Warping Adds Character And Beauty To Wood Yarn Bowls.

Many turned wood pieces are not perfectly symmetrical in shape. Even with controlled slow drying, the wood may "twist and turn" in response to the speed of moisture loss and relative humidity. Some species of wood move more than others during drying, but many develop charming irregular twists and bends. This process adds to the beauty and character of your unique one-of-a-kind piece!

Green wood directly from the log of a felled tree contains more than 50% water. This “free water” is eliminated during the turning process, often giving the operator a cool shower. Bound water is what remains in the cells after the wood is turned. The outside surface dries first and becomes hard while the inner cells are still releasing water. This is what causes movement or cracking in the wood and is predominately tangential or diagonal to the direction of the grain thus causing the wood to twist. You can even find this in kiln dried building lumber at big box stores.

Some wood turners will rough turn a bowl thick, let it dry then re-turn it at a later date to try to get the perfect round bowl. I try to work with nature preferring to turn my bowls once paying more attention to adjusting drying conditions in order to achieve the best outcome. This includes monitoring high and low weather fronts; temperatures, humidity, etc. that often cause uneven moisture loss and a more dramatic reaction in the wood.

All wood even after finishing is hygroscopic in that it will constantly release or absorb moisture to be in equilibrium with surrounding air for the life of the piece. Yes, all your wood furniture is doing this as well. That is why we always caution our buyers that wooden bowls don't like prolonged exposure to water or direct heat.

Editors Note: I love the beautiful shape of a warped yarn bowl however, I've noticed all the north/south views of our "warped" yarn bowls, look oddly exaggerated (see pics 2 and 3 below), sometimes even distorted in photos. With better imaging skills, I might do better... nonetheless, I include every view so you can admire the grains and unique properties of each dimensional piece. –PTH

Top L: Front (north/south view). Top R: Side (west view). Bottom L: Side (east view). Bottom  R: Front.