Raine asked for a photo of the finished bowl, so here it is. The bowl is 11" across. It is big leaf maple - a common variety of soft maple found all over the Pacific Northwest. It started as a log I was given. I could have turned the walls thinner, (they are about 3/8 inch) but I was trying to maintain the bark and didn't want to risk pieces flying off. It is a wax finish - three stages of buffing with finer and finer grits, then buffed with pure carnuba wax. It will be a gift to my kid sister, Kristin, for her 60th birthday in September. I don't think she will visit out group, so the surprise won't be spoiled.