Form Meets Function- Cheese Platters

Figured maple platter with wood fired pottery centre

Artistic collaboration with another artist can lead to some exciting new pieces.  Brian used Carol-Ann Michaelson's wood fired and tenmoku glaze pottery disks to create stunning figured maple and walnut platters.  Carol-Ann will be a guest artist at Limberlost Woodturning during the Artists of the Limberlost Studio Tour on August 18 and 19.

Figured walnut platter with tenmoku glaze pottery centre



Black cherry cheese board and cedar burl bowl

Form and function meet when cheese boards are created from wood with raw bark edges, distinctive colouration, and contrasts of sapwood and heartwood. Black walnut, redwood burl and black cherry bring the warmth and grace of nature to your table. Imagine the reaction of guests when you serve your cheese and crackers on such striking platters!

Walnut, redwood burl and black cherry cheese boards

For more information on the Artists of the Limberlost Studio Tour, go to:

artistsofthelimberlost.ca

Black Walnut Table with a Bark Edge

Brian was inspired to make this beautiful table when he purchased slabs of a black walnut tree. Even in its raw form, the character of the wood shone through. Black walnut trees are straight-grained with a rich chocolate heartwood and creamy white sapwood closer to the bark.  The bark of the black walnut tree is grey-black and deeply furrowed. 

  

Brian used two boards, milled from the same walnut tree, which had defined figuring, intact bark and were free of cracks.  He cut the boards closer to one edge, leaving about 6 inches on the narrower side.  These smaller pieces were used for the skirt of the table.  Brian glued the two pieces, clamped them together and fashioned legs out of black walnut.

The result is a beautiful table with a lustrous finish, rich colours, unique grain variations and a live bark edge.

Black Walnut Limb Platter

Black walnut is a deciduous North American tree with deeply furrowed black bark. These slabs, cut on the diagonal through the limb, have distinctive dark brown heartwood and lighter sapwood on the outer edge.

The variations in colour from butternut to dark brown with visible growth rings made a unique platter.  Brian experimented with a raised lip, offset from the centre, with great results.



From the raw slab of wood to the finished platter--beautiful.  I can imagine cheese and grapes arranged on the outer edge and crackers in the centre bowl.  Appetizers never looked better.