Elm Bowl with Dowel Rod Pre-Inlay

In this video I show how to "pre-inlay" a bowl with dowel rods made of wood and aluminum. In this case the dowels are necessary to hold the cracked bowl together, but this technique can be used for purely decorative effects as well.

[@tad1961]

I have seen this done with brass rods to create deliberate decorative effects. Nice job on creating a very unique result from a repair method I never would have thought of.

[@s10m0t10n]

I enjoyed this video. It was instructional and I like the fact that it was really a 'silk purse made from a sow's ear' type of event. Having put time into roughing the bowl out a year before, it must have been saddening to find all those cracks so kudos for taking on the challenge to actually finish the bowl. It came out looking good and you can bet there isn't another like it anywhere. Thanks for sharing the technique. All the best, Derek.

[@MrKelso159]

Beautifully done ! Your a true artist to see the value in saving something so beautiful. Easy to throw things away and start over, but broken things can be made to be even more beautiful when fixed. Great job !!!

[@passinthru5992]

Sure is strange to me that anyone would criticize your work. Truly beautifull. Thank you for taking the time to share with us.

[@chas6444]

Thank you, Michael.

[@timecowx]

Fascinating and beautiful! Add me to the list of "Never would have thought of that or believed it even doable"! Thanks for sharing! You have given me a whole slew of new ideas for things to try. Beautiful piece!

[@chas6444]

Thanks timecowx. Good luck with your new pieces.

[@fshngtxs]

I enjoyed this info, it helped me. So I looked you up so I could learn from someone as "good" as you are. I was sure you have posted instructional videos that show your worth. I was "surprised" that all I saw you contributed was negative comments on others work. I must be confused because I am sure you are not one of the bitter little men that only feel important when trying to make another feel less. I'm "sure" you belong to that group of men that finds their worth in personal accomplishment.

[@dman4407]

really cool idea......I never thought of "saving" a roughed out bowl that way. Great video....thank you for sharing.

[@BTOCALLMASTER]

Great save! It ended up being a structurally sound & beautiful bowl! Very nice work! Thanks buddy!

[@chas6444]

sorry for the late reply, PM, I have done it both ways. I used dowels through the pith of green wood rough turned bowls. While the bowls developed small checks, the pith did not crack in any of the samples.

[@bedstag]

I had an idea of maybe using aluminium wire as a sort of "stitching effect" but was worried about ruining my tools. I might give it a go now. Beautiful project. Shame about the absent minded people who can't just leave it at "in my humble opinion", but of course, that is just my humble opinion. Nice work!

[@johnpoole3214]

great save.. it went from btu to showcase.. i've got a piece of walnut that would look great with brass.. being a retired telephone man i may have a bit and a couple of ground rods around... need to practice on something smaller... thanks and never worry about the resident expert.. keep up the good work..

[@chas6444]

Thank you, John. I have used brass a few times. It turns very nicely with light cuts and looks fantastic with dark wood. I hope it works out for you.

[@sarullowoodworks4795]

Unique approach I haven't seen before and worked beautifully. Thanks for sharing.

[@chas6444]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Phil. Thanks for watching.

[@24296333]

What a save Chas. I wouldn't have had the guts to put wood in that state anywhere near the lathe...........actually, I wouldn't have had the artistic forethought in the first place!! The video was amazing and the bowl turned out wonderful. I'm really pleased you chose to leave up the comments from 'Noscraping' as the responses generated clearly demonstrate that most, if not all, appreciate you guys that give up your time to share your knowledge, skill and art with the rest of us. Long may you continue to do so. Many thanks.

[@chas6444]

Thanks for the comments, Alan. I was a bit nervous, but when I got the bowl up to speed and didn't feel any vibrations, I settled in and just turned it.

[@rickreed123]

It looks interesting when linear elements intersect curved surfaces. It is hard to imagine they are straight rods. Good job.

[@chas6444]

I'm sorry for this late reply, Rick. Thanks for the kind comments.

[@ht1type]

Interesting approach to problem solving, well done, will keep this in mind. Your music track was perfect, I could watch paint dry listening to it & not be bored, that said your subject was to the point, very cool! I wonder about darkening the aluminum rod, perhaps with a chemical, with some layout, effects could be made in eye catching patterns, enjoyed this my thanx to you Sir!

[@chas6444]

Thanks Brendan. I appreciate your comments and support very much!

[@kingery2935]

That is one of the COOLEST things i've seen on youtube. Great job man.

[@bekeeper1]

Thanks for this video, I have a similar problem on the lathe right now and this was a big help.

[@baconsoda]

I think there's going to be a lot of dowels and long drill bits sold in the next few weeks. Super save! Best Wishes, Brendan.

[@itsearlable]

great idea and a beautiful job!!!! i think i will try this with 2 or 3 different sizes of dowels in the same bowl to see the effect of it. thanks much for this video !!!!!!!

[@chas6444]

Excellent... let me know how it turns out. Cheers!

[@cook6265]

Well said Mr. Harlos. My first response was to also scan through noscraping's contributions and as you alluded to, he has nothing to offer. As a wise old king once said, "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."

