As you may have guessed,Oak is probably my favourite timber, although it is not always well behaved (slight under statement!) and I have spoken to some woodturners who avoid it.
Oak
displays a fantastic range of grain effects and tremendous colour variation. As with many other timbers it darkens with age and exposure to air and the elements, it is also very durable, hence there is a lot to be found.
13 inch Split square Bowl
This bowl is turned from two pieces of recycled 18th Century oak beam bolted together, the two halves have then been separated and re-bolted with spacers between to open up the split.
12 inch Bowl in Bog Oak Root Burr
Bog oak is ancient timber found preserved in peat bogs and can be thousands of years old.
It originates from ancient oak forests. When the climate changed several thousand years ago becoming cooler and wetter much of our low-lying land, uplands and west facing land became bog. As the bog encroached on the forests fallen trees were preserved in the acidic oxygen-free environment.
.................and opposite 12 inch Candlestick in Oak
These are two of a number of candlesticks I have turned from reclaimed 18th Centuary oak beams.
8 inch Natural edge Oak Bowl
This is the first bowl of this form I ever turned.
7 inch Oak Candlestick
Yet some more re-cycled timber, note the nail, perhaps one day I may revert to turning timber which doesn't fight back.
5 inch Oak Bowl with brass inlay
This is one of several pieces I have turned from recycled fence posts.