STEPHAN WOODWORKING

One of the most rewarding aspects of turning bowls is the opportunity to turn bowls from a special tree that had meaning to an entire family.

One opportunity was to make bowls for the four siblings from a tree that had blown down on the family farm in New York. The last parent had recently past away and plans were being made to sell the property, where they all had grown up.

The sister handling the sale arrangements was called by a neighbor who reported a tree had fallen on the house. She contacted me to discuss how much wood to bring back in the hope that four bowls could be made for her and her brothers.

Fortunately, the tree had fallen just on the deck, and had done little damage. She brought back several pieces of the log, and I was able to turn four bowls nearly identical in size.

The bowls were shared with her brothers when they met one last time at the farm, for the closing. It looks like they greatly appreciated having keepsakes from their parents and their siblings.

Another opportunity to make family keepsakes arose from an ornamental cherry that was in very poor condition. The extent of decayed wood was such that there was concern the parents would be disappointed.