Kent, I brought back 100 board ft of American Chestnut back from North Carolina, trapped on top of my wife's mini van to FL. Wife was not exactly happy but we made it no problem. I made cabinets for a bar/kitchen on my porch. What beautiful wood. They were boards from an old barn or something. It was great to work with although must watch out for hidden nails. You know my dad, John from the soup kitchen. Sometime when I am up your way I would love to stop by and meet you and see your shop. Tom from Titusville
Hello Thomas, thanks for writing. I was hanging out with your dad today! Small world. Yes that sounds great and wow about the chestnut. There were plenty of wise people, and still are that know to save and salvage the American Chestnut whenever possible. Take care and Happy Turning!
Kent. There’s an organization called the International Wood Collectors Society. I was a member of it for the number of years. I once purchased some real two by fours of chestnut that was salvaged from a barn in Virginia. The blight arrived around 1911 in something that was delivered to the Bronx zoo. It came from China. There’s a group in America that has been trying to bring the American Chestnut back. They’ve been using Chinese chestnut trees. Lastly the heard they weren’t close. Love the bowls.Tom
It’s a little guy, it’s simple, and it’s a LOT beautiful! I appreciate your respect for the wood and your knowledge of trees. Thank you for sharing with us. I love the bowl. ❤
Hey Kent. I’m a blacksmith learning turning. And making my turning tools. My mother in law have an old chestnut tree in her back year. We are in New Jersey. I can’t want till a limb comes down in a storm. Lol👍🇺🇸. Thx for the info. Awesome job sharing. Thx again .....Paul.
wonderful video. I had a forester walk my land and he got all excited and headed off path faster than i could keep up. He got to this small tree about 20 ft high and was delighted to tell me I had an american chestnut. He told me the sad news that it was not long for this world, but that it would die and try again from the root stock. He estimated it was about 10 years old, which coincided with some clearing of the woods. He guessed it was that clearing that allowed enough light to reach the stump and start the growing again. Its a nice little treat to have among our oak and maple.
When I remodeled my living room, I took out 4 old barn beams. Solid and heavy, and well over a century old. I sat them outside, and we had tried to sell them, but most people were scared I guess - they were so heavy. After starting the woodturning hobby, I thought, If no one wants them, I'm going to practice making 6 by 6 bowls. Turning them - something was strange. I thought they were pin at first, but they didn't smell like it. In fact they smaeeld like the walls in a hotel we stayed at along the skyline Drive in Virginia. I had 4 - 12 foot, 6 by 6 inch Chestnut to make into blanks! My poor turning tools suffered, but my "Century Bowls" are dropdead gorgeous. And not many people have historic old growth Chestnut to turn. These will be heirloom pieces.
Hi Kent, I live in Cincinnati, Ohio (westside). I have a pickup truck full of American Chestnut. What I have [as you said] died in 1920-30's, it has been standing in the woods since then and years after the tree has died the bark slides down to the base of the tree, it also is resistant to rot. Some are being blown down from the high winds we have been having. I am new to bowl turning, but I love American Chestnut, I've made 2 simple bowls and then made my first vase. I'm on my 24th bowl, it's an Olivewood 3 x 8 x 8 (very wet). I have dug out a 23-inch long Chestnut log to make something that may resemble what an American Indian might have done. I love watching your video and plan on watching more. I have a Facebook page and as I do a bowl I upload photos of it so my Colyer's and friends can see what I do since I retired. Again thank you very much for your Videos.... Wesley Colyer, Mack, Ohio
Wow! That is fantastic! How lucky for you to have access to American Chestnut from long ago. Take care of those gems and all the best to you! Happy Turning!
Hello Kent, I have been watching and learning from you for several months now. This video has been especially inspiring to me. I am living in Massachusetts in the South central area in the country know and appreciate wood and my local history. we actually have a few chestnut trees locally here in Holland Ma. Thanks for the story and the finished bowl, well done.
Wonderful. Thank you for sharing. How large are these chestnut trees? And are they American Chestnuts? I'm learning of chestnuts scattered around, but not any of the old-growth trees. Thanks and Happy Turning!
Kent I'm a new subscriber to your wonderful channel and may I add you are a fantastic teacher all you say and do makes complete sense in fact yesterday Sunday the wife spent four hours wrapping Christmas gift's so I had a Kent turn a wood bowl youtube fest yep I spent four or more hours watching and enjoying your lessons to turning bowls. I would like to say a big thankyou for the information you give for free. from the UK thankyou James
Thank you, Kent for a wonderful presentation and discussion of American Chestnut. Your delight with the subject matter and finished piece were quite apparent on your face!
This by far the best video I have watched because you had running commentary throughout talking us through every action of the turning and ran a great story in the background. For any turner this is great to watch ad you covered every aspect of the process. Brill.
