I Tried Using Leather To Fix This Cracked Wood Turned Bowl

[@deaneterry8444]

Stunning piece, great idea for the stitches!

[@febquilter]

I absolutely love what you did with the leather stitching on this one!!

[@annlaurie1484]

Really beautiful. 😊

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you!

[@scottconstable2352]

That came out beautifully. I was also curious about how you secured the ends, but I see you answered that on another comment. With the depth of that crack, I was a bit nervous for you that the piece would come apart (especially when you got to hollowing it). Glad it didn't.

[@andrewmccarn]

When I was turning the tenon away I kept waiting for the piece to fly apart lol It seemed a little fragile through the bottom with the split but luckily when I finished it wasn't near as deep as I had expected. But I was definitely nervous as well! lol

[@MarykateMcCarn]

This piece came out so nice! I don’t see it sticking around for very long

[@andrewmccarn]

As long as it has your approval!! lol

[@buddhababeoz]

Andrew your design skills are next level. The choice of wood and character says it all. The finished bowls are capturing.....I REALLY wanted to see inside the bowl to its hidden centre ...

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you very very much for the comment! I really do appreciate that! I typically try to get shots of the inside but I waited a little too late in the evening for these shots and couldn't get good lighting on it to really show it off. :(

[@jkurbanski6475]

I didn't think it would look good when you talked about it. But wow was I wrong, that's an amazing creation.. The stitching truly accentuated the grain of the wood! Amazing!

[@andrewmccarn]

You and me both! I had filmed a part where I talked about having doubts about how it would look right before I drilled the holes and even contemplated not doing it but didn't think it would add anything so I decided to cut it. But once I saw my dry fit I did at the end, I knew I was glad I did! I really do appreciate the kind words & comment!

[@gaetancrepeault9333]

Gorgeous work pcs Arts

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you!

[@juriwagner8822]

I like your videos that don't come across as if you're trying to sell something. Please keep ongoing.

[@HarryPotter-dl3kb]

I can only imagine that you are using the natural warping as a design feature in your work, allowing nature to shine through. Please let me know so I can understand your vision. I just found your channel and your work is a refreshing change

[@cintiacabrera3307]

Genial

[@shannonclancy667]

😍 Andrew this bowl is absolutely beautiful! You certainly out did yourself here 👏 love it !

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you very much!!

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

This might be your most beautiful bowl yet! Great job!

[@andrewmccarn]

I appreciate that man! Definitely one I am proud of!

[@davidsmith8853]

Nice work!

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you!

[@stanbreda7222]

Gorgeous! Again! I think you said in the video that you didn’t want to be sappy! Appropriate for a hunk of tree!

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you! Yeah I always feel a little cheesy when I start coming up with "artistic" reasons of why I do things lol But I knew this piece definitely needed to be artistic!

[@brendadriver2702]

Beautiful bowl and I love the stitch technique. Thanks Andrew!

[@andrewmccarn]

Thanks Brenda! I was a little uncertain how it would look but glad I tried it!

[@arnoldpluim8094]

Nice very nice

[@DougMilleratWoodSpunRound]

Beautiful work and bowl. Love the stitching. I really like that you knotted the ends. Nicely done.

[@andrewmccarn]

Thanks Doug!

[@keithedwards1038]

Absolutely fantastic piece! Beautiful work.

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you!

[@wrightandrede]

Beautiful bowl. I like the restraint you showed by sticking to three stitches. It’s subtle and works perfectly. More stitching would have given a Frankenstein’s monster effect that would have ruined it. I know you think about the wood moving over time as well. The leather is a smart choice as it should accommodate any movement. Not sure how hard it was to feed the leather through the holes, but if you plan on doing more you could pick up a pack of lacing needles. They are made for holding strips of leather like that. Keep up the good work!

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you! It is funny you mention Frankenstein because when I was laying them out, when I tried the cross-stitch look, Frankenstein is exactly what came to mind! lol Also I will have to look into a lacing needle because that was probably the most annoying part of this whole process lol

[@jameskuhlman9835]

I found your channel a short time ago. Have to say I appreciate the viewpoint you share with us in each one of your vids. This bowl in particular, I appreciate how you went with the "flow" so to speak and didn't resort to epoxy or other "unnatural" solutions. Currently working through a huge pile of Sissoo/Indian Rosewood I had to harvest from my suburban back yard. A very colorful but invasive/destructive tree when planted too close to a home.

[@andrewmccarn]

I appreciate ya sticking around! For videos like this, I feel its helpful to share reasons why I do & don't do certain things or also just to admit that I don't really have a plan lol When it comes to my work, I tend to try and stay away from epoxy or similar material unless its just to fix a knot or something along those lines. This wood just seemed to naturally pretty to do anything that could potentially take away from that. From the rosewood I have seen, I bet that is a beautiful wood and a pleasure to work with! I have never had the opportunity but I have always enjoyed seeing it. I did not realize it was invasive either!

