"Can you come and fetch me please - I've got a piece of tree for you, only it's really heavy."
He'd gone for a bit of a walk - about 10 miles in his language - and found a piece of freshly cut tree around 10" dia and about 3 foot long. Around 50-60kg in weight, he'd carried it around 3 miles to the end of the track, thinking I may like to turn it.
I was parked in so Dad and little brother had to go to the rescue. They came home with a boot full of log.
A couple of days later I had a number of part-turned bowl blanks, all covered with PVA and set down to dry alongside loads of wet cedar bowls in my work space. Some are moving nicely turning into ovals, but one showed signs of cracking along the end grain. In order to not lose it completely, I put it on the lathe on a re-turned spigot, and started turning it down to around 6mm wall thickness in stages, wet-sanding with oil as I went.
Finished with sanding sealer and beeswax, it's gradually going more oval, and the cracks are progressing slowly as it moves.
With a bit of luck it will stay in one piece and my son can get to keep it as a reminder of his enthusiasm and thanks for his big heart, but I still can't decide whether it is a very light coloured beech or field maple...
