A simple salad Bowl

[Ralph]

I don't know what kind of wood this is, maybe somebody could tell me.
Its 170mm in diameter and finished with food safe oil.

Ralph

[Les Symonds]

A very simple form resulting in a stable, functional little bowl.....with a good finish.

As for the timber....with the thousands of commercial timbers to choose from, world-wide, this is a question fraught with difficulty. Without more precise pictures, especially a close-up of the end-grain, it's a risky business trying to pin it down. My best guess is that it's a spalted beech. How much do you know about the wood? Where did it come from? Was it a local piece of timber, or bought from a merchant? A few clues might help.

Les

[Ralph]

I think its spalted Beech Les, but I'm no expert and I've no idea where I got it!
I usually buy buy from a local merchant.

Ralph

[seventhdevil]

looks alot like spalted beech so i don't think it's problem solved.

[Mark Sanger]

Nice utility bowl. My thinking is spalted sycamore, don't see the cream colour in beech and I have some spalted sycamore the same, but without looking close it is hard to say, either way it is a nice wood bowl. 

[woodndesign]

I'm with ... it's a really nice bowl, should serve it's purpose well.

Some may consider as spalted it may not at best be food safe.

Cheers  David

[Ralph]

I'm with ... it's a really nice bowl, should serve it's purpose well.

Some may consider as spalted it may not at best be food safe.

Cheers  David

That's an interesting comment David. It's something that I hadn't thought of, but you may have a point about using spalted timber with food.
I'll look in to that.

Ralph

[Bryan Milham]

There are many fungi that create spalts and every wood is affected differently. The very pale wood and the dark (greenish) pattern make me think of Horse chestnut, but I could not swear to it.

As for food safe spalting, well what is spalting, nothing more than a fungal growth. Every-time you take a breath the spores that cause them are inhaled.

Have you tried Sourdough Bread? It's made by letting a flour/water mix sit in the open and the natural fungus /yeast in the air act as a rising agent (that's simplistic but certainly the start of the process).

I'm not saying some people aren't suseptable or affected by the spores, they certainly are but the wood is dry (fungus dead) and you have sealed it behind oil.

[Ralph]

That is my viewpoint as well. Dead spores.
I think that if the bowl is kept in good condition and well oiled, there should be no problems.
I've being using it fit a few week and I'm still alive (just)

Thanks for your post.

Ralph

[Schurchy]

I don't know what kind of wood this is, maybe somebody could tell me.
Its 170mm in diameter and finished with food safe oil.

Ralph

Hi Ralph
Excuse my ignorance but when you say "food safe oil", what do you use exactly? I'm assuming that's not the name of the product.

[Ralph]

Hi Shurchy.

No problem, glad to help. There is a lot I don't know about this woodturning lark
I use a Chestnut product, see link below.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/chestnut-food-safe-oil

Regards.

Ralph

[bodrighywood]

You can use oils such a rape, sunflower etc as well. Olive oil goes rancid so don't use that. I know some people say not to use vegetable oil but I have a mortar and pestle that I made 6 years ago and I have only used vegetable oil on it and had no problems. Talking to butchers they used the vegetable oils on their blocks as well with no problems.

pete

[Ralph]

Thanks Pete, I didn't know that olive oil was not suitable.

Ralph