I want to thank you for a very specific thing: You mentioned in this video how to view inside work with the bowl gouge so you can keep the bevel parallel to the outside contour and so develop better wall thickness consistency and inside dimension that matches the outside. This was golden advice! I just completed a spalted Elm bowl and really focused on this technique. This is my best wall thickness/inside dimension turning yet. Hey thanks for teaching these details. Super helpful.
another good one for sure. i appreciate the reinforcement of the basics in each video. it is reassuring that a pro like Kent who has turned a lot of bowls sometimes gets a little nervous or antsy about a specific project.
Hi Kent! I’m a brand new turner and I have learned so much from your videos. Your teaching style is very captivating and I thank you for the work you do. All the best and happy turning;)
Lovely bowl & great technique tips as always...i'm in England UK & have just quit wrestling cracks in a chestnut piece - and the chestnut won! So next time, I know how to deal with those..many thanks!
wow you got fantastic sync with the frame rate on this one!! i often think how useful it would be if we could actually see that in real life. ive heard of people using a strobe to get the same effect, but I think that would spin my brain out too much. I had no idea about the chestnut blight over there. We have chestnut literally everywhere here, we're lucky. Amazing video Kent. Thank you for sharing.
@@TurnAWoodBowl yes, I turned a basic bowl out of some a few months ago. It turned out lovely. it was only the 3rd bowl I'd turned but even then I noticed how nice it was to work.
Hi Kent, I'm new to woodturning and I've watched a ton of videos to make sure I have a grasp of the basics before I try my first bowl. I'm curious to your opinion on turning an internal tenon on the bottom of the bowl to accept the chuck, rather than an external tenon. As a rookie, it seems as if this would eliminate a sketchy beginner step at the end with the foam pad and jam chuck Looking forward to your ideas. Thanks, Dale.
I'm not sure why the recessed mortise is used so much by rookies. My guess is because its easier to teach, and like you said, can be left as the base. But the tenon offers better support and options for shaping the foot when the bowl is complete. I say, try both and see what you like. Be sure to see my tenon videos. Happy Turning!
What a beautiful piece! Here in Denmark we have lots of chesnut trees. I wonder what makes them different from American ones. Hopefully there will be lots of American chestnuts in the future if the scientist figure it out. Thanks for sharing your experience with this gorgeous wood.
Thank you! Cheers! Yes, they are mixing different genes to hopefully find one that is resistant to the fungus. Enjoy your chestnuts over there! ;) Happy Turning!
Beautiful piece Sir! I agree that tress have a secret life. I had a mimosa tree almost get ripped apart in a wind storm alluded to by Wesley Colyer; the tree died years later. In the last couple of years saplings of the same have appeared nearby and I'll be transplanting elsewhere as they are right next to the house so they can get big, beautiful and shady. That's the amazing thing about life; if something wants to live it will find a way. I saw a usda.gov article on how they are trying to develop a blight resistant strain. That is we, as turners, should do. Proliferate and grow trees wherever possible because trees are what make our talents useful and profitable. Side note: I find it amazing that in this wide electronic ocean I can come across someone like Wesley Colyer that literally lives a few miles away. Green township,OH.
Great tree history lesson as well as the very detailed on the live edge bowl.... I have a tree that fell late September here in Southwestern Michigan.... I believe it is a chestnut... I can't wait to cut it up to make live edge bowls... I also have a about 12' log which is about 22" diameter and make some lumber out of the trunk....
I live in the historical district of a mid-Michigan town, and last fall my neighbor had a series of volunteer trees which grew up along his fence line which greatly shaded his back yard. He hired a forester to cut them down and one was an 80+ year old chestnut. I got some large pieces of it. I turned one piece a week after the tree was cut, rough turning a bowl that was 17" diameter by 5" deep. The green wood was very wet, and sprayed so much sap that I had to clean my facemask three times while roughing the out side of the bowl. After flipping the bowl, I was really taking deep cuts to hollow it out and the 4" tenon sheared off!!! Luckily, I hadn't gotten too far into the hollowing and was able to reattach the 6" faceplate and cut a new tenon. After the rough turned bowl dried it lost about 60% of it's weight. I haven't done the second turning yet, but the grain looks just like your bowl.
Well done! Especially so given that it’s Chestnut. There was a lot of Chestnut here in Pennsylvania and, because it’s such a durable wood, we would see the occasional old log laying in the woods decades after the blight had taken it. They are easy to spot since the grain twists along the length of the trunk like a barber pole or peppermint stick. Once the bark falls away, it’s pretty distinctive. I was looking for that grain twist in your bowl, but I don’t think the length is long enough for it to show. On a personal note, our house was built in 1895 and all of the wood trim on the first floor is of chestnut, including two built-in China cupboards. It’s a shame that can never happen again (unless the universities are successful in developing blight-resistant varieties🤞).
