Here are a few recent pictures from work done over the past few months.  I generally go for simple shapes and clean lines, with a little ornamentation from time to time.

This is a shallow boxelder bowl.  My friends who seem to know these things call it a fruit bowl. Dimensions are approximately 13" d x 3" h.

This cherry bowl came from a tree with exceptional color and graining.  It also had some serious problems from growing in constant wind, so there was a lot of reaction wood with which to deal.  Overall dimensions are 13 1/2" d x 4" h.

Here is a very rare wood, American Sycamore.  Now, you may say, this wood isn't rare, it's all over the place here in PA, and the trees are immense.  True, but try and get a finished piece from the stuff.  It contorts and cracks like no other wood I've ever seen, and whiel it processes well as veneer or as quartersawn lumber, bowl blanks are tough.  This is one of about three bowls I got out of a haul of over 2000 lbs of wood.  Approximate dimensions are 9" d x 3" h.

This is a piece of Japanese Elm, according to the owner of the tree.  I have no idea, so his word is good enough for me.  It is elm, and it is beautiful.  It isn't American elm, and I know that for two reasons.  First, the tree was huge, and American elms do not get that big any more, due to Dutch Elm Disease.  Second, and maybe more importantly, the wood has the smell of musty hay while being cut.  This is a very pleasant smell, not like the doggie doo smell characteristic of American elm.

Here he is again with his little brother.  The smaller bowl was not cored from the larger, but rather both pieces just happend to come out the same making the best use of the wood.  The larger bowl is approximately 6" d x 7" h.  the smaller bowl is about 3" d x 3 1/2" h.  For any of you viewing this who might not be familiar with wood, the dark parts are the heartwood of the tree, and the light parts are the sapwood.  The orientation of the bowls in the original log would have the bottom close to the center of the tree and the top at the bark edge.

Here is another natural edged bowl, this one from maple burl.  Like most of my wood, this has a story too.  Just after I had started turning in 1993, a neighbor appeared on my doorstep asking me if I wanted a tree being cut down.  I went and looked at it.  Being the novice I was, I did not recognize the treasure trove before my eyes, and left most of the tree for the firewood pile.  I did take the top where it split out into four leads, just to be polite, figuring there had to be at least a little swirly grian in it somewhere.  It sat unnoticed in my own woodpile for seven years.  One day this spring, my good friend Thomas was over to the new homestead, and we got to looking at this unremarkable piece of wood.  As we peeled the relative smooth bark off the lump, we were treated to the sight of hundreds of tiny spikes that told us this stuff was pure turner's gold.  Thomas took some home with him, and from what was left, this is part of my share.  This bowl is approximately 5 1/2" h x 5" d.

Same bowl, another view.  The angle and direction from which this piece is viewed can really change the appearance.  My personal preference is the top shot, but I include this one for variety.

Are thre any turners that don't make these things in one way or another?  There are a few very small birdhouses designed as tree ornaments.  Overall size is approximately 4" h and 1 1/4" d.

Here is one of my more mudane jobs, but it's steady work.  I make the tap handles for Weyerbacher microbrewery in Easton PA.  These bottles are the size and shape of his beer bottle.  They are drilled for a threaded insert which I install. When they are delivered, he adds a cap and label and sends them out with the corresponding brew.  While I usually use poplar, this particular batch is turned from soft maple, with a few chunks of tupelo thrown in.  Overall dimensions are 9" h x 2 1/4" d.  Not only do I get paid for these, the beer is very tasty.