Michael Allison is a wood-turner, a guy who hauls a block of wood onto a lathe and then, through the steady application of muscle, patience and will, turns it into something artful — a bowl, a vase, a ...

In this video, I tackle the challenge of turning a massive elm burl vase on a wood lathe. Working with a burl of this size presents unique difficulties, especially when it comes to hollowing the wood.

The vase in this video is made with four different pieces of dyed wood. First, they are laid out and covered in glue. Then, they are clamped together and added to the lathe. The wood is then turned ...