The wood is Hickory. The bowl was turned fairly thin and sanded as normal on the lathe. The outside was textured and dyed. Then the high spots on the outside were hand sanded back to show the wood. The outside was hand rubbed with fine steel wool and soft paste wax then a cotton cloth. The inside was sprayed with several coats of black lacquer. After drying for a couple of days, the inside was simply polished with a cotton cloth. The bowl is very thin, has a round bottom and measures 9.5" dia x 4" tall.