Boxes & Bowls

Image of hand-turned wooden bowls, platter and boxes made by David LaPaglia.

I learned to turn wooden boxes and bowls when I was teaching in South Africa. It is a practice I have kept up for nearly three decades, and rarely does a week go by when I don’t make at least one. There is immense satisfaction in bringing out the beauty that is inside a particular piece of wood.

Image of spalted beech wooden bowl.
Image of a small wabi sabi apple wood box with fitted lid.
Image of purple heart wooden bowl.
Image of low rimmed ash wood bowl.
Image of maple bowl with charred scalloped rim.

Various wooden bowls of beech, applewood, purple heart, ash and maple.

Image of hand-turned wooden salt bowl.

A lacewood salt bowl measuring 3″.

Wenge and Pear box

Image of a pecan wood box with lid which has a tiny handle.
Image of turned wooden boxes sitting on a shelf.
Image of small wooden box turned on a lathe, which is sitting on a block of wood.

An iconic shape I return to again and again. The above box is made of cherry, the color change from sapwood to heartwood is so distinct.

Series of seven lacewood bowls.

Spalted horse chestnut boxes.

A small salt dish and scoop made of figured maple.

Image of a black walnut box.
Image of soft maple burl and wooden box.
Image of a box made from padauk, freshly turned.
Image of a cherry wood box.
Image of wenge wooden box.
Image of a douglas fir box with the lid set to the side.
Image of pecan wood box.

A series of small boxes (from top left to lower right) made of black walnut, soft maple burl, padauk–freshly turned, cherry, wenge, fir, and pecan.

  • Image of a maple burl bowl.
  • Image of a black walnut bowl.
  • Image of a turned mulberry bowl.