[@marcvz]

very good result - great work. Thank you for sharing!

[@chas6444]

Thanks very much, Luke. CA stands for "cyanoacrylate" which is better known as superglue. CA is great for filling cracks and voids in turnings. I pack shavings and wood dust into the crack and then trickle thin CA glue on that. It penetrates into the filler and hardens into acrylic. Makes for a quick and strong filler. There are many good videos on youtube about CA glue and filling cracks. Just be sure and follow proper safety precautions. Cheers!

[@chas6444]

No damage at all. Remember to take very light cuts and avoid the metal shavings landing on bare skin. HSS tools are able to turn most soft metals including brass, copper, aluminum and when I get to close to my chuck jaws, mild steel... haha

[@TheHondafirebladerr]

why do arseholes always give negative feedback?woodturning is art if this guy creates somehing from a broken bowl and it looks good and will be be lookd at as a piece of art and not for your corn flakes then well done for creating something natural and beautiful and carry on the nice work ignore the idiots who cant appreciate your work

[@TheTarohn]

Interesting idea. I would not have thought of trying the aluminum rods like that. Although it would cost more. I wonder how copper would have looked in there as well. Cost much more but would have had a nice look against the color of the wood. Not sure that personally I would mix the metal and wood rods but thats just personal preference. Like many videos I see this gives me some good ideas to try. Thanks for the effort to make it and post it.

[@chas6444]

Sorry for the late response. I used gap filling CA glue however, for wood dowels you can use wood glue (I use Titebond II) with great results. I rough up the surface of aluminum or brass rods before gluing them in. And as you saw, I use the drill to "spin" them in... I don't believe it would be possible to drive them in otherwise unless the holes were significantly overslzed.

[@chas6444]

You are the only one so far.

[@chas6444]

As long as you use HSS tools and are careful of the hot shavings, it should be very easy for you to turn the aluminum accents. Thanks and good luck!

[@chas6444]

@Sineath, I sure a grinder would work fine. The hacksaw is quick and doesn't create any heat so I prefer to use it.

[@chas6444]

Thanks very much... and no, I am not affected by the "douche" comments. Far as I know, the guy isn't even a woodturner... I appreciate your comments.

[@chas6444]

Derek, I appreciate the comment very much.

[@chas6444]

@duckes1, not really. My bowl gouge is HSS and the aluminum is very soft by comparison. I've turned copper, brass, and aluminum and my HSS tools have no problem with it as long as I take light cuts.

[@chas6444]

Thank you. I appreciate your comment.

[@chas6444]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching.

[@chas6444]

Of course you are right, Chris. Need to find my zen when I encounter people such as him. Haha...

[@randyclary8144]

I wish you would talk more in playlist music I learn better from instruction you’re very talented enjoyed the video

[@chas6444]

They are available at Lowe's or Home Depot. Thanks very much!

[@PM3520]

Cool video, Chas... I must admit, I probably would not have rough-turned that bowl in the first place, and certainly would have turned it into Btu's after cracking like that! I live where wood is very plentiful, and just wouldn't put that much work into saving a cracked bowl. You DID manage to make a pretty cool-looking bowl from a nasty chunk of wood, though! I wonder if this dowel inlay method could work before the rough-out is air dried, or if the wood movement would screw it up somehow?

[@GOLD117on]

this is truly clever, i think ill try it.

[@LukeMcMullin]

Hi, I loved how you saved the bowl and added to its caracter I would have tried to hide my attempts to repair, but your approach is very novel and I will likely try this myself. I am new to this so please pardon my ignorance, but what is ca glue?

[@kazadthebad9995]

superb work

[@multi_misa72]

golden hands dude, awesome!

[@chas6444]

***** Thank you, Sir.

[@davisway1]

Great idea, I would have never thought of the aluminum dowels. You say you can use brass as well? Do they damage the damage the gouges in any way? Thanks for your time & efforts!

[@sweett4rt]

Shoot! I'd put it up on my mantle for all to see!! Awesome save.

[@potaylo]

Thanks One more thing I was surprised to see you using your lathe tools on the aluminum doesn't that damage your tools?

[@chas6444]

Sorry for the late reply, @kipperdude1, I like to leave as much of the log as possible... sometimes it doesn't work out. Sometimes it does. When it does, it is well worth the effort.

[@chas6444]

@keithboy44, Danke schoen! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@chas6444]

The camera I use has an option to shoot in timelapse. It's a Samsung OIS DUO, but many cameras have the timelapse feature nowadays.

[@chas6444]

@keithboy44 I use music from digg.ccmixter.org. The titles and artists are listed in the "credits" at the end of my videos.

[@potaylo]

I really like the stop action photography Is that a function of your camera or software on your computer?

[@garyevans8116]

Shit hot mate very nice & in elm it must be like marble we don't get much elm here now so very nice for you to have a bowl that would have been fire wood

[@Buzzsawman]

where does one get aluminum dowels?....great video by the way

[@fishinarkansas]

you just got yourself another sub great vid

[@MrKelso159]

Hey Chas, Does the aluminum rods damage your turning tools when you turn the bowl ? I would not of thought of using aluminum ! Great video and thanks !

