Dan Merlo

I have been working with wood for over twenty years. I have always found wood turning intriguing so in 2013 I bought my first lathe and started to develop a new skill. I enjoy turning bowls mostly but turn other items as well.
I start with the hunt for interesting wood to work with from logs, firewood and burls. Using a chain saw, I will cut bowl blanks from found wood and rough turn the bowls. You never know what the wood will reveal until you turn it. It’s like Christmas morning every time. The rough bowls are then sealed and set to dry for up to a year. After drying they will be finish turned, sanded and a finish applied. At this time they will be ready for use. Sometimes a customer may have a tree taken down in their yard that is meaningful to them, and they will contact me to turn a bowl for them as a keepsake.