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Who turned it?

Allen Alexopulos

Allen Alexopulos

Joined
Jul 16, 2004
Messages
40
Likes
14
Location
Annapolis, Maryland
Website
www.lathescapes.com
Greetings,

My neighbor recently asked me to refinish a myrtle bowl that belonged to his parents. To the best of his recollection his parents acquired it prior to 1960. The finish on the interior appeared to have been dissolved after years of having been used for salads and other foodstuffs. The original finish had also darkened which hid most of the wonderful figure in the piece.

The label indicated that it was myrtle from "...a small area on the Pacific Coast...". However, there was no obvious makers mark. The original turner used a combination of a screw chuck and a faceplate to hold the piece and opted to leave the screw holes visible. The label hides the 4th hole. I decided to leave the label and restore the bowl around it to make sure that its provenance was maintained.

Which leads me to my question for you. Do you have any thoughts as to who the original turner might have been? My neighbor's parents were from the New England area, although there is no guarantee that they purchased the piece in that locale. Also, this bowl might have been part of a commercial set.

If you can provide any background information on the piece or have any related comments, please post a reply. Some photos for your inspection are attached below...

Thanks and Best Regards,
-Allen

www.lathescapes.com
 

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Thank you Owen,

I'm hoping to provide my neighbor with a bit of background information on the piece. I also hope that my restoration is up to his/her standards!

I greatly appreciate your feedback. Hopefully Bob can fill in some additional clues.

Thanks Again,
-Allen
 
Given the label and the holes left in, it's probable that this is one of the many "production" bowls turned out by the hundreds by various shops up and down the Oregon coast. The label looks very much like the House of Myrtlewood, in Coos Bay.
 
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Good Morning Frank,

The mounting holes and the label do suggest a production piece. Add in the possibility that it may have been part of a set and the production piece argument gets stronger. It is also interesting to note that it may be over 50 years old.

Despite the left-over mounting holes, the piece is actually quite nice. The quilted figure is striking and is the primary reason that I agreed to restore the piece...

Thanks for the information!

Best Regards,
-Allen
 
There's Probably a Word for It

I was wondering whether there's anyone that's an expert on the evolution of American English who might be able to tell us if that phrase "THE CRAFTMAN'S ART" is unique to the label/maker, or part of the local dialect during that era.

Unless that's a typo on the label, the only form I ever recall seeing would've used CRAFTSMAN'S (with the middle "S"), but I've never lived in that region of the country.
 
There is a name in script at the bottom of the label that may either be the name of a store or brand or possibly turner. It looks like the label is partially folded back and blocking part of the name. You could see if it can be unfolded without destroying it. It might even be easier to read if you get a close up photo and then "enhancing" it in Photoshop (but probably not to the extent that images can be enhanced on CSI). 😀
 
Gents,

Frank's lead on the House of Myrtlewood looks very promising. I found a photo that shows a bowl being turned that looks very much like the one that we are trying to track down. It appears to be mounted on a faceplate and looks like it is being turned on a very old lathe. The House of Myrtlewood/Oregon Connection business has been turned over multiple times but has been in operation since 1929. The virtual tour on their website is quite interesting...

I was reluctant to attempt unfolding the small piece of label near the bottom for fear that it would break off. Google didn't produce much info on the word Craftman (as opposed to Craftsman).

We are getting closer, but still need to find someone who recognizes the piece and/or the label.

Thanks and Best Regards,
-Allen
 
I have a piece from the House of Myrtlewood that has a very similar label on the bottom - the script in the "House of Myrtlewood" is the same as on the bottom of this bowl, where you can see the work "Myrtlewood" and what looks like the "f" of "of" preceding it.
 
Here's a House of Myrtlewood label that's 20+ years old. Not identical to your label, but the script and label color are the same. I have a lot of Oregon Myrtlewood, and it seems that every shop has a different color/style of label. They also get updated over time, and I'm sure the House of Myrtlewood has modified their labels a few times, but still keep the green color and type of script.
 

