Never posted this bowl as it was a Christmas gift to the DIL in 2003, at that time was not aware of woodworking sites and forums. At the time she had a theme in the kitchen with grapes, so the bowl. Saw it at their home recently and borrowed it for the pictures to post.
Tuned on the Delta Mini Lathe. 8 inches in diameter and about 6 inches tall. The accent ring is Ash with Purple Heart Grapes. Made by drilling holes in the block of various sizes in using Purple Heart dowel to fill for the grapes, the stem off the grape cluster is ebony. The bottom half of the bowl is Walnut, with a white veneer between the bowl and the base. Not sure of the base wood. The top rim is Purple Heart. Do not recall the finish used but it has held up well. DIL keeps it visible on a shelf in their living room.
The Purple Heart did not fade but it turned darker as expected. The Walnut has not darkened much if at all. It has been inside and not in direct sunlight.
Thanks for the comments. I remembered a bit more on how I made the grapes. Made a drawing of the grapes and used it as a pattern. A sharp awl was used to pinpoint each grape center, then drilled the holes with the appropriate size drill. That way all were grape cluster was similar if not exactly the same. The slot for the stem was cut using one of the holes as the access for a small saw. Do not remember what saw I used.