Perfect timing for me on this video. Thank you, Kent, you have answered my previous question on sharpening and losing the edge on the gouge. I have just turned a live edge on a rare species of African tree that was felled during a development project and I was lucky enough to be in the right place to get some of the timber before it was chopped up for firewood. It is known as Kiaat (Pterocarpus angolensis) a rare and in fact protected species. So a big thank you for your timing on your excellent video and the talk through of the moments of stress as you work through it. Selfishly for me it was a perfect watch and the links at the end are a bonus.
There is an estate near me in the U.K that has the biggest chestnut trees I have ever seen trunks must be 12ft wide , maybe imported American chestnut . need to take the dogs up there again :)
Hello Kent, thank you for your perfect made interesting videos with good comments and "loud" thoughts of what you are doing or want to do. And as special "Thank You" to you is for your pronunciation, the videos from the guys of England are very hard to understand for me :-) Greetings from Austria and stay well !!
In the Shenandoah National Park here in Virginia there are two groups of volunteers that track the American Chestnut in the park. The first group tromps through the park looking for them then plotting their location and taking various measurements. They then turn this information over to a second group of people that look in on all of these trees over time and continue to take measurements, etc.
Wow! This is fantastic! So, what is the largest one recorded in the park? I needed to be a bit clearer with this video. The old growth monster American Chestnuts are the ones that are all gone, correct? As I understand it there are only saplings from those old root systems and an occasional outlier perhaps out west that still survive. I'd like to make sure this is correct. Thanks a ton for commenting!
@@TurnAWoodBowl unfortunately they typically don’t grow more than 4-5 feet tall before the spore responsible for their demise attacks and kills them. The spore is still here. There was talk of cross breeding Japanese chestnuts which are immune with the American variety but I’m not sure if that effort materialized.
Great turning Kent, I love the stories behind any turning and try to explain them as I give my turnings to someone. Did you get a new angled driver? The one in this video looks different than the one you linked in your sanding video,
That's very cool. Have you had a chance to turn any of the offshoots? I needed to make it a bit clearer that the "extinct" chestnut are the large old growth trees. Although, there might be a couple of them in far off areas that have not been effected by the plight. Thanks for sharing! Happy Turning!
Hi from Wales, UK! Love your videos. I like the way you film the process then explain what you are doing as a voice over. Can I ask why you wear a glove as we are often told not to? In a future video could you explain when to use the various drive/tail centres. I am new to turning, but would never have thought of using a four prong drive on that size of blank.
Yes of course! Well, actually check out this video and all my others. I think you'll learn a lot. I wear the glove to deflect wood as it rides up the flute. Caution does need to be used. Thanks and Happy Turning! th-cam.com/video/wW4_XtSLbhE/w-d-xo.html
Chestnut blight wasn’t so severe here in France, but definitely chestnut trees are getting scarse, especially the old and big ones. I was lucky enough to get some really old and venerable pieces of chestnut wood - European ones of course, at least 200 years old, and the result is gorgeous, as chestnut wood gets really dark which age, almost black in some cases. The wood gets so brittle that you need to use really sharp tools, and take your time if you don’t want to ruin your work, but definitely it’s worth the time and stress !
Thank you for writing and sharing Patrick! Wow, that sounds amazing! The little bit I turned here was very unique! Light-weight but very durable, much different from any other wood characteristics. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Hi Kent, Another great and informative video! I understand your being nervous when you only had one piece of a very special wood. The wood glue and sanding dust was another excellent tip. I have wanted to use a wood burner to sign my turnings and your explanation is the first I've seen. I have looked at wood burning kits on Amazon but am lost as to what to buy just for signing items like you did. The kits contain so many items and I'm not sure what I really need without buying way more than necessary. I looked at your list of Equipment Used but did not see a wood burner there...any suggestions? Thanks, Myles
Thanks, Myles. Look in the finishing section of my Recommended Equipment Guide. Here's a link to the Equipment Guide turnawoodbowl.com/recommended-equipment/ And here's the wood burning tool to use to sign your name amzn.to/3mi3EUP You will want to various tips to experiment with. I find that the tips designed to be "pens" aren't as good as some of the others. Also, different tree species and moisture levels in the wood will make one tip better than another. Enjoy and Happy Turning!
Wow! That's fantastic. I know there are other chestnuts around America that are surviving or the blight has not reached them. Where are you located? Is it a pure American Chestnut, or is it a hybrid with another chestnut? Thanks for writing.
I was watching your video and saw something on your lathe behind the bowl bouncing around. Is it a rubber o ring or something to keep the chuck from getting stuck on the lathe?
