Some time ago, I obtained some walnut from a builder who had cleared some land for homes. I promptly sawed the wood into manageable chunks and sawed each piece into halves through the pith. I coated each cut surface with a wax emulsion. I turned much of the wood soon thereafter, recoated each piece with the wax and placed each into a paper bag on a shelf in my shop.

Then work demands peaked and I could not get back to the finish turning. Now several years later, I pulled it from its paper sack. It was a dry as it was going to ever be. And it was so beautiful even as a rough turning. The wax highlighted the walnut grain. I felt an urgency to finish it and see how it would really turn out.

Remounting it in my jaw chuck was easy and it had not warped too much. Afraid of a catch ruining the beautiful wood, I proceeded to finish shape the bowl both interior and the outer portion of the exterior. Even without finish, the grain showed great figure.

With finish on the interior and some of the exterior, I removed it from the jaw chuck, flipped it over, and mounted the bowl on a vacuum chuck.

Finally, the base was sanded and finished. I have a beautiful walnut bowl. It was worth the wait to start with the green trunk, let it season, and wind up with such a beauty. Nice!

Register at the right & I’ll let you know with the next one is ready.