This is the first detailed post of one of John’s bowls. Click on any picture to see a much more detailed look. Both NB and I own one made in this style. This is one of the earlier iterations of this “flat top, small opening” bowls he made.

Photo credit: Clifton Eoff — http://www.cepimage.com

Bowl makers had to fashion their own tools back then to allow them to carve the inside of the bowl. John told me he was not satisfied with a bowl like this until the entire bowl had essentially the same thickness all around. Right into the corner as the top turned to the base. Only the base could be thicker.

Notice in the following photograph how thin the edge of the bowl is. That thickness is how thick the bowl is all around its body too. John was meticulous about this work.

Photo credit: Clifton Eoff — http://www.cepimage.com

Finished in 1980, it probably started out as a block of wood John gathered and carefully dried for a few years before turning a rough bowl. That rough bowl would sit for a while until the wood stabilized and then he’d finish it to what you see here.

As a testament to his careful work, this bowl is 36 years old, yet it looks like it was made yesterday. John Megin was truly a master of the bowl turning art.