Turned Wooden Centerpieces

There are few things in a home more beautiful than a dining room table that invites guests with perfect place settings, and a hand-crafted wooden bowl can be part of the invitation. They come in a variety of sizes and styles, and some are crafted from several different woods glued together. As a centerpiece, they can hold fruit, nuts, a selection of flowers, decorative pieces, or they may be left empty so the craftsmanship can be seen and enjoyed.

Most wooden bowls are turned on a lathe, and they are often carved from a solid piece of wood. If they are made of pine, the knots are generally the most interesting part. If woods such as oak or popular are used, they have a small grain with a satiny appearance that invites an admirer to feel their very smooth surface. There are also many woods that have different natural colors such as the reddish orange of cherry or red cedar, and they are beautiful with no extra finishing at all.

Combining different woods to make a bowl is an achievement in craftsmanship that is limited only by the imagination. Many new artists choose to make butcher block bowls by gluing strips of wood together and then combining the layers. When this is turned on a lathe, the bowl has a checkerboard appearance, and the levels are clearly defined. Advanced wood artists are always looking for challenges, and they may choose to combine woods in an asymmetrical arrangement that draws the eye.

While natural wooden bowls are beautiful, artists sometimes see they need a bit of color, and there are now a wide variety of stains available to them. Reds, greens, browns and shades of yellow or orange are all common colors for modern wood stains. Finishing off a bowl with a sealer is easy, and they now come in different finishes such as matte and satin.