![[DRIP] ‘BILLIONAIRE’ PREVIEW](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/m0eXQD0gIeE/mqdefault.jpg)
Kent, I brought back 100 board ft of American Chestnut back from North Carolina, trapped on top of my wife's mini van to FL. Wife was not exactly happy but we made it no problem. I made cabinets for a bar/kitchen on my porch. What beautiful wood. They were boards from an old barn or something. It was great to work with although must watch out for hidden nails.
You know my dad, John from the soup kitchen. Sometime when I am up your way I would love to stop by and meet you and see your shop. Tom from Titusville
Hello Thomas, thanks for writing. I was hanging out with your dad today! Small world. Yes that sounds great and wow about the chestnut. There were plenty of wise people, and still are that know to save and salvage the American Chestnut whenever possible. Take care and Happy Turning!
Kent. There’s an organization called the International Wood Collectors Society. I was a member of it for the number of years. I once purchased some real two by fours of chestnut that was salvaged from a barn in Virginia. The blight arrived around 1911 in something that was delivered to the Bronx zoo. It came from China. There’s a group in America that has been trying to bring the American Chestnut back. They’ve been using Chinese chestnut trees. Lastly the heard they weren’t close. Love the bowls.Tom
Thanks for sharing. Happy Turning!
As a relatively new turner, I really enjoy learning from you. Thanks.
Glad to hear it! Thank you so much for sharing. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
It's the John Locke of Wood Turning!
That's what they say. LOL
Vous êtes le meilleur professeur tourneur! Merci ! 👍
Merci de bien vouloir! Tout le meilleur à vous et bon tournant!
Genius bro I'm watching every videos of you
Thanks bro! ;) All the best to you and Happy Turning!
It’s a little guy, it’s simple, and it’s a LOT beautiful! I appreciate your respect for the wood and your knowledge of trees. Thank you for sharing with us. I love the bowl. ❤
Thank you very much, Beverly! All the best to you and Happy Turning!
You're a good teacher.
I appreciate that! Happy Turning!
Hey Kent. I’m a blacksmith learning turning. And making my turning tools. My mother in law have an old chestnut tree in her back year. We are in New Jersey. I can’t want till a limb comes down in a storm. Lol👍🇺🇸. Thx for the info. Awesome job sharing. Thx again .....Paul.
That's awesome. Hoping for a limb to drop for you. Happy Turning!
wonderful video. I had a forester walk my land and he got all excited and headed off path faster than i could keep up. He got to this small tree about 20 ft high and was delighted to tell me I had an american chestnut. He told me the sad news that it was not long for this world, but that it would die and try again from the root stock. He estimated it was about 10 years old, which coincided with some clearing of the woods. He guessed it was that clearing that allowed enough light to reach the stump and start the growing again. Its a nice little treat to have among our oak and maple.
That's fantastic. That sounds almost exactly like the tree I turned in this video. Thanks for sharing! Happy Turning!
Brilliant turning. What a beautiful piece. Chris
Thank you! Cheers! Happy Turning!
Great work 👏! I've watched you make this bowl like 3 times. It's one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing! Take care and GOD BLESS 🙏!
I'm so glad you like this one too Stephen. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Extraordinary. You honored the species of wood. God Bless America and it's Chestnut trees. I hope they come back.
Thank you, much appreciated and Happy Turning!
Loved your reverence for Chestnut and your reference to The Overstory. That is a great book! And great demo!!
Thanks so much! Yes, tree history is amazing. Perhaps a bit nerdy, but still amazing. LOL Happy Turning!
The way you explain what you're doing is very helpful. I'm sure the ghosts of those long gone chestnut trees are pleased with this bowl.
Thanks man! Much appreciated! Happy Turning!
When I remodeled my living room, I took out 4 old barn beams. Solid and heavy, and well over a century old. I sat them outside, and we had tried to sell them, but most people were scared I guess - they were so heavy. After starting the woodturning hobby, I thought, If no one wants them, I'm going to practice making 6 by 6 bowls. Turning them - something was strange. I thought they were pin at first, but they didn't smell like it. In fact they smaeeld like the walls in a hotel we stayed at along the skyline Drive in Virginia. I had 4 - 12 foot, 6 by 6 inch Chestnut to make into blanks! My poor turning tools suffered, but my "Century Bowls" are dropdead gorgeous. And not many people have historic old growth Chestnut to turn. These will be heirloom pieces.
Wow, that's awesome Michael!
Hi Kent, I live in Cincinnati, Ohio (westside). I have a pickup truck full of American Chestnut. What I have [as you said] died in 1920-30's, it has been standing in the woods since then and years after the tree has died the bark slides down to the base of the tree, it also is resistant to rot. Some are being blown down from the high winds we have been having.
I am new to bowl turning, but I love American Chestnut, I've made 2 simple bowls and then made my first vase. I'm on my 24th bowl, it's an Olivewood 3 x 8 x 8 (very wet).
