I started to make bowls quite be accident. At the time I was designing outdoor candle holders and working out how to create a perfect wooden cylinder with very precise grooves that would allow a halved wine bottle to fit snugly on top of it. I couldn’t manage it using the tools I had, so I signed up for a wood turning course in my local technical college. That opened a floodgate of opportunity as I quickly learned to fundamentals of using a lathe and turning wood. The level of precision that could be achieved was exactly what I was looking for and the scope of products that I could now consider making increased dramatically.
For the first couple of classes I make fairly straightforward products; a foot massaging from Cherry and a potato masher from Beech that turned out to be a perfect wooden mallet that is still in my workshop today. Bowls were the third product that I made during that initial course and I haven’t stopped turning bowls since. As I have improved A good hand turned wooden bowl is something of extraordinary beauty, and is truly unique.
My process typically starts with freshly acquired wood that has a high moisture content. The process from fresh, or green, wood to a finished bowl is very long, often up to a year when you factor in natural drying, seasoning and multiple turning events. Using green wood that I physically collect means that I know where the wood came from to be sure that it has been felled either naturally or through unavoidable necessity.
Each bowl is entirely handcrafted and finished with a series of fine sanding grits for a smooth, even surface inside and out. The wood is then treated to several applications of nourishing Danish Oil and has been polished with pure Beeswax and Carnauba wax giving it a tough, safe finish for use within the home. This bowl is an entirely natural product and will age gracefully if treated with care. You must never put our wooden bowls in the dishwasher or allow them to soak in water.
Some clients purchase my bowls to display them as artistic pieces. Caring for these bowls is easy, just keep them dry and clean using a dry lint free cloth to remove dust. All of my bowls are treated with nourishing Danish Oil and polished with both Beeswax and Carnauba wax that will protect them for many years to come can occasionally polished using either Beeswax and/or Carnauba wax. Other clients have a more practical use in mind and use my bowls to hold food produce like fruit, for these uses cleaning is easy by using a mild detergent and warm water, making sure to rinse and dry immediately and thoroughly.