Oscar's Bowl

Here we are again, The Glass Stacker and I have been touring the country, what a great land.  We visited family in Tucson and Aurora and played tourist in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Amid our travels, I did find some lumber at the farm that captured my interest. Well now, find is an interesting word, I knew it was there, I just hadn't considered the possibility of using it for turning. Here is my bowl insert for the resulting handiworks.

Wooden Bowl, (Oscar’s Bowl)

A Bowl with 17 White Oak staves separated by 3mm Walnut strips

About 1970, Robert and John logged the white oak used in this bowl from pastureland on Oscar and Lily's farm a few miles west of Little Falls, Minnesota. The oak trees were felled and the logs hauled to a local sawyer to be milled to 1- and 2-inch lumber. Initially, the lumber was used for the construction of grain bins and wagon repair at Pine Knoll Farm near Upsala, Minnesota. Surplus lumber was stored at the farm in a large machine shed on the property and outside in uncovered, ricked stacks. Today, after 50 years of less than optimal storage, the remaining lumber has deteriorated to a condition that makes it unfit for any structural use.

Here is where your bowl enters the story. The 2-inch lumber was resawn and shaped into staves which were selected with enough integrity to produce a bowl. A simple wooden fixture was used to assemble and glue the staves into a bowl blank and the bowl was turned using tools like those my great-grandfather used in the Pine Knoll Farm shop a century ago.

Over the past half-century, time and nature have taken the strength of the white oak and left the wood with a beautiful, honey-colored patina. When you use your bowl, enjoy its look, feel, and heft. The finish is food safe and should last a long time. This bowl will not hold soup or salad but may be used with a suitable liner for dry foods.

Tom  

Tisadayinthelife.blogspot.com

Keep 'em running.
As always, The GlassStacker's Assistant