Small Bird’s Eye Maple Bowl

I recently made another small Bird’s Eye Maple dish.

I have discussed Maple as a wood extensively elsewhere.

Maple is very hard so making these bowls and dishes can be challenging at times, but on the plus side, hard woods usually turn cleanly with little need for extensive sanding.

I am pleased with the figure in this piece, not the heaviest bird’s eye pattern I have ever seen but still quite good.

Bird's Eye Maple Dish Interior

Bird’s Eye Maple Dish Interior

I used my trusty Easy Wood turning tools but this time I also employed the newest cutter from Easy Wood Tools, the Negative Rake Carbide Cutter.  It is advertised as essentially preventing catches and as being especially made for very hard woods and composite materials such as acrylics.  I decided to try one of these on the Finisher although they are also made for the Rougher as well.  I was pleasantly surprised and I am certain I will order more of them.  They do cut SLOWLY but they also cut extremely fine and clean.  The shavings that are produced as remarkably fine as is the finished cut.  I am fine with cutting a bit slower for a cut this fine.

I used my standard Nova Chucks, this time in the 35mm size for a dish this small.  I used the Nova Cole Jaws for the reverse work, which was minimal.  The finished piece measure a diminutive 5 1/4 by 1 3/4.

Bird's Eye Maple Dish Reverse

Bird’s Eye Maple Dish Reverse

My standard go-to finish is always ShellaWax and that’s what I used here.

This was a fun small crafts project.  I have one more piece of Bird’s Eye Maple in my line up along with a much larger piece of Cherry and a new wood as well, Cedar of Lebanon.

Stay tuned and whatever you make today, have a good turn doing it.