Spalted Sugar Maple Bowl with Tap Hole

comments (0) August 3rd, 2009 in Reader's Gallery

Matt Berger, contributor

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I turned this bowl from a hunk of spalted sugar maple that had an abandoned maple syrup tap hole hiding inside.

I was surprised to find the tap hole part-way through the turning process. Its become a great discussion piece.

A view from above. Total diameter about 20 in.

I turned this bowl from a hunk of spalted sugar maple that had an abandoned maple syrup tap hole hiding inside.

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I'm not eligible to win this contest since I'm a Taunton employee but I thought I'd use the opportunity to post some photos of turned projects I've made over the years.

This is a spalted sugar maple bowl I made about 10 years ago after acquiring the wood as a fresh cut chunk from a turner friend of mine near Hanover, N.H.

The spalting was interesting enough (and hard as heck to turn as you can see by the crater surface left by my less-than-sharp tools and bad sand job).

But more interesting was the abandoned maple syrup tap hole that appeared part way through the turning. I managed to keep it intact on the bowl rim and it makes a great discussion piece.

Spalted maple is some of the hardest wood to turn. You need sharp tools and forget the sandpaper. It only wears away the soft punky spots of the wood, leaving the hard healthy sections polished and an uneven surface. Health concerns over turning the fungus spores are also a concern. Read more on spalting from our resident expert.

Design or Plan used: My own design

posted in: Reader's Gallery, turning, bowl, spalted maple, maple syrup tap hole

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