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E $ S E N T I A L W O O I) C A R V I N G T t C I ! N I Q V E S

Fic. 10.20 Large sycamore bowl (Dick Onians) held by lugs deliberately left to reduce obstruction from holding deoices.

19mm 04in) is a good size. If thc lip of thc bowl curve$ inwards the overhang may be difficuit to get under. Rotary burrs and sanding drums or flap whccls may help. If you want to leave the whole inside including thc overhang straight from the chiscl and of an even thickness, the problem of how to finish it should be anticipated in the design stage.

The Finish

As the bowl is a sculpture and verv much your own design there is nothing to stop you using sandpaper to finish. However, finishing the outside with flar chisels or spokeshave and the inside with gouges fitting as close to rhe contours as possiblc will probably do the job faster and lcave thc celi walls of the wood dearly cxposcd, nor blurred by the effects of paper or rasps. To sandpaper successfully to a fine surfacc involves painscakingly working down through scvcral grades of paper. You are morÄ™ likcly to get an cven surface if the paper is wrapped round a cork bÅ‚ock. If rhe w ood is damped berween rhe grades the grain that has bcen compressed will rise. This is particularly important with softer woods and is cssential if a wet finish such as button polish or Danish oil is to be applied as that, too, may make the grain rise and feel rough to handle. Sandpapering away the roughnesses may leavc lighr-colourcd marks where there are still high and Iow spots. Because people will handle bowls and objects will be put in them it is probably wise to soften sharp edges with flour paper but avoid making the edges roo roundcd or rhe whole may look lumpy - unlcss, of course, you wish it to look lumpy. 1 prefer a finish straight from thc chisel as it is quicker. although it also demands greatcr skili. I then quickly rub it down with flour paper to remove loose whiskers and soften sharp edges before applying an appropriate coating.

A salad bowl should be finished with edible oil but fruit and other bowls may be treated with raw linseed, which imparts a rich, golden colour (not good on limÄ™, however), tung oil or Danish oil, as rhcy are warer rcsistanr, or wax. 1 do not sec the nced for a sanding sealcr before wax. Our ancestors found wax quite good enough on irs own. Linseed and wax finishes are marked by water and alcohol. For a French-polished finish the bowl will need to be sanded verv finely. Such shellac-based polishes are affected by heat, alcohol and water. Varnishes should be used with carc as they may be too shiny and make the bowl look plastic, or may discolour unpleasantly with age.

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