I found a wide cherry board in my lumber supply - about 12 inches, and our turning club ( NCWT) just had a demo on turning flat platters. So this is my version of a chip and dip plate, above, and a truly flat
platter, right. Both started with a plain 3/4" thick board (if cherry is ever plain), cut in a shy 10" circle
and glued to an auxilary faceplate on my Delta Midi-lathe. Both are about 9-1/2" diameter. The finish is Danish
Oil, wetsanded to 1200 grit.
 I had great plans for a little bit of ambrosia maple I was lucky enough to have rescued from a school expansion project.
Most of the three huge trees were processed for firewood and mulch. I got two logs, about 9 - 10 " diameter and 3 -
4 feet long. They either stood or laid on the bare ground for about a year before I cut them to handling length and
split some for bowls like this one. It had spalted (rot began to take over) just right - not soft and punky, but plenty
of color. It was easy to turn and I had the lathe speed up to almost 2000 rpm when a very slight crack near the end
got very large and about a third of the bowl flew over my shoulder. Very exciting in my small shop. Fortunately,
I was wearing the proper protection and all I lost was a light bulb.
 The interesting thing about this bowl is it came from a Ginko tree, probably the oldest species on earth. Try a
google search on "Ginko tree" if you're interested in details. This wood turns easily and really takes a smooth finish.
I used shellac as a sanding sealer, and sprayed it with Deft. It's about 9 inches in diameter and 5 inches high.
Hardly as exciting as the spalted maple (above), but it has a nice shape.
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The bowl was pretty well formed and the split was so straight, I couldn't part with it. So, I took a small block
plane and straightened the surfaces, then replaced the planed off wood with a slab of cherry about a quarter inch thick, glued
it back together, and this is the result. I sold it less than two weeks after it came off the lathe. I kinda miss
it, so I'll have to get the other half and go to work.
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