I have dug out a 23-inch long Chestnut log to make something that may resemble what an American Indian might have done.
I love watching your video and plan on watching more.
I have a Facebook page and as I do a bowl I upload photos of it so my Colyer's and friends can see what I do since I retired. Again thank you very much for your Videos....
Wesley Colyer, Mack, Ohio
Wow! That is fantastic! How lucky for you to have access to American Chestnut from long ago. Take care of those gems and all the best to you! Happy Turning!
i never heard of american chestnut befor,thanks for the story about it!it looks very nice,grtngs from belgium!
Thanks for watching and my pleasure! Glad you enjoyed. Happy Turning!
Remarkable work for an historical tree. Looks fantastic!
Much appreciated! Happy Turning!
Wow, nice bowl and instructional video, good job
Thank you very much Tim! Happy Turning!
I hope you’re a shop teacher. You have so much knowledge to share and such a pleasant way of explaining each step and why.
Wow, thank you! Yeah, you're in my shop right now. ;) Enjoy. Happy Turning!
I share your sense of American Chestnut. The simple form really showcases the wood And it turned out just amazing!
Cool, thanks! Happy Turning!
Thabks for your Great TH-cam channel. I loved the book recommendation!
You are so welcome! That's a great read. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Thank you for sharing this experience! Your enthusiasm is really wonderful, and the history lesson is really well appreciated.
Thank you very much! Happy Turning!
Great color and grain Good Job
Thank you! Cheers!
Thank you for a great informational bowl turning. It is beautiful.
Thank you very much! Happy Turning!
Hello Kent, I have been watching and learning from you for several months now. This video has been especially inspiring to me. I am living in Massachusetts in the South central area in the country know and appreciate wood and my local history. we actually have a few chestnut trees locally here in Holland Ma. Thanks for the story and the finished bowl, well done.
Wonderful. Thank you for sharing. How large are these chestnut trees? And are they American Chestnuts? I'm learning of chestnuts scattered around, but not any of the old-growth trees. Thanks and Happy Turning!
Beautiful Work!
Thank you very much! Happy Turning!
Awesome piece well done
Thank you kindly! Happy Turning!
Love this one Kent! I’ve always loved the natural beauty of trees. You’ve definitely honored the beauty of the American Chestnut with this piece.
Thanks for watching and thank you for your kind words! Happy Turning!
Nice bowl Kent - all your commentary and tips on technique are very much appreciated.
Glad you enjoyed it Thank you and Happy Turning!
Great video and beautiful piece.
Thank you very much! Happy Turning!
Superb demo and what lovely wood very pleased to have seen you turn it 👍
Many thanks! Happy Turning!
Kent I'm a new subscriber to your wonderful channel and may I add you are a fantastic teacher all you say and do makes complete sense in fact yesterday Sunday the wife spent four hours wrapping Christmas gift's so I had a Kent turn a wood bowl youtube fest yep I spent four or more hours watching and enjoying your lessons to turning bowls. I would like to say a big thankyou for the information you give for free. from the UK thankyou James
Thanks and welcome, I'm honored to have filled four hours of your time! Thank you and Happy Turning!
Thank you, Kent for a wonderful presentation and discussion of American Chestnut. Your delight with the subject matter and finished piece were quite apparent on your face!
You are very welcome. Thanks I appreciate you!
Gorgeous as always Kent. What an awesome opportunity for you. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching! Happy Turning!
Beautiful wood
Thank you, Sue. Happy Turning!
Wish there were more of them. Would be amazing to see full grown ones and it sure is pretty wood.
I agree! Happy Turning!
This by far the best video I have watched because you had running commentary throughout talking us through every action of the turning and ran a great story in the background. For any turner this is great to watch ad you covered every aspect of the process. Brill.
Glad you enjoyed! Thank you so much. Happy Turning!
I want to thank you for a very specific thing: You mentioned in this video how to view inside work with the bowl gouge so you can keep the bevel parallel to the outside contour and so develop better wall thickness consistency and inside dimension that matches the outside. This was golden advice! I just completed a spalted Elm bowl and really focused on this technique. This is my best wall thickness/inside dimension turning yet. Hey thanks for teaching these details. Super helpful.
Awesome! Glad it was helpful! Many times it just takes looking at things a bit different to create a break through. Happy Turning!
Really lovely. Nice turning and the finish is perfect for the bowl. I too think “The Secret Life of Trees” is a great book, Trees are amazing!
Thank you very much! Glad you like the book too. Happy Turning!
Beautiful piece. I love the way you narrate your work. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you very much! Happy Turning!
another good one for sure. i appreciate the reinforcement of the basics in each video. it is reassuring that a pro like Kent who has turned a lot of bowls sometimes gets a little nervous or antsy about a specific project.
You bet, thanks. Happy Turning!
Beautiful!
Thank you! Cheers! Happy Turning!
