LouPignolet

I am a wood artist who teaches his craft of carving unusual wood bowls from gnarly old burls on a lathe. I do this to brighten up the world.

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

A 250 pound oak burl is a lot to deal with so it was cut in half, mounted on my Stubby S1000 lathe, and turned into a oak burl bowl that is 23" in diameter, 6" deep, and 1/2" wall thickness. I plan to turn the other... https://t.co/mrUuNMzger

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

I love aspen burls but they are always challenging to turn. Here is an aspen burl bowl turned from a customer's wood (a commissioned piece). The burl looked solid but, not surprisingly, had some decay and in a tricky... https://t.co/LA0Xpsvtw4

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

The first bowl finished in 2020 is a 14.5" diameter cherry burl shown in the photos. The bowl is 5" deep with a wall thickness of 7/16". It has unusual oranage-red cloud type patterns with radial rays of curl just... https://t.co/zlPa9uTQ6j

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

It is 2020 and life goes on. It is interesting how Facebook memories strangely pop up like this one from exactly one year ago, and has an unusual significanceo today. I finished another similar cherry burl bowl... https://t.co/1RgIeoEbQ8

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

Finally, positive weather news:
Weather Tomorrow Tue 12/31 High 23 | 9 F
20% Precip. / 0 in
Sunshine and clouds mixed. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 23F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

I turned another large burl on my new Stubby S1000 lathe. This one is birch. The fresh turned bowl measures 24" max diameter with a wing extending about 14" from the lathe spindle axis. The wood is full of chatoyance... https://t.co/25hMd8QT2c

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

Finally I used my new Stubby lathe (S1000, 3 hp) to turn a big burl I have been saving. The aspen burl was about 2 ft in diameter and weighed 90 lbs after trimming it from its log. The first image shows the hoisting of... https://t.co/4AGJuM5i1i

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

I love rustic burly wood bowls. This bowl is part cherry burl and part cherry log. I call it a burly cherry bark edged bowl. It has great figuring and lots of bark inclusions and worm tracks. It even sports a small... https://t.co/tbmuzQa7VQ

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

https://t.co/gaXG62jvi5

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

Our forecast big snow storm (blizzard) was a no show but we did get the wind. These shots of wind blown breaking waves were taken from our deck last evening. These are telephoto shots so not as sharp as I hoped, but really impressive watching the setting sun lit waves.

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

My new lathe has arrived. It is a Stubby S1000 with a 3 HP motor, designed to handle large and heavy pieces (up to 44" diameter). I sometimes get burls that are in the 40" diameter range and I have always had to cut... https://t.co/GlPw9ClhIq

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

I have turned a lot of beautiful burls over the years, but this white cedar burl is unusual. Just look at that bark. Of course, many burls hide nasty decay and voids inside, invisible to the unsuspecting wood turner.... https://t.co/2auzBiQaKq

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

Some very distant photos of our neighbors tending the herring nets this morning in Big Bay (Hovland). The light was perfect to give a surreal painting effect. I could hardly see the boats with my naked eye. My camera has a 65X optical zoom.

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

Aspen burl bowl was freshly turned and still on the lathe. The bowl is 9.5" in diameter and was turned from the burl shown. This was challenging to turn due to extreme decay near the bottom of the bowl (you can see the... https://t.co/wfOvDEMg1m

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

I am getting back to turning after a break, and am starting with a nicely shaped white cedar burl. The bowl is about 10" in diameter and 6" in height. There are great colors and beautiful flame figuring. This one will... https://t.co/2gb7U9ebqN

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

One year ago I turned this birch burl. I am sharing this memory since this one came out so nicely. It was sold during the Summer of 2019. I will be turning more birch burls this winter. https://t.co/vCN7RuaKkQ

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

Wild weather on the shore of lake Superior today with gale force winds, rain, sleet and snow squalls all morning with temps in the mid 30's. Waves are enormous, eroding the shore and tossing rocks half way to our... https://t.co/oIfHPoadtg

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

Before and after photos of my gallery showing my finished bowl inventory before and after the Art Along the Lake Studio Art tour. I had a lot of visitors to my shop to watch demonstrations and experience my bowls. You... https://t.co/mXxNlRgSAh

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

This six year old memory shows a highly spalted birch bowl, just the kind I love to make. I have a great supply of new bowls ready for the Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour that starts on Friday, September 27, and... https://t.co/2kCckyGjON

[LouPignolet @LouPignolet]

Some new snow on the mountains this morning in north Iceland and cold blowing rain in the lower terrain. We are heading for the high lands and the big glaciers this afternoon.