[@patrickmcmasters6743]

Really a beautiful piece! Had a thought, placing a grove from holes to crack for the leather lace to recess somewhat into! Just a thought. Not sure if I missed it? But I've used super glue to bound suede laces together...no knots to deal with. Love the bowl! Great job and presentation. Had an 80 ft beech tree come down. Lightning strike. About 3+ feet across at bottom. Cut slabs, rounds, etc out of it. Decided to do a bowl out of a 12 inch branch about 10 inches long. Very white/light wood. Still green. Whole cleaning up the outside, I opened up a small cavity. Turned out to be a carpenter and nest. Tunnels, rooms, everywhere. They came flying out of the holes hitting my face masks pelting me! It turned out to be a two tiered bowl with such character. Sold at a festival. Afterwards have drilled perfectly good bowls to simulate that bowl. Used black ink to stain the tunnels.

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you! I would like to do something like that but with wood so I guess more along the lines of a bowtie key? For the cord on this on I sort of wanted it to stick out to add a little dimension to the piece but I will be trying something different with the knots next time! Thats a good amount of beech & a great wood to turn as well! Its funny how some of these messy pieces of wood like that can be some of the best pieces to turn. I will say, having turned some wood with ants in them, it isnt fun when they get on your arms though lol I turned a piece of persimmon similar to what you are describing a few months ago. Was some beautiful wood!

[@pthsdo]

Great job... The leather cord gives it a more warm / hand crafted feeling. Together, along with minimal movement (I see the bowl not perfectly round after the drying) and the beautiful grain, the entire piece is a showstopper!

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you! & that's exactly why I went with the brown! I thought the warmth of the brown would match the look of the wood a lot better than say black or some other material. I appreciate the comment!

[@elliotmousseau6282]

So well done and beautiful!

[@andrewmccarn]

I appreciate that!

[@clydeschuyler]

Great way to accent the beautiful piece! Wonderful work!

[@andrewmccarn]

Thanks Clyde! I appreciate that!

[@WoodturningWithJohnMarro]

Another great one Andrew! Thanks for sharing your work!

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you John, I appreciate that!

[@wildlandfarmstead]

Nice job brother always love the videos!

[@andrewmccarn]

I appreciate that man! Thank you!

[@markchoitz443]

well done, love it!

[@andrewmccarn]

I appreciate it Mark!

[@GRIZZ357]

Totally a cool move brother, you Rocked it.

[@andrewmccarn]

Thanks bud! Always have to try something new!

[@johnmarkelewicz5495]

Andrew, that bowl turned out great! I really think you nailed it with the straight across stitching opposed to a shoelace style stitch and still kept the focal point on the bowl. Great job!

[@andrewmccarn]

Thanks John! Yeah I messed with the design of that for probably 15 minutes and kept coming back to the straight across look. Glad I went with it!

[@stg6186]

What a great idea ! I’ll remember this one and make use of it in the future. Thanks for sharing.

[@sethwarner2540]

Yes, I like the idea of leather stitching! If it was mine, Ide have them be smooth on the outside; kinda matches the patina of your gorgeous bowl!

[@andrewmccarn]

mmmm I like that idea as well! Would match the style of the bowl as well; I may be trying that next time! lol Thank you!

[@stanbreda7222]

I also wonder about using copper wire like 12 gage. Put it in from the outside, bend the inside in an L shape and hammer the short side in it in to hold.

[@andrewmccarn]

That would look nice I think! I bet copper against some black walnut would look awesome!

[@philippegriffay6659]

Hello. Very nice achievement. What kind of oil do you use for the finish? continue to amaze us with your videos. Good luck

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you! For this piece, I use a Half & Half Tung oil made by Real Milk Paint Co. Great finish for bowls like this!

[@philippegriffay6659]

I live in France . I will try to find an equivalence. Thank you very much@@andrewmccarn

[@philippegriffay6659]

Is it possible to know the composition.Thank you @@andrewmccarn

[@joeehrlich2898]

Beautiful! I'd like to know how you finished the inside of the knot. I have done this before but put the knot on the outside. I have tried single stitch each one knots on the outside. The last one I did. I did not put knots in it. I used CA glue and trimmed inside of drill hole. For looks not for structural. I was just wondering how you did it?

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you! For this one, I just tied the knots on the inside and put a small dab of CA glue on them as well and trimmed. I considered drilling a hole halfway into the wall and gluing the cord that way since this isn't really structural either but since this was the first time I have ever done this, I didnt want to take any chances of messing anything up so just went with the knots. I'm not crazy over the knots but they work. Will be trying something a little different next time!

[@joeehrlich2898]

@andrewmccarn I still really like it. I would like to find a way to make it nicer, too. Please let me know if you come up with something, and I will do the same for you. I have made furniture where I use leather for the hinges and also around the edges. It's very traditional old setters furniture. Where small square nails or tacs were used, horseshoe nails mostly. Another idea I have used is knots on the outside. You can turn beads and use them to dress up the leather to take away from the knots. 3 beads on each lace for this case. Thank you, sir, for sharing. I have just come across your channel the last couple of months. I know it takes a lot of time in filming and editing and uploading and money, of course too. So when I say thank you, I mean for all of it. It's difficult to let strangers into your art like that for me. So I absolutely have great respect for what you do. Congratulations on your 1-year mark on you-tube, also.

