This large maple burl was delivered to Brian's workshop in the spring of last year. The tree on Wendy's property fell down and she gave Brian artistic freedom to see if there was a bowl within it. It sat in the workshop for 9 months before Brian got up the courage to put it on the lathe. The burl had bark formations that snaked around it and he wasn't sure if it would break apart as it turned.
Not all art starts with a chainsaw but Brian had to cut off the edges of the burl to make it round so that he could screw the faceplate onto the inner surface.
Brian rough-turned the outside of the bowl. Then he turned it around to put a chuck on the bottom and turned the inside. He uses a sharp tool, a gouge, to shape the wood as it revolves very quickly on the lathe (up to about 800 RPM).
The burl had beautiful colours and grain with bark inclusions and an unusual shape. The wood was sound and it survived being turned on the lathe to become a work of art.
Wendy was thrilled with her commission. The burl that started as a knob on the side of her fallen tree is transformed into a bowl which has a place of honour in her home. We used this photo in the brochure for the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour, September 25 & 26 and October 2 & 3, 2010.
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