The Perfect Christmas Gift-Tamarack Bowls

 

 



Brian and I made a special delivery this weekend, just in time for Christmas. Susan and Rick had to take a tree down on their cottage property this summer and wondered if one of the logs could be made into bowls as a gift for their daughters.  The tamarack tree had been planted by their great-great grandfather more than 100 years ago. 

 

Brian sawed the log down the middle lengthwise with his chainsaw and cut each half of the log into a circle.  It was his first time working with tamarack, which is a softwood, and he found it had a distinctive wide grain and golden colour. 

The bowls were roughed turned and waxed to slow down the drying process and prevent cracking. 

Brian used the nesting tool on the lathe to maximize the use of the wood and turn four bowls from each half of the log.

After months of drying, each bowl was chucked, mounted on the lathe and turned.

Weeks of shaping, sanding, oiling and polishing resulted in a smooth, food-safe finish.

Natural knots, wide grain and the variation in colours of the darker heartwood and lighter sapwood add to the beauty of the bowls. 

 

A tree which has been been part of the cottage for generations is sadly missed when it is removed, but it will be with the family for generations once made into bowls.  They can be stored by nesting one into the other.  Susan and Rick's daughters will have bowls for large and small salads, rolls, snacks and nuts.  And each time they use them, they will be reminded of their cottage and the property they love.  The perfect Christmas present!

 

 

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.