I finished a new bowl today. I thought I'd share a bit of the story behind it. I was walking in Polesden Lacey National Trust house last year, and some tree surgeons were thinning a huge hedge near the entrance. I asked them what trees they were - Holm oak. not something I had ever turned, so as they were driving off, they kindly gave me a few pieces. All timber is heavy when green (freshly cut),as it's so full of sap. But this was incredibly heavy! I used some of it, but didn't get round to this piece. A year later, I returned to it, and found these lovely dark markings. I did some very deep hollowing to give this shape, and carefully sanded it to 600 grit, then used sanding sealer and Mylands friction polish to get a high gloss.
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