Bowls & Platters

The above bowls and platters are turned from various woods, mostly from locally felled trees or off-cuts from the local timber merchants. Newley cut wood needs the ends sealed with wax or in my case with PVA sealant, as soon as possible, to stop them splitting. The larger pieces need to be sawn down the middle lengthwise to allow the moisture to escape. It takes about 1 year per 1 inch of thickness to dry out so the bowl does not distort after it is turned.

The alternative is to turn it when still wet, leave a wall thickness of 10% to 15% of the diameter. Put some of the wet shavings inside and around the bowl and place it in a carrier bag and leave to dry out. The bowl will distort but there should be sufficient wall thickness to true it up. Most of the bowls in the above slide show were turned this way.