I am a Washington native and have made sawdust since I can remember. I began turning objects on a wood lathe five years ago and quickly became addicted to the exclusion of making things ‘square and flat.’ Most of my bowls are made from ‘downed’ local trees selected for interesting grain figure and patterns. Bowls with a bumpy edge and bark around the rim are from ‘cross grain’ sections and were once the outside surface of the tree. Bowls with a smooth rim are generally oriented the other way with the opening toward the center of the tree. All bowls are finished with tung oil and beeswax and are ‘food safe’ for salads, pasta, fruit, or for display. Bowls should be cleaned by hand with a damp sponge and mild soap. Towel the bowl dry. If the wood begins to look ‘dried out’, refresh with walnut oil, beeswax or a butcher block treatment product.

If you have a ‘special occasion’ like a 50th birthday or 60th anniversary and want a bowl made from that special number of segmented pieces, I’d be glad to take on the project with a month lead time. Prices would generally be $2 to $3 per piece depending on the type of wood and complexity of design.

If you have downed wood which you would like to have a bowl made from, I could work out a trade. I’ll turn a bowl for you from the wood in trade for the remainder of the wood.

In my other life, I am a private investigator in Seattle and a former homicide detective for King County.

Thank you for your interest in what was left over after the sawdust was made.