It takes over a year to transform green pieces of wood into a bowl. I uses reclaimed wood for most of my work -- salvaged from land clearance operations. After chain sawing the log into moveable pieces it is hauled home. The ends of each piece of wood are waxed to keep them from cracking, and it is stored under a tarp, in the shade, in a cool place until it can be turned into a rough bowl.

To start the bowl turning process, I use a chain saw to knock the corners of each block of wood to make a rough octagon. Then I mount it on the lathe and turn it into a rough bowl about two inches thick. As it is turned, the rough chunks of wood reveal wonderful surprises – colors and grain patterns, spalting, bark inclusions, and other interesting characteristics that add to the beauty. I work with an idea of the final shape I want in mind, but change this shape to take advantage of the revealed beauty. Once the bowl is roughed to shape, it is boiled (to reduce stress), waxed (to promote even drying) and dried at least a year.  Large bowls can take two to three years to dry.

When the bowl is dry, it will have warped to an oval shape. I re-mount the bowl on the lathe, and, because it is two inches thick, I have enough material to turn it into a perfectly round bowl. Because it has been through the boiling-waxing-drying process, the finished bowl will not crack. After turning it to final thickness, i sand the bowl and put a food-safe finish on it. All that then remains is to sign the bottom and prepare a tag describing the bowl, the wood, and possible uses. This goes to the gallery with the bowl.