Buckthorn Bowl with a Spiderweb of Small Cracks

Here is an interesting bowl made from a buckthorn log that was about 10" in diameter. Buckthorn is an invasive small tree that is hated by many, but it is a beautiful fine grained orange-yellow hard wood. It is rare to find logs this large so I turn every piece over 9" in diameter that comes to my shop. Most buckthorn logs have a lot of small thin cracks that either run along grain lines (grain separation) or spread out radially from the pith or center of a log or branch. These have to be dealt with during turning. I use fine black wood dust and thin CA resin to fill and seal these small cracks. The thin black lines in the wood give interesting patterns and nice contrast to the orange-red-yellow colors. I therefore kept the center of the log in the bowl. This small bowl (9" max diameter, 6" high) has beautiful spiderweb patterns around the centers on both sided of the bowl. There are also some other black lines and a dark bark inclusion in the live edged bowl. I think these markings add a natural beauty to this bowl. Once filled and sealed the dark lines are completely stable and permanent. Many wood turners decorate bowls with carving, painting, and burning. I prefer to let nature do the decorating and I am never disappointed. I do of course sand and oil my bowls, and even fill small cracks. I feel these procedures help bring out the natural beauty of the wood.