Unusual White Cedar Burl Bowl (Finished)
This white cedar burl came from the UP of Michigan and has the most amazing thick and knobby bark. The burl and bowl (10.25" in diameter, 9.9" in height) are shown in images below. The burl also had a lot of decay, making it very difficult to turn. I struggled with this one for an entire day. The decay is mostly just under the base of the bowl, probably the worst place for turning. The resulting bowl is beautiful with unusual colors (brown, gold, green, and blue) and the most amazing thick bark edge. The wavy and colorful patterns are unusual and look a landscape scene in Iceland. The decayed parts of the bowl are jagged dark areas and holes. Some of the holes were caused by worms. The beauty of the wood kept me going. It was very difficult keeping the base on this bowl. The bowl was also very difficult to sand since the areas near the decay are jagged and shredded many expensive Merka Abranet sanding disks. I was a bit crazy to take this one to completion, but the final result is truly amazing and breath taking. The bowl was turned from green wood using handheld tools on a lathe. It was dried for several months and then sanded to 600 grit. I generally re-turn the bottom of bowls to remove warping that usually happens during the drying. That was not possible with this bowl, so I hand sanded the bottom to give a good result. The bowl was sealed with several applications of a pure tung oil and citrus solvent mix. The bowl was next treated with a beeswax/walnut oil mix, dried, and buffed to give a deep luster appearance. This is a very unique bowl for many reasons. It is for people who really appreciate the natural beauty of wood with all its rustic charm. The bowl actually has a majestic look.
