Scott Strobel, Yale professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Vice President of West Campus, is the artist behind Yale Bowls. In his garage-turned workshop, he crafts the bowls, which he sells online, from dead, fallen, or felled trees found around campus. Photography editor Alexandra Schmeling takes us through the process.

The wood is cut into small sections before being taken into the woodshop.

 

The wood is cut into small sections before being taken into the woodshop.

 

 

A band saw is used to shape the wood into a circle.

 

untitled-41

 

 

untitled-64-copy

 

 

The bowl is curved with a lathe.

 

The bowl is curved with a lathe.

 

The center of the bowl is hollowed out.

 

The center of the bowl is hollowed out.

 

untitled-133

 

 

The bowl is stored for at least a year to dry out.

 

The bowl is stored for at least a year to dry out.

 

After a year of drying, the bowl has warped, so it is reshaped on the lathe.

 

After a year of drying, the bowl has warped, so it is reshaped on the lathe.

 

Sanding sealer is applied to the bowl.

 

Sanding sealer is applied to the bowl.

 

[media-credit name=”Alexandra Schmeling” align=”alignnone” width=”640″]