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Wooden bowls are the mainstay of many woodturners and an expectation of anyone looking at the work of a woodturner. In order to make a bowl, one needs a piece of wood called a bowl blank. These are either in wet or dry wood and need different techniques to finish the piece.
Dry bowl blanks are generally used for smaller bowls simply because they are very hard to dry without cracking and therefore not often available by suppliers. Small bowls, on the other hand may be made from blanks cut from two by six stock boards. Since this stock is really only one and five eighths by five and five eights in hardwood and slightly less in softwood, it will make a bowl about five inches in diameter and one and a half inches deep.
To start, cut a circle out of the board just over five inches in diameter. Mount it to the lathe with a faceplate or screw chuck and turn the outside of the bowl, flattening the bottom and marking a circle as the lathe turns. This should be a little smaller than the bottom of the bowl.
Fasten a waste block to the faceplate and turn it round and flat. Now turn it to fit the circle drawn on the bottom of the bowl blank. Use hot glue to fasten the waste to the blank. It may be immediately mounted to the lathe. True up the outside of the bowl and turn out the inside. Now sand and finish. To remove the blank either take it off the lathe and sharply hit a chisel at the glue line or, better, part in on the waste block to about a half inch tenon and lever off the piece. The friction of the parting cut softens the glue and makes it easy.
Larger bowls are usually made from green wood and are double turned. First rough the bowl out both inside and outside between centers or using a chuck. It should be left with a thickness about ten percent of its diameter. Coat the outside with wax emulsion to slow drying and prevent cracking. The rough turned bowl is now let dry for three months or longer to allow it to adjust slowly to the relative humidity of the shop. It will warp as it dries but hopefully not crack. Flatten the bottom of the rough bowl with a plane or sander and proceed as before using hot glue and a waste block.
Both methods will produce good bowls and will allow a wide latitude in the types and sizes of wood used. Either is a tried and true part of the woodturner's craft.
Darrell Feltmate is a juried wood turner whose web site, Around the Woods, contains detailed information about wood turning for the novice or experienced turner as well as a collection of turnings for your viewing pleasure. You too can learn to turn wood, here is the place to start. Wondering what it looks like? There are many free videos on the site dealing with everything from sharpening to making a bowl. Easily go from the log to a salad bowl. See it done at http://aroundthewoods.com/bowls.shtml.
