Aged Black Cherry Burl Wood Bowl (BW254)

This is a nicely figured shallow bowl of New England Aged Black Cherry Burl. There is a very pretty area of birdseye burl figure, bounded by darker Cherry grain. The colors are quite nice, and give the piece a warm glow. The burl came from an old country barn, the former studio of a gentleman woodturner who has passed. Those burls that he was unable to get to slowly "cooked" in the heat of many summers in his hay barn, gradually drying and taking on the deep colors of aged Black Cherry. As with most such Cherry Burl bowls, there are some birdseyes, bark inclusions, mineral streaking, and resin pockets that draw the eye to the beauty of the grain. The thin finish consists of hand rubbed varnish, buffed and polished with fine carnauba and other waxes to a medium gloss. Diameter: 12 inches    Height:  2 inches      Price: $175 Shipping: $15 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

Red Oak Burl Wood Bowl (BW248)

Although the mighty Northern Red Oak is a symbol of strength and permanence, this shallow bowl of Red Oak Burl might paint a different picture. Yes, that large black spot is a hole (photo at left). Maybe it can be thought of as a "dark moon" looking down on the silhouette of the gnarly, bent old oak formed by the bark inclusion on the right side of the bowl. I'm often surprised by the things I see in turnings while posting the photos here. I hadn't realized the bark inclusion portrayed an old leaning tree until then. The interrupted rim, voids, and bark inclusions combine with the sheer beauty of the burl's figure to produce a delicately rugged looking art bowl, befitting the mighty Oak. A gloss finish and fine, buffed wax impart a glowing lustre. Diameter: 131/4 inches    Height:  21/2 inches      Price: $240 Shipping: $15 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

Large Bigleaf Maple Burl Wood Bowl (BW240)

Bigleaf Maple, a species that grows in a narrow belt in the Pacific Northwest, produces some of the prettiest North American burls. With varying shades of brown, tan, gold, and even a bit of black spalting, it can be quite beautiful. This handmade burl wood bowl has all of those colors, plus birdseyes and intricate grain patterns. Its broad, shallow shape makes it ideal as a fruit bowl or showy table centerpiece. A subtle, low gloss finish and fine, buffed wax impart a soft satin lustre. Diameter: 14 inches    Height:  23/4 inches      Price: $220 Shipping: $15 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

It's fair to say that the tree most associated with the New England countryside is the Rock (or Sugar) Maple, so loved for it's spectacular, blazing autumn foliage, and of course for its sweet maple syrup. Occasionally, these revered trees produce a burl that contains grain and figure you just can't get enough of. Here's a wood bowl handcrafted from such a burl, which wasn't much to look at when I obtained it. The burl had been harvested years ago and was left outside in the elements. Gray, cracked, and partially rotted, it was destined for the compost pile. But, we woodturners are loathe to dismiss any chunk of wood, especially a burl... we've seen what can be hidden inside!  And so, I set out to discover just what secret this one held. What could easily have been overlooked has fortunately yielded a very pretty prize. Those cracks and areas of punky wood provided an opportunity to inlay crushed mineral turquoise, which adds a dimension of showy color to the burl's earth tones. Thanks to the peculiarities of burls, there are intricate and complex grain patterns to delight the eye (best seen in photos 2 and 5). The finish is multiple coats of hand-rubbed varnish, buffed and polished with carnauba wax to a lustrous sheen that invites handling. Diameter: 14 inches.      Height:  4-3/4 inches.          Price:  $610  Shipping: $15 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

When word spread that the largest Apple tree in Massachusetts had been toppled by a nasty snow storm, and the wood was available... well, a woodturner doesn't debate whether or not it's worth a 45-minute ride and lots of chainsaw work to get his hands on said wood. The tree was a double trunk behemoth, easily 5 feet in diameter at the base where the two trunks were one. You can read the story of this tree and our adventure (and see more photos) on my blog here. The pair of bowls shown here is among the first of the bowls from this huge old tree. They are a "mother-and-daughter" set, both turned from one slab of this giant fruit tree, and have a wonderful, mellow color. The smaller bowl was "cored" from the inside of the larger. There are a few small collections of birdseyes in each. Finished with several light coats of hand-rubbed varnish, enough to enhance the wood's beauty, but not enough to produce a heavy looking film. Smaller Bowl (BW257): Diameter:  9 inches.      Height:  2 inches.  Larger Bowl (BW258): Diameter:  11 inches.      Height:    3 inches.        Price:  $230  Shipping:  $15 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

Boxelder Burl Bowl (BW66)

Boxelder is a member of the Maple genus, and is known by several other names, including Ash-Leaved Maple. Burls formed on this species are favored by many woodturners in the making of bowls, pens, and other turnings. The bowl seen here has many of the features common in Boxelder Burl, such as a large bark inclusion, some remnants of the spiky surface texture (at the base of the bark inclusion), and a sort of mottled figure that's similar to birdseye. The color is a mellow golden amber. Several coats of tung oil finish and fine, buffed wax impart a soft satin lustre. Diameter: 81/4 inches     Height:  5 inches      Price: $140 Shipping: $15 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

   Australian Yellow Box Burl Bowl (BW103) 

Australian Yellow Box is another species of Eucalyptus tree; the burls have a mellow, honey-brown heartwood color, surrounded by a lighter, cream-colored sapwood. This bowl retains the natural burl edge for the rim, and shows off the sapwood/heartwood contrast; it's a pleasing example of Yellow Box Burl .  It measures approximately 103/4 inches long, 81/2 inches wide, and 2 inches tall. The hollow is 61/2 inches in diameter.  The finish is multiple coats of tung oil, buffed and polished with carnauba wax to a smooth, soft satin sheen.      Price: $220   Shipping: $12 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

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   Walnut Burl & Spalted Cottonwood Bowl (BW124)

This beautifully figured wooden bowl was turned from a California Claro Walnut burl, and has a spalted New England Cottonwood rim applied. How's that for coast-to-coast appeal? As you can see in the main photo, the walnut features some three dimensional curly figure, with a mixture of light and dark tones. The contrasting spalted cottonwood rim was glued up from six segments, then assembled to the walnut bowl and turned to final shape. After careful sanding, a finish of tung oil varnish was applied, which was then buffed and polished with carnauba wax to a lustrous satin sheen. Diameter: 111/2 inches     Height:  31/2 inches       Price: $400 Shipping: $12 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

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