Turning a Fork-Wood Platter

Wood from the fork of a large tree can be turned into a beautiful platter with feathered grain. The feathered white oak platter shown below is about 16” across and about 3” deep. The blank for this platter was cut from a fork that was 4’ across at it’s widest, measured below the point where the two upper branches split off from the main trunk. The feather results from the wood grain from the upper branches weaving together to form the main trunk of the tree.

To be successful, you need to:

• Have a big enough fork to give you the size platter you want

• Have solid wood with no bark inclusions in the seam of the fork

• Cut the turning blank properly

• Rough turn the platter, let it dry (and warp), and re-turn the platter to final shape and form

Size: The tree fork needs to be of a good size – at least 18” across the base of the fork if you want to make a 14” platter. The length of the seam where the two branches come together should be at least as long as the width of the platter, as the feather only exists inside that seam. The two branches that make up the fork should be of similar sizes, and should join with the main trunk at a steep angle (“Y-shaped”, not at a shallow angle (“L-shaped”).

Choose Solid Wood: The seam itself must be tightly closed, with no evidence of an opening in the bark or rot at the top. Sadly, this is no guarantee that the wood will be solid enough to yield a good blank. There could be bark inclusions along the seam that could extend down fairly far into the blank that will compromise the integrity of the platter. The only way to find out, unfortunately, is to cut the blank and see what is lurking along the seam.

Cutting the blank: You want to cut the wood while it is green. You want to crosscut the top of the log immediately above the fork. The bottom of the log should be crosscut several inches below the bottom of the seam. This will create a log section that looks like a “Y” with very short upper arms. If you had x-ray vision you would see that the feathered grain will only extend a few inches to either side of the central seam.

To mark the blank for cutting, stand the “Y” upright, mark the center of the pith in each of the upper arms, and chalk a line across the top of the “Y” that connects the center marks. Next, draw a line parallel to the 1st line but 1” away from it. Finally, draw a line on the opposite side, parallel to the 1st line but 3” away from it.

Cut the blank along the two outer lines. This will yield a 4” thick “Y” shaped slab with bark all around the outside edges.. Ideally, the feather will show up on the bottom of the side closest to the pith. Draw a circle on the bottom of the slab to locate and determine the size of the nicest bowl (not the largest bowl) that you can turn. You want the feather to be centered in the platter and run its full width. Trim the excess away and the green wood blank is ready for turning.

Turning the blank: Mount the blank on the lathe with the pith side (the cut that was 1” away from the centerline) closest to the tailstock. Turn a ½” tall tenon on the tailstock side, then turn a ½” tall foot, then shape the outside of the platter. Flip the blank, mount the tenon in a 4-jaw chuck, and shape the inside of the platter. Keep the thickness of the sidewall constant, and make the sidewall thickness equal to 10% of the overall diameter of the platter. This will help to keep the platter from splitting as it dries and warps.

Mark the tenon with the month and year that it was roughed out, and set it aside in a cool dry place for at least six months to one year. When it has fully dried, mount on the lathe, true up the tenon, and then turn to final shape and dimension.