Bark Edged Sugar Maple Bowl (21SF46) SOLD

This large bowl was turned from a sugar maple tree that recently fell in a storm near Grand Marais, MN. The log used was about 17” in diameter and mostly straight grained. The slight boat shape of the top comes from the natural curvature of the log. The bark is dark brown with a reddish cambium layer and shows good contrast to the lighter wood in the bowl. There is a large knot in the bowl from an old branch. The wood is highly figured in this region with brown and black patterns. The knot area was sealed with CA resin and dark wood powder and is completely stable. The lighter colored wood in this region also shows rays of curl (chatoyance). The grain of the wood is beautiful showing circular growth lines and many thin perpendicular radial lines of curl. The wood has closely spaced growth lines consistent with slow growth in cool boreal forest of northern Minnesota. The bowl was turned using handheld tools on a lathe from green wood, dried for several months, and sanded to 400 grit. Bowls that are turned green usually warp during the drying process. I always re-turn the bottom of a bowl, so it sits properly. I like it when bowls are warped as this adds a natural look to the shape, although this bowl warped quite a bit due to the knot. The bowl was sealed with two coats of tung oil, hand sanded after each coat, and finished with a buffed thin coat of beeswax and walnut oil. This finish is considered food safe so the bowl can be be used for serving food or displaying things, however, the bark edge is somewhat fragile so I would not recommend it being used for serving wet food. You can spruce up this bowl by buffing it with a soft cloth damped with walnut oil, but this is seldom needed. This bowl should last for hundreds of years and improve gracefully with age. This bark edged bowl nicely shows the beauty of sugar maple wood with its bark.

 

 

All my bowls are can be returned for a full refund if you are unsatisfied for any reason within 60 days. You must only pay the return shipping.

All of my bowls come with a laminated card with images of the bowl and burl, a complete description of the bowl and making process, and the artist's bio on the back side. There is no price on the card so it can be used if the bowl is given as a gift.