CasaSugar

Casa Verde: Nick Stagg's Turned, Reclaimed Wood Bowls

CasaSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:00:06 -0700

Woodworker Nick Stagg lives in rural Oregon, where he operates Moonraker Turning from his farm-based studio. Using reclaimed wood whenever possible, Nick shapes rough pieces of wood into beautiful, turned wood bowls, vessels, and vases. I recently had the chance to ask Nick about the craft of woodturning, and he explained the ins and outs of the craft. Also, check out his shop to order some of his beautiful turned wood pieces.

CasaSugar: When did you start woodturning?

Nick Stagg: I started woodturning in 2003 after seeing some turned tool handles in someone's shop and I thought that I could do that! I had an old, inferior lathe and poor tools, but was able to make some small oil-filled lamps for family members. Shortly after that I upgraded my lathe and slowly purchased better tools and continued to turn. I joined a woodturning club and checked out all the books and videos I could from the library and spent my spare time trying to improve. As time passed, I've hosted instructors from Engalnd and Australia in my shop to give classes to other turners. I'm now confident enough that I can offer help to beginning turners and, perhaps, make their journey into the woodturning arena less painful than mine!

To hear about how Nick makes his turned wood vessels, read more.

CasaSugar: How long does it take you to make a bowl? Nick Stagg: The time involved with a bowl varies on several things. Most of the time I twice turn my bowls. This means I turn them to a thickness greater than the one I need and coat them with a wax to minimize cracking as excess moisture evaporates. They are then left to air dry, in our climate that's about 13 percent moisture. Different woods take longer to dry and can distort and crack. Oregon white oak is very difficult to dry without some degradation, Pacific madrone needs to be boiled to stabilize it. Big leaf maple is in abundance in Oregon and dries quickly and has more character than oak. I like to turn maple. The rough turning of a 12-x-5 inch shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. The finish turning and sanding, depending on the style of the bowl, should be accomplished in 45 minutes. I don't apply any finish to the bowl on the lathe. I sign the piece and give it several coats of Danish oil over a period of days, depending on how porous the wood is. The oil is left to thoroughly cure and it then goes through a three-stage buffing process.

CasaSugar: What type of wood do you use? Nick Stagg: Most of the wood I use is reclaimed. I gather wood from power line trimmings, trees cut down for safety reasons, or as a result of building/ housing developments. Other turners hear of trees coming down in their neighborhood and the homeowner wants it cleaned up in a day, so we gather a group of people and clear the area. None of my bowl or vessel pieces have ever originated from a tree that's been cut down for the sole purpose of turning. Wood turners are generous and are always willing to share.

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Trend Alert: Coral Fixation

CasaSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 05:00:21 -0700

No longer relegated to scuba-diving and seaside dwellings, coral is coming into its own as a high-end design motif. It's not often I find myself ooh-ing and ahh-ing over ocean-inspired home design, but lately, I've been drawn to everything from traditional red coral-shaped candlesticks to these ultra-modern Inhabit Coral Pillows ($60 to $68). Whether you live by the sea or buried in a city, these hip coral-adorned pieces are just perfect for Summer. Just click on the photos to view each product below.

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Love It or Hate It? Kim Buck Hollowware Bowl

CasaSugar — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 06:00:00 -0700

I'm intrigued by the whimsical novelty of this Hollowware Bowl, which I spotted on Design Crack. Echoing the design of a Mylar balloon, this inflatable bowl could hold fruit, but it's more likely to serve as conversation piece. I like the playfulness of it, but I'm having trouble shaking my perception of Mylar as tacky. What do you think?

DIY: Rockin' Vinyl Record Bowl

CasaSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:57:00 -0700

I love crafts made from recycled records, like this blue-vinyl wall clock and ring-binder journal. It's a great way to re-purpose damaged or dorky vinyl, and the items have a lot retro charm. One of my favorite projects is this Rockin' Vinyl Record Bowl, which is a ridiculously easy DIY endeavor you can complete in less than half an hour. Here's how to make one.

1. Choose a record that you (obviously) don't mind destroying; I found this Kingston Trio vinyl at a thrift store. Choose one with a cool-looking label, since that will be the bottom of your bowl. Then, locate an oven-safe bowl that's about the same size as the bowl you want to make.

For the next steps, read more

2. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Turn the bowl upside down on a cookie sheet, and balance the record horizontally on the base of the bowl. When the oven is hot, place the cookie sheet, the bowl, and the record inside and set your timer for 8 to 10 minutes.