Nice bowl. Memories of my parents taking us to downtown Detroit and vendors were selling roasted chestnuts.
Oh man! Now that's a fun memory. Were the chestnuts so hot you could barely hold them at first?
Thanks Kent for the information on turning and that's a beautiful bowl
Thank you and you are very welcome. Happy Turning!
Hi Kent! I’m a brand new turner and I have learned so much from your videos. Your teaching style is very captivating and I thank you for the work you do. All the best and happy turning;)
Thanks and welcome. THere's an exciting road ahead for you. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Lovely bowl & great technique tips as always...i'm in England UK & have just quit wrestling cracks in a chestnut piece - and the chestnut won! So next time, I know how to deal with those..many thanks!
Wonderful! Glad to help across the pond. ;) th-cam.com/video/wW4_XtSLbhE/w-d-xo.html
wow you got fantastic sync with the frame rate on this one!! i often think how useful it would be if we could actually see that in real life. ive heard of people using a strobe to get the same effect, but I think that would spin my brain out too much. I had no idea about the chestnut blight over there. We have chestnut literally everywhere here, we're lucky. Amazing video Kent. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Matt. I wish there was chestnut everywhere here too. So cool. Have you turned any? Happy Turning!
@@TurnAWoodBowl yes, I turned a basic bowl out of some a few months ago. It turned out lovely. it was only the 3rd bowl I'd turned but even then I noticed how nice it was to work.
thanks for the great video and also for telling me about the trees history 😊
My pleasure 😊Check out the book "Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben. amzn.to/3jRVUbD You will be amazed. Happy Turning!
The finish really enhances the grain Kent, Well Done!!!
Thanks. Yes, I was very pleased with the results too. Happy Turning!
Beautiful bowl. Great history lesson, too.
Thank you! Cheers!
a sentimental ,patriotic craftsman!!!!!! God bless you , what an enjoyable video...
Thank you, George! Yeah, I can get worked up about this stuff. LOL Happy Turning!
Amazing bowl, and boy, I loved the book!
Me too! Fantastic! Glad you checked it out. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Hi Kent, I'm new to woodturning and I've watched a ton of videos to make sure I have a grasp of the basics before I try my first bowl. I'm curious to your opinion on turning an internal tenon on the bottom of the bowl to accept the chuck, rather than an external tenon. As a rookie, it seems as if this would eliminate a sketchy beginner step at the end with the foam pad and jam chuck Looking forward to your ideas. Thanks, Dale.
I'm not sure why the recessed mortise is used so much by rookies. My guess is because its easier to teach, and like you said, can be left as the base. But the tenon offers better support and options for shaping the foot when the bowl is complete. I say, try both and see what you like. Be sure to see my tenon videos. Happy Turning!
What a beautiful piece!
Here in Denmark we have lots of chesnut trees. I wonder what makes them different from American ones. Hopefully there will be lots of American chestnuts in the future if the scientist figure it out.
Thanks for sharing your experience with this gorgeous wood.
Thank you! Cheers! Yes, they are mixing different genes to hopefully find one that is resistant to the fungus. Enjoy your chestnuts over there! ;) Happy Turning!
Wow, love this video. I have a chestnut crotch drying in the basement. You've inspired me to get to it.
Fantastic! Happy Turning!
@@TurnAWoodBowl I turned the bowl and it looks great. Thanks for always making inspiring videos! Love that chestnut.
Beautiful piece Sir! I agree that tress have a secret life. I had a mimosa tree almost get ripped apart in a wind storm alluded to by Wesley Colyer; the tree died years later. In the last couple of years saplings of the same have appeared nearby and I'll be transplanting elsewhere as they are right next to the house so they can get big, beautiful and shady. That's the amazing thing about life; if something wants to live it will find a way. I saw a usda.gov article on how they are trying to develop a blight resistant strain. That is we, as turners, should do. Proliferate and grow trees wherever possible because trees are what make our talents useful and profitable.
Side note: I find it amazing that in this wide electronic ocean I can come across someone like Wesley Colyer that literally lives a few miles away. Green township,OH.
Thanks for writing and glad you met someone. Yes, we should all plant trees and enjoy their majesty! Happy Turning!
beautiful bowl!! love the shape and grain very inspired by your work. lovely bowl
Thank you! Cheers!
It's beautiful Kent. I learned a lot also. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching
Great tree history lesson as well as the very detailed on the live edge bowl.... I have a tree that fell late September here in Southwestern Michigan.... I believe it is a chestnut... I can't wait to cut it up to make live edge bowls... I also have a about 12' log which is about 22" diameter and make some lumber out of the trunk....
Very cool! That's fantastic. Cherish that wood and enjoy the turnings!
