All of our bowls start out as logs that are brought to our studio. These logs are then cut into cross section pieces that are split in two.

The logs are cut into either blanks for salad bowls or slabs for platters. After bandsawing them to round, they are mounted on the lathe where they are rough turned to shape and then dried.

If the logs are big enough, then the pieces are "cored", whereby we take the center of the log out as a solid piece and can obtain more than one bowl per blank. This process lets us utilize as much of the log as possible and not waste any of it.

After the bowls are rough turned, we set them aside to dry. In order to stabilize the wood, the moisture content must be reduced to no more than 6-8 percent. This can take anywhere from 4 weeks to six months or longer depending on the process used to dry the bowls.

Once the blanks are dried, they are put back on the lathe and turned to final thickness. At this time we also do any texturing or other features to the bowl. The bowls are then sanded, finished and set aside to cure. Depending on the ultimate intended use of the bowl, it will be finished with natural oils such as walnut oil or mineral oil or a lacquer finish.

Sometimes we are fortunate to have friends like Nick Cook from Atlanta and Trent Bosch from Fort Collins, Colorado, come by our studio to work or just play.