Large Amherst Yew Bowl (BW194) 

It's unusual to find a Yew log large enough to turn a bowl of this size, so I was thankful for the chance to obtain one when it became available. What was a beautiful, vibrant tree just had to go to make room for a new building on an Amherst (Massachusetts) campus. It now will live on in the form of a few bowls and some vases. But what beauties they are! First, there's the glowing colors- orange/brown heartwood, off-white sapwood patches, dark brown bark inclusions, and some subtle violet highlights (see the second and last images). Second, there are grain patterns that mesmerize, reflecting the fact that this hunk of wood was at the junction of several stems. Click on the images and study this piece; there's not a bit of straight grain to be found.  And third, the graceful shape of the bowl mimics the once-bushy evergreen it came from. Several coats of semi-gloss finish give this piece its sheen, and it was buffed and polished with waxes for a luxurious, silky soft feel. You'll love it. Diameter: 141/2 inches    Height:  5 inches      Price:  $600 Shipping: $20 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

This Yew bowl is the second one turned from the Amherst campus tree described above, and is just as pretty as the first, but a bit smaller. It has most of the characteristics of the first bowl, except it has no purple streaks or bark inclusions. The overall color is a stunning orange/brown, with two small off-white sapwood patches at opposite points on the rim. Grain lines wriggle about in every direction, creating a pretty dazzling look.   With its glass-smooth satin finish, this unusual wooden bowl begs to be handled. Diameter: 13 inches    Height:  5 inches      Price: $500 Shipping: $20 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

This is a large, natural-edged shallow burl bowl featuring very dense birdseye figure. A varying band of desert sand sapwood around the rim frame the copper colored heartwood. On the underside (last photo), you'll see some of the spiky texture found just under the bark of these burls; most has been smoothed away on the lathe. Doesn't the color pattern of the bottom remind you of giraffe hide? There are many species of Australian Eucalyptus, this one being Concinna Burl. As with most such burls, it is dense, hard, and gorgeous. The greatest diameter is 18 inches; the hollow of the bowl is 111/2 inches across, and the bowl stands 2 inches high.  Several coats of semi-gloss finish were applied, then waxed and buffed to a glassy lustre.      Price: $450 Shipping: $20 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

Black Cherry Burl doesn't need any help to look great, but some crushed mineral turquoise inlay certainly enhances its beauty. This bowl features several areas of the turquoise inlaid into natural voids in the burl, as well as a partial natural rim, several bark inclusion streaks, and Cherry burl's signature birdseye figure. Multiple coats of urethane oil finish were applied, then waxed and buffed to a glassy sheen. Diameter: 141/4 inches    Height:  6 inches      Price: $565 Shipping: $15 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

Bigleaf Maple Burl can be quite varied in appearance. This 151/8 inch diameter beauty has a little bit of all the qualities that give this fine wood its reputation: a sampling of birdseye figure; a very nice patch of swirly 3-dimensional ripple figure known as "chatoyance" (see the second thumbnail below); a bit of spalting; and warm honey color. This harvest bowl is lightweight for its size, and is finished with a medium gloss that has been buffed to a wonderfully smooth, silky sheen. There is a fine bead detail at the rim. "Pilgrim's Harvest" is perfectly suited to grace a large table at your Thanksgiving feast. Diameter:  151/8  inches    Height:  31/2 inches      Price: $225 Shipping: $20 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

This is one of several large Black Cherry burls that grew in a mixed stand of Black Cherry and White Pine in the cool Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts. When a laid-back carpenter and furniture maker built his rustic cabin in that forest grove, he took down a number of burl-bearing trees. Some of the burls went to furniture, others were stacked to dry, this being one of them. It has wonderful Cherry burl features... birdseyes, resin traces, bark inclusions. Finished in a durable semi-gloss, buffed with fine waxes, it is nicely shaped for a centerpiece display. Diameter: 14 inches    Height:   31/2 inches      Price: $320 Shipping: $18 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

A long, rainy, cold day was spent in New Hampshire sawing up a large Black Willow tree that had been toppled by a storm. The trunk was literally covered in burls that gave the tree an unsightly appearance on such a gray, dreary day. But the lure of what might be inside those burls kept us busily cutting and loading. This is the first bowl from that haul to come off the lathe. And it was worth the ride and the work. With a mottled pattern of honey-gold swirls on a lighter background, and bark inclusions, the burl doesn't fail to please the eye. The natural-edge rim was flame scorched to add definition. The wood is very lightweight, due to its low density. A satin finish varnish was applied, buffed with fine waxes. Diameter: 101/4 inches    Height:      4 inches      Price: $135 Shipping: $15 to U.S. destinations. Contact me for international rates.

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