How it Started

This piece of art started as a green sugar maple trunk covered with an ugly burl.

Shavings. With a small electric chainsaw, I hollowed out the burl spreading shavings all over me and my workshop.  Then with a miniature grinder (a Merlin) with a chain saw tipped wheel, I made the pile of shavings even larger and managed to carry a full load into my house underneath my clothing. 

Dust.  Lots of dust came out of various finishing sanders and scrapers after drying the wood slowly in a microwave oven.

 

How it Finished

With hours of hard work, this blight turned into a beautiful bowl that shows the grain of the burled wood and the outline of the irregular shapes.  Unlike a bowl turned on a lathe, this bowl is almost as irregular as the burl.  The wood dictated bumps and curves with areas of variable hardness.  Its natural texture and colors remain as does a fringe of bark.  The sides of the bowl are very thin, perhaps 1/8", while the bottom is thicker, probably 3/4".

Wood:
Burled Sugar Maple
Finish:
Natural Wax
Size:
Approximately 12.5" long, 6" wide, and 4" deep.
Selling Price
$89

 

Wood Sculpture: Maple Burl Bowl

Disease, insects, or injury ravaged the side of a small maple tree to create a scabbed area of irregular woody tissue called a burl. 

Hand Carved Bowl from Maple Burl

Hand Carved Bowl from Maple Burl

Hand Carved Bowl from Maple Burl

Hand Carved Bowl from Maple Burl