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Natural-Edge Platter
Red Oak Burl with Spalted Birch Stand

This is one of those pieces that evolved from a slab of wood that had been lying around my shop in my raw material pile for nearly 18 months or so, before I had an idea of what the end results might look like. The wood was given to me by one of my collectors that has a keen eye for the "uglies" ...meaning, wood that is normally burned because no knows what to do with it.

Within half an hour after I started in on this jewel, I knew what the final piece would look like. Grain patterns and colors just jumped out at me - again, another gem. A small bowl-like impression nearly two inches deep was turned somewhat in the middle of the piece. The rest of the turning was flattened and flared out, with the top matching the bottom. Once completed, I turned a small stand from spalted birch that would support and compliment the platter. Most shops would have pitched this slab of Red Oak - roughly 2 inches thick by 19 inches long and 12 inches wide - into the firewood box or cut it up for something else. It is now displayed as a central piece in a collector's family home estate for all to admire.