The Woodshop Shed

New Bowl... Maybe Wild Cherry Gall

Furnished content.
(from Lumberjocks.com)


I started this piece right before the black walnut blanks became available. I remember when I was first grinding out this bowl, I was thinking, “This looks terrible.” I actually set it on my work bench ready to call it a wash.Obviously, I became consumed with finishing the black walnut bowls this past week for my client (he has approved them all, and I do the drop-off Tuesday at noon):I've been chomping at the bit to get into the three wild cherry galls I got while fly fishing, but I also know that they are very green… so I've got to be patient.Having coffee, I started studying the bowl I started (this one), and something about it told me that maybe it had more potential than I'd given it credit for. So, I got to work. The bulk of the work I'd already done because I'd ground out the bowl. So, I focused on shaping it into a more appealing shape.I tried something a little different and stained the inside of the bowl. Even though I used a dark walnut stain and let it sit for awhile, it seemed to wipe right out without really making the bowl much different from the rest of the piece.Oh well.I've often wondered what kind of wood this is, but I think I figured it out. Sometimes when I'm harvesting, I'll find a tree that's already dead. In this case, I think this is actually a wild cherry gall too, but one that, like the tree, has died and has even started to dry out/rot a little.So, I think the majority of the wood I'm working with is wild cherry gall, not true burls. I don't care… the stuff looks beautiful to me!That very first picture reminds me a bit of a whale.Would love to hear what you think.

0 comment(s)