Piano Wood Turning

Piano Wood Bowls, Boxes and Beyond

After a life-long career as a registered piano technician, I have begun to shift my focus to some artistic pursuits.  By turning wood on my shop lathe, I can create a wide variety of items.  My specialty is the salvage of discarded piano cabinet parts, to be recycled as attractive, usable items.  Some of the solid wood parts of older pianos are milled from beautiful, certainly well seasoned, Mahogany or Walnut. Most of the core wood in piano manufacture of 100 years ago was either Poplar or the increasingly rare American Chestnut.   Click here to learn more about the devastation of this traditional forest product: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_chestnut.  Thin stripes on these turnings represent the surface veneers of the original instrument.  These are typically Mahogany or Walnut. Most of this material would otherwise end up at the landfill.

The process actually starts with moving and dismantling pianos. It then goes on to involve physically (no chemicals) removing the piano’s original finish, planing flat all surfaces to be glued, designing and applying any art component, gluing up all the parts to form a pattern, and finally turning on my lathe.  Each piece is a unique creation.  I apply a clear lacquer finish to the non-food contact items.  The bowls are all finished with a food safe combination of Carnauba wax, Bee’s wax, and Walnut oil.

Showing 1–16 of 18 results

Showing 1–16 of 18 results