[@frankbradleyjr]

Great job.

[@chas6444]

They are available at Lowe's or Home Depot.

[@chas6444]

Glad to hear it!

[@chas6444]

The aluminum does not damage my HSS turning tools. The only thing you must be careful of is the hot aluminum shavings. They burn if you allow them to land on bare skin!

[@chas6444]

@noscraping, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. But, I am confident this bowl will last much longer than your judgmental attitude. I will be happy to leave your comment here for all to see. I would never stand in the way of someone who wants to show the world how smart and superior they are to the rest of us.

[@8929170]

very inspiring. what type of glue did you use?

[@BNSFfan1996]

dose the aluminum rod damage/dull the turning tools faster that normal? And where dose one get large bowl blanks for cheap?

[@xhellabentx]

thanks for posting

[@chas6444]

Thank you very much.

[@ElGatoLoco698]

For some reason this reminds me of dentist filling a cavity.

[@chas6444]

I appreciate the comments!

[@s10m0t10n]

Your criticism is unwarranted. Turning is not your exclusive domain. This man's efforts are his alone - it has cost you nothing in time, materials or effort and he has given the video freely for others to watch, whether or not they turn wood. If you truly have a 'passion' for turning, think before being so negative; you could adversely affect the confidence of a fellow turner - the fact that they don't make a living from it is irrelevent. Let's see you make a video. Put up or shut up.

[@tweakerkid]

Superb 🤘

[@chas6444]

@keithboy44, I thought so too... Thanks again.

[@MrLeonard55]

Pretty cool.

[@jojothegreek]

Greek yogurt in 15:30 is the best.

[@masiehmitra8273]

Am I the only one seeing pentagrams appearing in the bowl? (13:00)Luckily I'm not superstitious :pVery beautiful work! Inspiring

[@frankbradleyjr]

I seen it too

[@jerryrudolph1678]

Success is also achieved by drilling the dowels through the rim of the bowl and or the base and adding a feature ring up top and or an additional bottom layer to hide all evidence of repair

[@gsoglo]

Hey Chas, Just checking to see if you had posted any new works. Btw, your site is stunning! Hope all is well.. John...

[@chas6444]

Thanks very much, John. Nothing recently... Been busy working for a living :-(. Hope to have time to update the site soon. Cheers!

[@MegaPoxie]

Brass dowels would have complemented the wood better but I expect the cost would be prohibitive. Beautiful piece non the less!!

[@LamarSineath]

Use a grinder to grind down instead of cutting 5:40 ?

[@chas6444]

Большое спасибо!

[@dennisbuckner6957]

well done

[@duckes1]

thanks

[@duckes1]

doesnt the alumilum blunten the tools

[@bigguix]

so weird and interesting. hope you didn't get affected by some douche comments i found in here. Some ppls are sooooo close minded/insecure that they feel the need to discredit anything that doesn't fit into their tiny tiny perspective.

[@parkwhiteharper]

I think it is pretty darn funny you say you can't stand the "lack of respect for the wood" but say to throw the piece that checked onto the firewood pile. Your comments are mutually exclusive and counter-intuitive. The guy made a nice bowl on what would otherwise be scrap by your estimation and you say he has no respect for the wood? Pot meet kettle.

[@MikeWaldt]

Unfortunately you have watched a few videos that I have, and it seems you only leave negative comments on all of them. You are of course entitled to your opinion......but you seem to have a quest to leave as many aggravating comments as possible. Which seems a little sad to me. Ah well each to his/her own.

[@Lederkram-de]

Just because you don't understand the following comment, doesn't mean it isn't true. My problem with guys like you is the lack of respect for people and the process of civilized communication. For the record: I am not always good, but i strive to get better at it every day, but that is only because i learn from the people that are reasonably communicating with me or even constructively criticize me and use that knowledge and my passion for a live enriched by the people i meet to feed my family.

[@KorsanVA]

Прикольно...!!!! Молодец !!!

[@chas6444]

Okay, I've tried to ignore your nonsense, but I can't get over this comment. How exactly am I showing a lack of respect for the wood and the process? Why are you qualified to judge my artistic efforts? Who are these people you studied under and where can we see your amazing work? This is an art form and because of that, there is no right or wrong, no true or false. If you won't show your work, then you are just a lurking troll looking to stir the $#i+ and make people angry.

[@dalezid]

who else noticed the greek yogurt tub?

[@heriberthuber54]

Well... do you?

[@jrhperu]

TO Noscraping: Your comment is really rude. the first thing you should do is to learn how to convey your ideas without insulting people and showing more respect. I am afraid that in this respect you have a long way to go. DON´T BE RUDE, it is unnecesary and unpolite, apparently you are so far unable to realize that BY BEING RUDE YOU ARE ONLY INSULTING YOURSELF!!

[@timothymcswain6235]

Hey what ever works

[@heriberthuber54]

Show your superior technique in some videos or shut up. Really! Some people...

[@chas6444]

Thanks very much!