Birdseye Maple Bowl

[Baxter Smith]

In early August, my wife and I spent 5 days traveling around Prince Edward Island. Our first stop at the visitor center had a small display of work by a resident turner named Wilfred Thompson. A visit to his shop/studio went on my to do list! (Didn't think I should make it the first stop though!:)) We didn’t end up there till the evening before we left, but it was a fascinating visit when we did.
He does a lot of work with birdseye maple and has been getting into segmented work over the last several years(including a full size Stanley cup trophy for his grandsons hockey team) All his turning is done with faceplates and glueblocks on a VS homemade lathe. His bowl drying room with more than 500 roughouts and a 3’ high stack of roughsawn birdseye lumber for segmented work was pretty impressive too. After learning that we had honeymooned on PEI and were celebrating our 25th, he gave me a small birdseye roughout. He also gave me directions to where I might be able to get some birdseye lumber in New Brunswick on the way home!:)
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Finish turned about 3 weeks ago but left something I needed for it in Maine, so had to wait until I could retrieve it.;)
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We had found London Lumber (just outside of Moncton New Brunswick) on the way home and I picked up a couple birdseye boards. First time I ever spent money on wood to turn. The wife said just do it!
So I made a lid and stuck it on top.
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While Walking along the beach at WestPoint light,
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my wife found this rock and gave it to me.
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Makes a nice souvenir.
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6 1/4 x 4 high to the top of the dyed birdseye knob. Finished with 3 coats of polymerized tung oil. The bowl has been buffed and in the light for 3 weeks. The lid got its last coat of finish yesterday. The sapwood in the lid and bowl may become a slightly better match in time.

I sent Wilfred a couple of Holly roughouts in thanks and will send these pictures as well. Had an email from him last week saying he had purchased 5 birdseye logs back in September and had them about half done. (150 bowls) When I was there he told me there was a place in New Brunswick he goes to buy birdseye. They are loading the logs into containers to ship to Japan. The rejects he buys for a song and hauls them home. He has been turning for 40 years and said he has been to three AAW national symposiums, so some of you may know him. PEI is a beautiful place and if you ever travel that way, he is only about 20 minutes from the bridge.

Comments and advice are always welcome!

[mike ash]

Baxter - Both the bowl and the story you give are great. I love Birdseye maple and have use some for flatwork, but now I'm going to look for some to use for bowls.

Mike Ash

[Tim Rinehart]

Wow, great story and beautiful bowl Baxter. Sounds like a very memorable experience...the best things of life.

[Roger Chandler]

That is a great story.............nice bowl, Baxter and the rock under the lid with its significance is just icing on the cake!

[bob svoboda]

Really beautiful bowl and a neat tale to go along with it.

[Donny Lawson]

Nice job on the birdseye. I would love to run across a truck load of that.

[charlie knighton]

thats what i call 2nd honeymoon, love the birdseye

[David DeCristoforo]

The whole thing is just too cool! Sounds like a great trip. The best bird's eye has gone to the veneer mills for many years now. Nice to have a source for it. I really like the covered bowl too!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Congrats on 25 Baxter. That is some nice wood and a great looking bowl.

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks all, glad you enjoyed the story. We did have fun, and that was one of my highlights.;)

Baxter - Both the bowl and the story you give are great. I love Birdseye maple and have use some for flatwork, but now I'm going to look for some to use for bowls.

Mike Ash
Thanks Mike. The place I stopped only had lumber so I only got a couple of 8"x 8' pieces. Thought they might be usable for small plates or lids for some of my walnut and cherry roughouts. I drove out of the parking lot thinking "why did I get that" but 20 minutes later was thinking "why didn't I get more".;):) I could have made a beautiful table top or drawer fronts by matching it up with some of my walnut.:p:D

The whole thing is just too cool! Sounds like a great trip. The best bird's eye has gone to the veneer mills for many years now. Nice to have a source for it. I really like the covered bowl too!
Thanks David. Was a great trip! I had heard that a lot of the best stuff went to Japan. To be there when they were grading/loading the containers with the best veneer logs and to pick up the reject birdseye logs for(if I remember correctly) about 25$ a piece........
Hope I won't wait another 25 to go back.

[Michelle Rich]

congrats on the anniversary..sounds like a wonderful trip...

[John Keeton]

Baxter, neat story and some great pics! If I understand correctly, the lid was from the separate board you purchased? The grain matches perfectly on the side, making it appear that it came from the same wood as the bowl! Even if I am wrong on this, you did an excellent job with the lidded arrangement. I have done a couple of these, and they are some of my favorite turnings.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Baxter - congrats on your 25th!! Thanks for sharing a little of your adventure - sure looks like it was fun!

Very nice lidded bowl! We do have access to birdseye up here but it is expensive! Glad you were able to pick some up to play with!

[David Reed]

Yes Baxter, great piece and even greater story. I too noticed the near perfect match on the photo side of the lid and bowl. Don't know if it was planned that way but I would certainly take full credit. Very nice combination piece.

[Baxter Smith]

If I understand correctly, the lid was from the separate board you purchased? The grain matches perfectly on the side, making it appear that it came from the same wood as the bowl! Even if I am wrong on this, you did an excellent job with the lidded arrangement. I have done a couple of these, and they are some of my favorite turnings.
You are correct John. It was from the end of one of the boards. Wanted a piece with some of the darker heartwood in it to match the bowl. Luckily I was able to get it from the very end of one of them.

Baxter - congrats on your 25th!! Thanks for sharing a little of your adventure - sure looks like it was fun!

Very nice lidded bowl! We do have access to birdseye up here but it is expensive! Glad you were able to pick some up to play with!
Thanks Steve. He sure had some pretty bowls from the birdseye. He had a 14 inch yellow birch bowl on the lathe that he had been working on that morning. Said it was from a 300 year old tree. Gorgeous stuff even without any finish. The two 8' x 8" pieces came to about 50$. The place I stopped specialized in buying and selling "problem wood". He said the birdseye with the dark heartwood wasn't as desirable which is why he had some. About 50% of the boards picked up have some. That part has the nicer figure though.


Yes Baxter, great piece and even greater story. I too noticed the near perfect match on the photo side of the lid and bowl. Don't know if it was planned that way but I would certainly take full credit. Very nice combination piece.
Thanks David. Mostly luck and the sides match too!;):)
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[David E Keller]

That's a great story and a nice looking piece, Baxter! Thanks for sharing!