Hi All
Thank-you for the comments. In my opinion the woodgrain "made" the bowl.
The finish is just parrafin wax. I run the speed up and rub with a stick of parrafin until the part looks whitish. Then rub with a cloth. The friction of the cloth melts the parafin and polishes it. Probably not very safe way of working, but the result looks good.
Wizzy,
I believe it is walnut. It is a piece I received from an older gentlemman who was an engineer at the Lee-Enfield plant in Toronto. This is an offcut he had brought home many years ago.
