Bella Lake Yellow Birch Burl

Our neighbour Ken brought Brian a yellow birch burl a year and a half ago from a dying tree on his Bella Lake property.  Finally it was dry enough to turn.  The result is a lustrous, richly grained vessel.

The large, round burl had irregular edges which determined the final shape of the piece. Brian screwed the circular faceplate into the top of the burl.

The plate and burl were attached to the lathe and the tool rest set into place.  With the gouge, Brian made the first cuts into the wood.  The huge burl thumped and vibrated as it turned and the vessel took shape.  Woodturning is hard work as the resistance is absorbed by the hands and elbows.

Brian turned a graceful, fluted form and then created a stump on the bottom to attach the compression chuck.  The orientation of the vessel was then reversed so that the interior could be shaped. 

Once Brian had the top rough-turned, he drilled a hole in the centre to the exact depth he desired.  The chips flew as he shaped the interior of the vessel to that depth. 

The final cuts with a finer, finishing gouge left a smooth surface. It was sanded and many coats of oil were applied.

The oil brings out the richness in the wood. The variations in colour, grain and the contrasts of the bark and raw edges are now evident.  The vessel dries between each application of oil, the bottom is turned off and it is buffed to a beautiful, food-safe shine.

There is enormous satisfaction in delivering the finished piece to our neighbour.  The natural features of the raw burl from his Bella Lake property were tranformed to a one-of-a-kind hand-crafted vessel which will be a showpiece in his home.

Wooden Bread Knives

Brian had a request last week from our son to make him a bread knife.  After a friend had used his knife and loved it, Steve wanted to give her one as a Christmas gift. 

Brian made a number of knives using exotic wood blanks such as zebra wood, wenge, imboya and mahogany.

With a spindle gouge, Brian turned the blanks between centres on the lathe.  As the wood rotated, he shaped the knife handles.  Once the shapes were completed and sanded, they were parted off.

Each of the knife handles was buffed with jeweller's rouge, white diamond and wax.

Brian glued the best Sheffield Steel knife blades into the wooden handles.

Steve had his choice of bread knives for his friend's Christmas present. He is proud to give a hand-turned gift which is a welcome addition to any kitchen.  Not only does it feel great in your hand and cut your bread or bagel with ease, but it so beautiful that Steve and his wife used one to cut the cake at their wedding.

Maple Burl Vessels

We are back from a relaxing week in the sun in Cozumel and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  Brian was happy to get back to the workshop but at the end of the day, we are snowed in and enjoying the fire.

While we were away, some of Brian's work was at the photographer.  Here are the professional photos of the pieces that I profiled in the last post.  The details of the live edge maple burl vessels are beautifully evident in these pictures.



Live Edge Maple Burl Vessels

Winter has arrived and life at the cottage includes fun in the snow with family and friends. 

 Brian has chosen a few blocks of maple burl to create live edge vessels.  It is a delicate balance to find the perfect shape which compliments the wood without competing with the beauty of its natural features.

The final vessels are simple in design to accentuate the characteristics of grain, figuring and the live edge.

The joy of having decorative burl in your home is the warmth and tactile pleasure of touching the wood and the sense of being connected to nature.

Yellow Birch Burl Bowl

Brian has had a busy and creative week as a wood turner.  The workshop is back into production and he is excited about the quality of the burls he has to turn. Brian's wood supplier told him that this burl was from Algonquin Park.  How appropriate that it returns to the Huntsville area. Brian studied this large yellow birch burl and decided to make a shallow bowl.

Brian attached the burl to the chuck and with a sharp gouge, shaved away the wood as it turned on the lathe.  The wood chips collected as the graceful shape of the bowl was revealed.

The burl was buffed and the the first coats of oil were applied to show the beauty of the wood.

 

Brian put five coats of oil on the bowl, allowing it to dry completely between each coat.  This creates a hard and durable food-safe finish.



The finished yellow birch burl has become an exquisite bowl with intricate grain and texture and a natural bark edge.  