3. After 8 to 10 minutes, the vinyl will have conformed to the bowl; just use a potholder to check that the vinyl is soft enough to shape. The vinyl cools quickly, so you'll be able to work with it within seconds, but don't forget that the bowl and cookie sheet are hot!

4. Holding onto the oven-safe bowl with a potholder, peel the record off the bowl and place it inside, so that the sides of the bowl hug the record. Now, you can shape the edges however you'd like; more precise folding will give you finer scalloped edges like on my bowl. If the vinyl gets too cool to mold, just stick it back in the oven for a few minutes.

5. Your record bowl is ready to use! These work well as fruit bowls, catch-all trays, and containers for potted plants, or you can hang yours on the wall as art.

If you end up doing this DIY project, please do share the results!

Love It or Hate It? Thorsten van Elten Still-Life Bowl

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

The Thorsten van Elten Still-Life Bowl ($100) is a fruit bowl made from a glazed earthenware dish outfitted with an oak frame that can be set horizontally or vertically, so you can create your very own still life without even getting your paint brush wet. Yeah, you might prefer a van Gogh, but you can't have everything, can you?

Love It or Hate It? Neptune Bowl

CasaSugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:20:14 -0800

The Neptune Bowl ($295) is a unique serving piece with an oceanic influence. Designed in nickel plate and stainless steel with decorative octopus legs by Michael Aram, this is a fanciful and fun object, though one that seems like it would be more at home in Jack Sparrow's floating casa than my landlubber one.

Casa Verde: Customized Wedding Ring Bowl

CasaSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 05:30:00 -0700

If you're looking for a way to enhance the unique feel of your wedding ceremony, consider adding one of Caroline Colom Vasquez's gorgeous ring bowls to the big day. Vasquez, an Austin, TX, artist and designer, runs the shop Paloma's Nest, where she designs ceramic bowls, tiles, and decorative pieces for the home. Many of the pieces in the Paloma’s Nest line are available with custom texts, which adds special meaning to the pieces. You can order the With This Ring Bowl ($26) with that message stamped in the bowl's interior, or customize the bowl with your own special words or message. I used one of Caroline's ring bowls in my wedding ceremony, and had a line from a poem special to my husband and me stamped onto the bowl. You could also customize it with your names, the date of your wedding, or a quote or special message.

Each Paloma’s Nest piece is hand cut, free form, with no pattern, imbuing each piece with its own variation in the size, shape, and layout of the text. The shop is eco, too: Recycled, up-cycled, and biodegradable products are prominent throughout the line, as well as in the gift packaging in which pieces arrive. The studio is also powered 100 percent by renewable wind energy.

Explore more of Caroline's line at her shop.

Casa Quickie: Vases as Fish Bowls

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:00:53 -0700

To me, big ole electric fish tanks just scream bachelor pad, or worse, a divey Chinese restaurant. There's nothing pretty about a standard pet shop fish bowl, either. But having a little Nemo in your home can inspire a connection to the natural world, and there's something calming about watching them propel their little bodies through the water. The design-savvy solution? Use simple vases as fish bowls. On this windowsill, three cylindrical vases (remember, when in doubt, group in threes) are filled with small, white rocks and decorated with seaweed. The colors of the vases are cued to those of the room, using mostly white, yellow, and green, showing that fish can be used as décor as well as low-maintenance pets!

Roundup: Sublime Super Bowl Alternatives

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:00:10 -0800

Not a football fan, but live with someone who's obsessed with the Super Bowl? I can relate. If you're feeling trapped by the Super Bowl this Sunday, you have a few options: you can get out of the house, or you can stick around home and make the best of it. I've rounded up a few Casa-related alternative activities to Super Bowl boredom. Check out my suggestions for how to pass the time at home (with only minimal interruptions from the other room by cheering fans) if you're not super psyched about the Super Bowl. Check out the slideshow for my favorite ideas. Source

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Crave Worthy: Lifesaver Bowls

CasaSugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:00:15 -0700

While the name of these Lifesaver Bowls ($495) is derived from their candy-like colors, their dream-like designs could sweeten even my most sour of days. I just wish I could afford one of these hand-blown masterpieces, particularly in this economy. The bowls/vases were created by New York-based glass blowing artist John Pomp, whose work has been featured in a slew of esteemed publications, such as Vogue, Elle Décor, and the now-defunct House & Garden. I hope to see much more of his work in the future . . . preferably in my own home.