Much of my turning inspiration is because of Carl Jacobson’s videos on YouTube. On his channel, he turns (among other things) bowls.

I had made a few attempts at turning bowls. I began by turning green wood, a decision driven in by the facts that 1) the materials were essentially free, 2) I lacked tools to make segmented bowls, and 3) I liked the idea of using local lumber.

I don’t remember the details of how I made this particular bowl. I believe I turned it while green, first turning the outside and a tenon. I then reversed it, turned the inside, sanded the whole thing.

At the time, I often got rid of the tenon in a really dangerous (and ineffective) way – I’d hold the bowl firmly in one hand and try to chisel it off with the other. Writing about it now, nearly four years after, it still makes me cringe. It was in this way that I injured my hand when the chisel slipped, giving me 13 stitches in my left hand from wrist to thumb, leaving two of my fingers numb to virtually all feeling. I was very lucky that this was not worse.

Despite the fact that this was modest cottonwood, this particular bowl has surprising figure and curl.