Here are some of the mesquite bowls that I turned a couple weeks ago. The color of mesquite varies considerably from log to log. The large gray one still has the tenon on the bottom and has not been finished. The natural edge bowl was turned at a crotch so it is not symmetrical as you would expect from a winged bowl -- this one is more like three non-symmetrical lobes. It is also full of bird's eye grain figure. It was sprayed with lacquer and rubbed with steel wool. The bowl in the left foreground is also full of bird's eye figure. It is finished only with BLO. The bowl at the left rear was finished with lacquer and is an example of how mesquite sometimes turns out very light. The dark object in the bowl is an acorn box turned from post oak. Where's the cup? I call the plate on the left a cupn' plate because that's what it did (cup) after sitting in the house for about two weeks. It was my first plate and I learned that a little warping is a lot more problematic for plates than it is for bowls. I also should have let it dry for a couple weeks before finish turning it. The wood was still quite wet since it was only cut about three months ago.
Bill