I live in the historical district of a mid-Michigan town, and last fall my neighbor had a series of volunteer trees which grew up along his fence line which greatly shaded his back yard. He hired a forester to cut them down and one was an 80+ year old chestnut. I got some large pieces of it. I turned one piece a week after the tree was cut, rough turning a bowl that was 17" diameter by 5" deep. The green wood was very wet, and sprayed so much sap that I had to clean my facemask three times while roughing the out side of the bowl. After flipping the bowl, I was really taking deep cuts to hollow it out and the 4" tenon sheared off!!! Luckily, I hadn't gotten too far into the hollowing and was able to reattach the 6" faceplate and cut a new tenon. After the rough turned bowl dried it lost about 60% of it's weight. I haven't done the second turning yet, but the grain looks just like your bowl.
Wow, fantastic! Take care of the piece. Enjoy and Happy Turning!
Great Episode, great piece
Thank you, much appreciated!
Another excellent video. Thanks
Thanks again! All the best to you!
Gusto ko yan.. i like that beautiful!
Thank you, Eduardo! All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Great job Kent! Cheers, Paige C.
Thank you so much and Happy Turning!
Another great video, Kent! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching. My Pleasure Happy Turning!
Well done! Especially so given that it’s Chestnut. There was a lot of Chestnut here in Pennsylvania and, because it’s such a durable wood, we would see the occasional old log laying in the woods decades after the blight had taken it. They are easy to spot since the grain twists along the length of the trunk like a barber pole or peppermint stick. Once the bark falls away, it’s pretty distinctive. I was looking for that grain twist in your bowl, but I don’t think the length is long enough for it to show.
On a personal note, our house was built in 1895 and all of the wood trim on the first floor is of chestnut, including two built-in China cupboards. It’s a shame that can never happen again (unless the universities are successful in developing blight-resistant varieties🤞).
Thank you for writing. This is so cool, you live surrounded by chestnut! How cool. Thanks for sharing!
That was a great turn!
Thank you and Happy Turning!
Perfect timing for me on this video. Thank you, Kent, you have answered my previous question on sharpening and losing the edge on the gouge. I have just turned a live edge on a rare species of African tree that was felled during a development project and I was lucky enough to be in the right place to get some of the timber before it was chopped up for firewood. It is known as Kiaat (Pterocarpus angolensis) a rare and in fact protected species. So a big thank you for your timing on your excellent video and the talk through of the moments of stress as you work through it. Selfishly for me it was a perfect watch and the links at the end are a bonus.
Fantastic! Good for you to have such a rare piece to enhance! All the best to you! Happy Turning!
There is an estate near me in the U.K that has the biggest chestnut trees I have ever seen trunks must be 12ft wide , maybe imported American chestnut . need to take the dogs up there again :)
Wow, that's huge. It would be interesting to know what species it is. Thanks for sharing!
Great video.
Thanks!
Great video, always learn something new. Will be trying wood glue filler. Love your enthusiasm for the wood species and its history.
Awesome! Thank you! Happy Turning!
Very nice project. I really appreciate your passion for the tree!
Thank you very much! Happy Turning!
i love working with american chestnut, in my area(southwest ontario canada, this stuff is quite common in old barn beams!
Yes, chestnut is incredible wood to work. Happy Turning!
I live in ontario and I have seen live ones and they are big too
@@martinhrubik9785 where are you in ontario, im in sarnia, 3 hours west of toronto at the border
Hi Kent, Just discovered your channel. Love your teaching approach and productions.
Hey Lyle,
Thank you, very much appreciated! I enjoy your teaching style too. ;)
Happy Turning,
Kent
Very beautiful.
Thank you! Cheers!
nice work!respect
Thank you kindly! All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Hello Kent, thank you for your perfect made interesting videos with good comments and "loud" thoughts of what you are doing or want to do. And as special "Thank You" to you is for your pronunciation, the videos from the guys of England are very hard to understand for me :-)
Greetings from Austria and stay well !!
Thank you very kindly! I'm so glad these videos are helpful for you. All the best to you. Happy Turning!
Love chestnut
Lovely bowl Kent
Thank you kindly!
In the Shenandoah National Park here in Virginia there are two groups of volunteers that track the American Chestnut in the park. The first group tromps through the park looking for them then plotting their location and taking various measurements. They then turn this information over to a second group of people that look in on all of these trees over time and continue to take measurements, etc.
Wow! This is fantastic!
So, what is the largest one recorded in the park?
I needed to be a bit clearer with this video. The old growth monster American Chestnuts are the ones that are all gone, correct? As I understand it there are only saplings from those old root systems and an occasional outlier perhaps out west that still survive. I'd like to make sure this is correct.
Thanks a ton for commenting!
@@TurnAWoodBowl unfortunately they typically don’t grow more than 4-5 feet tall before the spore responsible for their demise attacks and kills them. The spore is still here. There was talk of cross breeding Japanese chestnuts which are immune with the American variety but I’m not sure if that effort materialized.
