Bowls, plates & spoons...

Turning using lathes goes way back for thousands of years. Locally here in Scotland we need look no further than Loch Tay to the Crannog Centre to see clear evidence of Iron Age man turning bowls using pole lathes.

Bowls turned on a pole lathe are crying out to be used for eating and drinking out of, rather than being used as ornaments. The bowls you see on this page are turned using local trees close to our homes just as our ancestors would of done.

Once the bowls come off the pole lathe they are sealed, using bees wax and oil (heated in a pan). The fine tool marks are still visable, they are never polished. Once the warm bees wax and oil has dried in, the bowls are washed in warm soapy water and dried. They are now ready for use.

No matter what wood is being used it must be allowed to mellow or dry out slightly. This mellowing period will differ from wood to wood. Turn it too soon and it will be very feathery almost like turning very green willow, too late and it will be too dry and will be harder to get a good finish. Try turning a very dry bit of wood on a pole lathe and you'll get the picture. Have a look at the bowl gallery below.