Your Cart is Empty
Elderberry
Handmade, one-of-a-kind
excellent display piece
finished w/ food-grade Danish Oil
made by Zach LaPerriere
Sitka, Alaska 2018
bowl measures 7 1/2" X 1 3/4"
To be honest, I didn't think this one would make it. When there is so little wood and so many cracks, I stand far to the side of the lathe while turning a bowl.
Perhaps the most intriguing thing about this bowl is that a crack opened wide during the drying process and virtually all of the gap you see in the bowl is solely separation with almost all of the pieces still there. One piece is loose, as you can see.
The parts that appear to almost be falling apart are held in place with a combination of shrinking during the drying process and a few liberal coats of Danish oil, which has a mild glue-like effect. I'll state the obvious and say this is somewhat fragile, but probably hardier than you'd think.
As for what goes in this bowl...I doubt much. It's just an amazing piece of see, hold, and consider.
•••••••••••••••••
Story: In the late Winter of 2017 this elderberry bush came down as part of a parking lot expansion at a friend's house.
The wood was left on the ground to rot as unfit for even firewood...until I stopped by to look at a mountain ash tree that also was cut. When I saw several elderberry burls it seemed like a "what the heck" moment.
So glad I salvaged these and uncovered the hidden beauty. Each hole is where a bud was growing and a leaf would have come out again. Elderberry has a hollow pith (center) so normally you just see a single hole in the middle of the tree and in each branch.