HAS Heart Exhibition: A Broken Heart

Brian is proud that his yellow birch burl was chosen to be part of the Huntsville Art Society "Heart" exhibition, which explores through various media "heartfelt, heartbreaking and heart warming discoveries".  The show runs through February Heart Month with the opening night on Friday, February 4th from 6 pm to 8 pm at The Art Space Gallery.

A Broken Heart: Yellow Birch Burl by Brian Markham

"Just before Christmas I attended a funeral for a young man who died tragically in a fire.  I saw the family and community express profound sorrow with dignity and courage.  This heart-shaped yellow birch burl, with its flaws and imperfections, epitomizes the fragile strength and beauty of a broken heart."

For more information about the show www.huntsvilleartsociety.ca

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.

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.  

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.

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.