Excellent!!!
Thank you! Cheers! Happy Turning!
I would have thought that the blight would have been killed out by all of our modern herbicides. Great way to honor the tree and its ancestors.
Thank you much appreciated! Happy Turning!
Thank you 👍👍😂
Welcome 👍
Wow! It turned out better than I thought. I guess your log was not as wormy as my board.
Thanks, much appreciated. Happy Turning!
Que buen cuenco... su forma es bien bonita
Gracias. Muy apreciado
Great turning Kent, I love the stories behind any turning and try to explain them as I give my turnings to someone.
Did you get a new angled driver? The one in this video looks different than the one you linked in your sanding video,
No, it's an older one. Thanks and Happy Turning!
Have a few American chestnut trees where I live. Only off shoots. They get to a certain size and die back. And from the roots a new tree grows.
That's very cool. Have you had a chance to turn any of the offshoots? I needed to make it a bit clearer that the "extinct" chestnut are the large old growth trees. Although, there might be a couple of them in far off areas that have not been effected by the plight. Thanks for sharing! Happy Turning!
Turn A Wood Bowl I find the chestnut has a very same look to sassafras but a less porous wood. Also sparkles on bias of grain
Hi from Wales, UK! Love your videos. I like the way you film the process then explain what you are doing as a voice over. Can I ask why you wear a glove as we are often told not to? In a future video could you explain when to use the various drive/tail centres. I am new to turning, but would never have thought of using a four prong drive on that size of blank.
Yes of course! Well, actually check out this video and all my others. I think you'll learn a lot. I wear the glove to deflect wood as it rides up the flute. Caution does need to be used. Thanks and Happy Turning! th-cam.com/video/wW4_XtSLbhE/w-d-xo.html
just love it
Thank you so much! Happy Turning!
I have a piece that I bought from a turner who roughed it out to dry, then could not longer turn due to poor health. Saving it for a special day!
Excellent. Enjoy and Happy Turning!
Chestnut blight wasn’t so severe here in France, but definitely chestnut trees are getting scarse, especially the old and big ones. I was lucky enough to get some really old and venerable pieces of chestnut wood - European ones of course, at least 200 years old, and the result is gorgeous, as chestnut wood gets really dark which age, almost black in some cases. The wood gets so brittle that you need to use really sharp tools, and take your time if you don’t want to ruin your work, but definitely it’s worth the time and stress !
Thank you for writing and sharing Patrick! Wow, that sounds amazing! The little bit I turned here was very unique! Light-weight but very durable, much different from any other wood characteristics. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Hi Kent, Another great and informative video! I understand your being nervous when you only had one piece of a very special wood. The wood glue and sanding dust was another excellent tip. I have wanted to use a wood burner to sign my turnings and your explanation is the first I've seen. I have looked at wood burning kits on Amazon but am lost as to what to buy just for signing items like you did. The kits contain so many items and I'm not sure what I really need without buying way more than necessary. I looked at your list of Equipment Used but did not see a wood burner there...any suggestions?
Thanks, Myles
Thanks, Myles. Look in the finishing section of my Recommended Equipment Guide. Here's a link to the Equipment Guide turnawoodbowl.com/recommended-equipment/ And here's the wood burning tool to use to sign your name amzn.to/3mi3EUP You will want to various tips to experiment with. I find that the tips designed to be "pens" aren't as good as some of the others. Also, different tree species and moisture levels in the wood will make one tip better than another. Enjoy and Happy Turning!
Nice!
Thanks!
Thanks !!!!!!! Enjoyed your work !!!!! JESUS CHRIST IS LORD !!!!!!! AMEN !!!!!!!
Thank you! Happy Turning!
Wooow...
Bagus.... 👌
Thank you! Happy Turning!
I have an AmericanChestnut tree in my backyard. They are not extinct yet, and they are very close to a blight resistant strain
Wow! That's fantastic. I know there are other chestnuts around America that are surviving or the blight has not reached them. Where are you located? Is it a pure American Chestnut, or is it a hybrid with another chestnut? Thanks for writing.
There's a HUGE one in the woods near my house. Has about a 7ft trunk so it's quite old. Southern pennsylvania.
@@TurnAWoodBowl Its pure American. I have a couple Dunstan Chestnuts as well.
I hope a blight resistant strain goes on sale soon.
awesome
Thanks Jim!
Thanks for the demo! I use the same crack-filling technique with superglue. :) -Dan Young
Very cool! Happy Turning!
I was watching your video and saw something on your lathe behind the bowl bouncing around. Is it a rubber o ring or something to keep the chuck from getting stuck on the lathe?
Yes, I use a washer because one of my chuck does not seat all the way. Very observant of you. ;) Happy Turning!