Roughing a bowl from green wood.
"The next step to that beautiful salad."
| Most of us make a bowl by first rough turning it out of green wood, sealing it to prevent rapid drying along with cracking and splitting, remounting it and final turning, sanding and finishing. This is simply how I rough a bowl. It is a little unorthodox but simple and it requires no fancy jigs or chucks. |
| First you need a bowl blank. If you are not sure what to use or how to make one, try looking here |
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| I start by mounting the blank between centers. This allows me to adjust to the best balance or figure and corrections are possible even after starting to turn. |
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| Note that the bottom is facing the tail stock. I start to turn the outside of the form moving from the bottom to the top. I like to “nibble,” as Peter Child used to call it, at the form in small sweeping motions until I work bottom to top, rounding down the form. All my hands have to do is guide the tool, all pressure is from the hip. My tool of choice here is a 3/8" Oland tool although a 5/8" bowl gouge would be fine or your other favorite bowl gouge. |
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| I continue until the outside is roughed out. I am not concerned with a fine finish, this is after all a rough turning. The bottom is flattened and a tenon left about 1 1/2" in diameter. This is not for a chuck, just for a place to put the centers as we move the blank. |
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roughing bowls: inside, outside, removing tenons
bowls: roughing, finish turning, sanding, home ,
© 2006 copyright Darrell Feltmate, Around the Woods, Wood Turning Techniques