© Mike Denney
I use a lathe to hand-turn bowls, vases, tops, bottle openers, bottle stoppers, baseball bats, and Christmas ornaments. My basic design is to simply bring out the beauty of the wood as best I can. Shapely curves without much complexity seems to be the best bet. Occasionally, there are holes and cracks that look better filled, and I normally use a turquoise or brass inlay, which adds a nice touch without overpowering the beauty of the wood.
All the wood we use is from already downed trees. I get a
lot of wood from the leftovers of logging activity, and have a logger friend who brings me 'interesting' pieces such as burls and crotches. A brush dump down the road that lets me dig through their pile of stumps. Friends and neighbors also keep us well supplied with storm-damaged trees.
For a finish, I use shellac on everything since it's so natural (made from insects and alcohol), easy to use, and is even edible. I waterproof the inside of vases with a double layer of epoxy.