Heart Shaped Box Elder Bowl (22WS17) SOLD

The box elder log used to make this bowl came from the Chisago City area, just north of the Twin Cities, MN. The log had a heart shaped cross-section, so I cut a 7” thick slab for turning an end-grain bowl. An image of the end of the log is shown. This procedure gives a bowl with the heart shape and nicely show the interesting red flame of the box elder wood. An end-grain turned bowl will also have the center or pith of the tree in its bottom. The circular growth rings around the pith are also visible but difficult to count in this bowl. My crude count shows the tree to be about 50 years old. The bowl has a natural live edge but sadly gave up its bark due to decay. I burned the outer edge to give some contrast to the lighter wood. Box elder wood often has the red coloring seen in this bowl. This red staining is most likely produced by the tree as a nonspecific host response to wounding. This piece of wood has some branch inclusions that show in this bowl as small dark knots. These were sealed and stabilized. This bowl was turned using handheld tools on a lathe from fresh wood, dried for several months, and sanded to 400 grit. 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 it could be used for holding fruit or bread, but it is best used as an artistic piece. The bowl should last for hundreds of years and improve gracefully with age.

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.