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Hi Frank,

Thanks for the photo. It was quite revealing. Your label has a green-on-white motif while mine has a white-on-green. The script font for the word "Myrtlewood" appears to be identical. The block font for the word "Myrtle" appears to be identical on both pieces and is located at the top of the label. The phrase "Rarest of all woods" on your piece is very similar to "most rare" on mine.

However, the dead giveaway in my book is the strange white background behind the word "Myrtle" at the top of the label on my piece. I had no idea what it was until I saw your photo. It is the base of a tree symbol that projects out from the circular part of the label. On my piece the projection was worn off long ago.

I think I have enough info to send a note to the current owners of the business to see if they can give us a final confirmation. Unless some contradictory information pops up, I'm satisfied that you have nailed the ID of my neighbor's bowl. Many thanks Frank!

Best Regards,
-Allen
 

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Label ID

I have a label on a myrtlewood platter that is identical in color and font and words as yours, with the exception of the bottom three lines. After the line that says "this gift of nature to you." it says, BEAUMONTS, The house of myrtlewood, Marshfield, Oregon.

Maybe the word "BEAUMONTS" can help you identify the date it was made as it looks like the house of myrltewood was owned by the Beaumonts at the time.
 
Hi Doug,

It appears that the label on your platter adds further support to our working theory that the "The House of Myrtlewood" was the source of our pieces. In 1944 the citizens of the town of Marshfield, Oregon voted to change the name of their town to Coos Bay. William Beaumont founded his business in 1929 in what was then Marshfield. This suggests that your platter is of pre-1944 vintage.

If you get a chance take a photo of the label and post it. It would be interesting to see if the obliterated section on the label of my piece is large enough to include the three lines that you mentioned.

I've got an inquiry in to "The Oregon Connection/House of Myrtlewood" regarding our quest... Stay tuned.

Thanks for your input!

Best Regards,
-Allen
 
I'm learning a heck of a lot about Oregon, Coos Bay and the House of Myrtlewood - fascinating.
 
Label Photo

Here is a picture of my label.

Most items from that period were turned on a screw center and it was not cost effective to patch the holes so they just put a label over it.

My dad was a production turner in the Myrtlewood business from the 1940 until his business burnt down in 1960. He started out in the Coos Bay area and moved up the coast to Delake which is now Lincoln City. As far as I know he never turned for the House Of Myrtlewood but they were one of his competitors. His business name was "Wolf's Myrtlewood Products" which he owned with his father.
 

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The thing that gets me about myrtle is that it is the California Bay Laurel, and not a myrtle at all, or even related to myrtle, or the stuff that grows in the Holy Lands. I guess that is like Brazilian cherry and Jatoba. Marketing.

robo hippy
 
I noticed that last label used "CRAFTSMAN'S" (with the middle "S"), in which case might support the option that "CRAFTMAN'S" was a typo. And that leads me to wonder whether such mistakes (if that's what it is) add value akin to the way errors drive up the value of old postage stamps?

This whole thread is a bit like a Woodturners version of Antiques Roadshow 😀.
 
Good Afternoon Fellow Turners,

I have just received an email from Stacy Dewater at the Oregon Connection/House of Myrtlewood with an offer to examine our photos to determine if her company did indeed produce them. I just sent our photos off to her and have also asked Stacy to date the labels if possible. Any information that she provides will be posted in this thread.

Hopefully 100 years from now someone will be doing an Antiques Roadshow analysis of some of our myrtle turnings! 🙂

-Allen
 
I heard back from Bob Tuck:

"Most of the shops (including mine) used a 3/8" single screw to hold the bowl on the faceplate. When the bowl was finished a sticker was placed over the hole. The last few years I was there I used a wood plug the hole than placed the sticker over it. When I was down the coast ('71-'84) there were probably 20-30 people making bowls. The bowl could have been made anytime in the past 50-years!!"
 
Hey Owen,
Could you ask Bob if he knows who invented the Big Ugly tool? Some thing I have wondered about for a while. I have one and love it.

robo hippy
 
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