Wood and Onyx Platters

Mahogany & Onyx  Platter

The combination of wood and onyx is a great match of natural materials which create striking platters.  Brian turns the wooden platter on the lathe and then makes a recess the exact size of the stone and glues it into place.  The intense colours and patterns of the onyx against the grain of the wood make a beautiful, strong and durable serving tray. 



Figured Maple & Onyx Platter



Magnolia & Onyx Platter



Tasso Lake Nested Bowls

A man on Tasso Lake commissioned Brian to make nested bowls from a yellow birch burl he cut from a tree on his cottage property.  With his nesting tool, Brian was able to make four bowls from the burl.

The bowls were individually chucked, turned on the lathe, and allowed to dry in the drying tent after each coat of oil.

The simple form and design of the bowls allow the variations of colour and figuring to shine, and they accentuate the natural beauty of the grain and bark inclusion.

Our neighbour was delighted with the finished, handcrafted bowls and they have a place of prominence on his great room table in front of the fireplace.  A burl from his property was transformed into bowls which are a pleasure to look at and touch, and they can be used to serve food to family and friends.

Yellow Birch Nested Bowls

Brian created this magnificent set of bowls from a single yellow birch burl using a special nesting tool.  Each piece is cut out individually and mounted on the lathe.  It is remarkable to see how the colour, grain and spalting is evident from the smallest to the largest bowl. 

Cutting Up A Burl

A neighbour on Rebecca Lake called Brian on Thanksgiving weekend about a dying yellow birch tree that had been cut down.  It had huge burls that went half way around the trunk.  The family had always loved the tree because of the rounded protuberances and they called it the "bum tree".

It took three hours to cut the burl with the chainsaw.  Brian worked around the defects, punky and rotten areas to find the pieces which were solid and had potential to be turned. 



The slabs and chunks have interesting grains, colour and bark inclusions.  Our neighbour kept the largest flat slab to make a table and Brian has pieces which will eventually be beautiful bowls and platters.

The drying process for green wood takes a couple of years.  To ensure that the wood dries slowly and doesn't split, Brian coats the cut surfaces with a waxy sealant and stores them in a dry area.  Patience is a virtue for a wood turner. 



Thanksgiving

 Autumn in Huntsville is beautiful with warm, sunny days and magnificent fall colours.  With the tours over, we have been able to hike in Algonquin park, visit with friends, fish and sit on the dock.  Tonight we ate this 4 1/2 pound bass, 10 minutes from the lake to the frying pan.  Delicious!

Brian travelled to his wood distributor this week to pick up some spectacular burls. The colours, grains and figuring are incredible and he is excited about getting back to the lathe.  We have 2 tours of people visiting from Deerhurst over the next few weeks then Brian can go back into production.  The studio will be a workshop again.

Maple Burl Platter

The second Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour weekend was sunny and clear with the autumn leaves at their peak of brillance.  The sales were excellent and Brian and I loved seeing our happy customers taking home their purchases.

 

On the first weekend of MAST Brian was asked to create a large platter from a magnificent maple burl. A burl is a rounded growth on the side of a tree that results in uniquely figured grains, natural imperfections and bark inclusions which add to the beauty of the wood. He worked on the platter last week and delivered it yesterday.

The burl was so large that Brian had to change his lathe so that he could mount it on the outside setting.

 It is the biggest burl platter ever made by Brian. As the wood revolved on the lathe, he carved out the bottom with his gouging tool.

 He shaped and buffed the bottom to a smooth finish.

Brian oiled the bottom, turned the platter around and mounted it with the vacuum chuck so he could shape the top of the platter.  The food-safe finish of this hand-crafted piece is a pleasure to touch.

The result is one of the most beautiful wooden platters that Brian has ever made.  The customer was delighted and we were told that it will be included in a photo shoot of a leading Canadian magazine.  Imagine the party where the hors d'oeuvres will be presented on this splendid Maple Burl serving piece. It's a work of art.