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.  

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. 



Juried Art Show Prize

Huntsville is a town blessed with many talented artists and a vibrant community which showcases and promotes the Arts.  Brian submitted this Elm Burl bowl, entitled "Last of a Species" to the Celebrate the Art Space juried art show and was accepted into the exhibit (September 3 to October 31).

We went to the The Art Space Gallery opening and were thrilled to be honoured with third prize.  Most of the other entrants were painters so it was wonderful to have the three-dimensional art of a wood turner recognized.

This bowl is a very special piece and one that we are keeping for our own home.  It was part of an enormous elm burl removed from a dead tree in the Halifax town square.  Brian was asked if he wanted the burl and he bought the whole thing.  Elms are a dying species because of Dutch Elm Disease and new trees only grow to a small diameter before they die.  Brian's wood supplier said that he had never seen such a large elm burl and it is unlikely that there will be any more in the future.  We have 3 bowls remaining for sale from the burl.

Most of us grew up loving the stately elms which graced our neighbourhoods.  It was a sad day in my childhood when all the diseased elms (including the one with my swing) were cut down on our farm.  This tree will live on forever in the bowls and platters that Brian has created.

http://www.huntsvilleartsociety.ca/

A Passion for Wood

Limberlost Woodturning is a business which has developed from a passion for wood.  My name is Karen Markham and my husband, Brian Markham is a wood turner.  In 2007, we retired and we are living our dream.  We sold our house and business, quit our jobs and moved to the cottage.  We live in a log house, on a lake, in the forest.

We moved to Huntsville and Brian was invited to join a group of local artists as they started the Artists of the Limberlost Studio Tour.  The photo above is in our studio during the tour on August 14, 2010. 

We had two guest artists, Carol-Ann Michaelson who is a potter and Bob McLean who is a painter.  The display of Carol-Ann's beautiful pottery and Bob's Muskoka paintings with Brian's wood pieces, lit up the eyes of each guest as they walked into our workshop.

www.artistsofthelimberlost.ca

Brian's website is www.limberlostwoodturning.com

Carol-Ann's website is http://www.carolannmichaelson.ca/

This is the redwood root burl that we used in the Artists of the Limberlost studio tour brochure.