After finishing the lathe work, Dan will sand a piece using increasingly finer grits of sandpaper and other finishing materials until the piece is extremely smooth. He then gives the ones that are turned from plainer woods to his wife, Elaine, who may then enhance them with the use of a woodburner or Prismacolor markers.

Before beginning to work on a piece, she studies it to determine how she can best complement its form and the natural characteristics of the wood through the use of color and shading.  After lightly sketching a composition onto the piece, she burns the image into the wood.  In some, she adds transparent color with the use of markers so as not to mask the wood’s natural beauty.

When she has completed her work, she gives the piece back to Dan, who then applies multiple layers of finish over a period of several days.  Finally, he buffs it until it has attained a soft, uniform sheen, adding warmth and depth to the piece.