[@crackerjack3359]

Just subscribed. The stitches look great on the outside but when pulled tight don't they leave a gap between them and the round internal surface.

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you! and the way I did the inside was just to go down to the closest hole instead of going across. So for example, I threaded it through the first hole from the inside, pulled across and threaded it back inside, then I went down to the hole directly underneath it, back out and across. That way It didnt give it a double stitch look and I would avoid that issue! Hopefully that makes sense!

[@rihanwoodworks7123]

Lovely piece! I wonder how you start and end the leather rope?

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you! I just tied small knots and then put a dab of CA glue on them to keep them secure, hope that helps!

[@rihanwoodworks7123]

@@andrewmccarn yes 🙏

[@woodandtwinellc]

Your work is truly inspiring. What is your drying process?

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you very much! I typically just set them on my shop floor for a week and then move them inside to finish drying. If its summer time then I will just bring them straight in and set them by my AC vent for two weeks and then move them outside to finish. So the process flips depending on the time of year

[@olofdahlstedt9918]

Epic beard you got. Do you have a decease on Elm trees too? It killed loads here in sweden

[@andrewmccarn]

lol Thank ya! & yeah elm is hard to find around where I live. I can count on one hand how many logs I have got of it in the past 8 years sadly. Wonderful wood to turn too!

[@olofdahlstedt9918]

@@andrewmccarn we had to take down many elms at my work. I work at a cemetary and they were over 130 years old. All dead. The fungus stops the water to rize inside the tree and it dies

[@copiahdad]

Beautiful bowl! Great work! Question. When you went back to the lathe with the dried bowl for sanding, looks like you put the tenon right in chuck. Seems it would have dried oval. Did you jamb chuck it to re-turn the tenon round first?

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you! I didn't actually! I typically try to keep my tenons close to the jaw diameter, so for this one 3". When I turn my tenon, I will go just slightly bigger so that way it is still able to be clamped by the jaws no matter how much the bowl warps. Hopefully that helps!

[@copiahdad]

It does help and now that I think about it, it makes sense. It wasn’t a twice turned bowl, so you didn’t really need the tenon round just to sand it. Thanks! And again, awesome work!

[@ImaWanaBeGnsTa]

I’m just a hobby woodturner so far but have been leaning towards selling some pieces in the near future. May I ask where you’ve had success selling your pieces? I don’t know whether to create an Etsy or just set up shop at craft shows/farmers markets. I’d love to know what works for folks who have had success turning this hobby into a source of income.

[@andrewmccarn]

So I started out doing craft shows and each year would increase the amount I did but also would try and always find higher quality shows as well. I tried to find the market that matched my prices. I had a website and etsy but those were just to sell stuff during the slow times since most of my inventory went to shows. Then I got a wholesale order and that changed alot. I then started to focus more on my website sells and wholesale and started phasing out of shows. Then covid happened and that forced me to focus mostly online anyways lol But I still do a few shows, just my favorites but mostly sell on etsy and my website and wholesale. Shows are just a lot of work but It lead me to being full time so I am grateful for them. Id recommend trying all of them and see what works for you and your work!

[@ImaWanaBeGnsTa]

@@andrewmccarn thank you. You have some gorgeous work. I really enjoy all the videos I’ve seen that you’ve created. Thanks for the vids as well.

[@redbuurd5857]

i've been wanting to do something similar for a while, but havent had the right piece of timber yet. love it. how did you secure the leather inside? knots + glue, or...?

[@andrewmccarn]

I recommend trying it & seeing what you think! I just tied small knots and put a dab of CA glue to secure it. When I do this again, I think I will try something a little different though as the knots are a little large than I would like and a tad odd looking in the bowl.

[@redbuurd5857]

@@andrewmccarn haha that's why I was wondering! I've experimented with leather in other ways and that's always the problem I've had. I've been considering soft metal and some soldering too, might be cleaner?

[@MrOsaft6]

what kind of lath are you using

[@andrewmccarn]

It’s a laguna 18/36

[@schmfr1950]

wunderbar

[@HurdCrafters]

Beautiful bowl! Nice job with using the leather instead of using epoxy which many people would do. Not saying epoxy can not be beautiful but I prefer natural substances myself…

[@andrewmccarn]

You and me both! Would much rather leave the wood as natural as I can. I tend to try and use epoxy for knots and larger cracks but I don't do much with it outside of that.

[@HurdCrafters]

I do prefer epoxy over CA for knots and such because I feel like it's more sturdy and with a lot less pin holes to fix later.. What do you think?

[@BobBlarneystone]

I like it very much, but I don't think that I'd call it 'fixed'. Embellished, enhanced, instead.

[@kc696969]

good job

[@andrewmccarn]

Thank you!