Shallow Walnut Platter

A bowl for a year

Exactly one year ago I turned my first bowl. As is to be expected, it wasn't a great bowl in many respects, but I was proud that I was able to complete it, and I was inspired to keep learning.

In the last year, I've worked to build my turning skills, and discover and develop my personal turning style. I still consider myself to be a new turner, and I enjoy seeing improvement in (almost) every new project. To finish out 2024, I dredged up a very old Black Walnut board from behind a stack of lumber, cut off a chunk, and decided to turn the largest diameter piece possible on my Delta midi lathe. The finished piece is 11-5/8" wide and 1-5/8" high.

It's a beautiful piece of wood, and I'm happy with how the piece turned out. This is by far the largest diameter piece I've turned, and it felt just about as exciting as finishing my first bowl a year ago.