Every once in a while we like to check in on the WWGOA editors to see what they’re up to in the shop. Here’s your chance to get to know the faces and personalities behind WWGOA and take a peek into their own worlds.
I just finished a nice turning commission. It’s a set of walnut collection plates for a church in western North Dakota. I was able to use a branch stub sliced from the trunk of a giant walnut I purchased years ago. The rough slice and resulting plates are pictured here.
I really get a kick out of using discard wood like this.
Walnut branch stub.
Blank was cut on a bandsaw and drilled for a face plate mount.
Outside of the bowl is taking shape.
Here’s the back all finished and ready to be parted off the lathe.
Here is a view from the front. Note the figure; a common find in stressed wood such as branch stubs.
Now time to pack up both plates and ship them off to North Dakota!

once you shaped the outside and parted off, how do you mount it to turn inside? These are beautiful plates.
Hi Jon. You would finish turning both the outside and inside before parting off. If you look at the last photo in the article, the inside has been finished and it hasn’t been parted off. At that point you would just part it off and sand/finish the bottom to complete the platter.
Thanks
Paul-Woodworkers Guild of America