I have twice now bought what Craft Supply USA cleverly calls “A Box of Blanks.” Seriously, the blanks come labelled, B.O.B.. These blanks REPORTEDLY have no flaws, the wood is SAID to be of the same quality as that which they sell one blank at a time, but these blanks are not of standard size or represents species of which they have too many blanks. Clearly, I would dispute the clamin that they are of the same quality as the presence of checking, bark inclusions, and knots suggests otherwise to me.
For about $35 you can buy this item which is a 20 pound box of turning blanks, most of them small and usually less desirable species. They are recommended for building skills before using much more expensive blanks for example. I intended to use them to get back in the swing of things since I had been unable to turn due to moving for some time but then I got distracted with other project needs and am just now getting around to using these BOB blanks.
Bowl Number 1:
Small Ash Bowl Interior Slanted
Ash is common species to find in these boxes and I am pretty certain that is what this bowl is made of. I can’t swear to it, but I am reasonably confident given its appearance, hardness, and the species generally found in these grab boxes.
White Ash Bowl Reverse
I have written about White Ash elsewhere and won’t repeat it here.
The piece is small, slightly less than 5″ across and slightly less than 2″ tall. It won’t win any awards for beauty or style but it was a nice little 40 minute project. I expect to have more Ash bowls to add to this post as I continue to work through the BOB.
Small Ash Bowl Interior
The White Ash bowl was turned using Easy Wood Tools on a Robust American Beauty lathe. All sanding was completed using Green Wave sanding discs from Packard Woodworks. The blank was held in a 35mm Nova Chuck and reversed using a Nova Cole Jaws set. The final finish is ShellaWax.
Bowl Number 2:
This is another small White Ash bowl. It is essentially the same size as the first bowl. All of the production tools and materials are identical to the first one.
White Ash Bowl #2 Interior
White Ash Bowl #2 Reverse
Bowl Number 3:
This is another White Ash bowl. It was made with all of the same equipment and tools as the previous two. It is different however in being larger in depth, a full 2.5 inches, and it also has some distinct worm damage on the side wall.
White Ash Number 3 Interior
White Ash Number 3 Sidewall
White Ash Number 3 Reverse
Bowl Number 4:
This bowl is distinguished by a much wilder grain pattern that seen in the first three. In addition, it has a small bark inclusion on the reverse. This bowl is also taller, measuring 2.75 inches.
Ash Bowl Number 4 Interior
Ash Bowl Number 4 Sidewall
Ash Bowl Number 4 Reverse
Bowl Number 5:
This is the most unusual of all of the ash bowls. This piece has a distinctive pink color in much of the bowl although some regular white colored wood is also present. The bowl also features a knot on the reverse as well as some stress cracks that appeared during drying presumably and in addition there is also a crack radiating from the knot across the bottom, however, the bowl seems structurally stable. It is also tall at 2.75 inches as well.