A Black Walnut crotch bowl

I finished up my third bowl. I made it from a small chunk of 8/4 crotch Black Walnut that has been sitting on my storage rack for over 2 years now. At first, I was pretty hesitant to use the walnut, as it had a lot of cracks, and I was worried it might explode while turning. Thankfully id didn’t explode, and it turned out really well, even if it is a really simple form.

This was also the first bowl I used the sanding supplies I got from vinceswoodnwonders, and I have to say they made sanding the bowl a lot faster, and a lot less monotonous. I started off using the 2″ sanding discs and various interface pads  in my Harbor Freight close quarters drill. I progressed from  80 grit, all the way to 800 grit. I found running the lathe between 300 and 400 rpm and the drill at what I assume was about 500 rpm, allowed me to remove material quickly without overheating the interface pad. To finish of the sanding, I put the drill away and broke out The Mirlon, I used 1500 grit, and 25oo grit, this left the bowl super smooth and ready for the finish. For the actual finish I applied 2 coats of Watco danish oil. I considered applying wax after the finish dried, but ultimately decided against it, as I thought the wax would build up in the cracks.