# What's with all the bowls



## Deela40 (Dec 11, 2009)

Perhaps I don't get it because I have never done it, but what is the big deal with making bowls? There seems to be an abundance of bowl making on this site. What do people do with them? Are they for display only, or are they used to hold things? Can someone explain the appeal of making bowls?


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Kinda like cutting boards and pens. Whatever ya like I guess.
Bill


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## marcuscraft (Nov 14, 2012)

I have plenty of bowls sitting around that have no real use. For me, making a bowl is a nice break from the typical sort of work I do. Instead of worrying about a precise angle and a cut repeated exactly 20 times, the bowl is more of an exercise in artistic expression. I seldom go in w/ a plan and just start cutting what feels right. I also find it very relaxing. With a bowl, I can just stand there for an hour (or whatever) and cut away. I dont have to worry about test fitting or getting more lumber. It's just the nice hum of the lathe and cut of the tool.

Other's answers may be different as I see some bowls on here that are definitely sales worthy. For me, its just for fun.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have not made any cutting boards or pens but I have made a few bowls to sell. I still have those bowls. No one is interested in buying bowls. Why folks make them is a good question.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I haven't found time to really get into turning wood the way I would like to but occasionally I find time to turn something. I always find that using a lathe is very relaxing and enjoyable. I felt the same way about metal turning whenever I made a part for our plant in my machine shop. Perhaps this might answer your question to a certain extent. I also love to see a well done bowl because I love to see anything that is made out of a piece of beautiful wood that has a nice finish on it.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## mpax356 (Jul 30, 2011)

I am guessing that you do not turn at all or it is not likely you would be asking the question. Turning is fun and relaxing. It provides instant gratification as most projects don't take much time. Turning provides an opportunity to exercise some artistic part of the brain. I like turning lots of stuff not just bowls. As an example, I just published an article on turning lamp and fan pulls in the June issue of American Woodturner.

Bowls make great gifts. The expression on the recipient's face is generally one of total surprise and pleasure. Receiving something handcrafted is special. Almost anyone can use a small bowl for nuts or other snacks. An appropriate size bowl makes a great catch all for a man' dresser for keys and pocket change. Ladies will always find something to use the bowl for. Some shaped bowls are great for potpouri and larger bowls are great for salads.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

There are two kinds of bowls: ornamental (or architectural), and utilitarian.

Well done ornamental bowls can fetch very good prices, and they do sell at galleries and art exhibitions. Don't try to tell David Ellsworth or Mike Mahoney that nobody is interested in buying bowls.

Well done utilitarian bowls can not only be nice decorations, but come in handy for serving salads, chips & dip, etc. And they do sell quite well at craft fairs, flea markets, etc.

Bowls also make really nice gifts. There is a shelf in my shop lined with paper bags full of shavings and rough-turned bowls. Sometime in October, they should be ready to finish … just in time for the holidays.

Past that, I really don't need a reason for doing something that I enjoy!


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## Deela40 (Dec 11, 2009)

mpax356,
I haven't turned anything.

I can see the point about it being relaxing, but I could also see it being a frustrating experience. It seems like it would be easy to mess up if you go too far. For those who make them, how often do you make an error that can't be fixed?


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

It is just like anything else in woodworking (and most everything else in life) ... you are going to mistakes. Some are fatal to the piece, some can be repaired (read: design opportunities). That is part of the fun of it. It can be both challenging and rewarding.


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## Ripthorn (Mar 24, 2010)

My main projects are guitars, and I will admit to having more than I can use. If only they were as cheap or quick as bowls . I look to be getting a new lathe soon and echo the sentiments about turning being a rather relaxing outlet. Bowls not only allow you to try new shapes and techniques, it lets you try new woods and such. Aside from this, for the vast majority of us, this is a hobby and a hobby by nature needs no justification other than that it brings the practitioner enjoyment. I will admit that there are parts of woodworking that I have no interest in, doesn't mean I question peoples motives for it. Take chip carving. I have no interest, and carvings seem even less useful than bowls, but if someone wants to carve a ton, by all means, have at it.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

I guess bowls might be more exciting to see/turn than just a bunch of old legs









But, then again, you can't just turn one leg, you have to go back and turn three more and make them match the first on









Hopefully, that is. But then, they get lost in the glare of the rest of the project









Sometimes, anyway…


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## Deela40 (Dec 11, 2009)

Please do not take my question as a criticism to those who make bowls. I have never turned anything and it seems that some people really enjoy it so I was trying to understand why this seems to be popular.


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## mpax356 (Jul 30, 2011)

"... this is a hobby and a hobby by nature needs no justification other than that it brings the practitioner enjoyment" 
- Ripthorn

I have to remind myself of this when looking at the cost of a tool or spending the money to go to a symposium. I don't need to justify it. Just decide if I want to do it. 
Re: the question of it being frustrating - not at all. Mistakes happen. It is wood. You pick up another piece and try again. If you have absolutely no patience and are not interested in learning a skill, than woodturing is probably not for you. Unlike using other power tools like a TS that requires a basic understanding of how to use it, turning requires manipulating the tools against the spinning wood to get the results you want. That takes some practise and best to get some basic instruction from a skilled turner to climb the learning curve quickly and safely. If you are too impatient to learn a skill, turning may not be for you. Visit a turning club and it will help you decide. They are all over. Find one at http://www.woodturner.org/search/custom.asp?id=1509


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## mpax356 (Jul 30, 2011)

Woodturning is one of the fastest growing specialties in woodworking. It is crack cocaine of woodworking as it is seriously addicting and takes all of your money, LOL. Many folks like me that started into flatwork and buy machines like a TS, jointer and planer, put those aside after they get a lathe.


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## marcuscraft (Nov 14, 2012)

"For those who make them, how often do you make an error that can't be fixed?"

I dont think I've ever had a problem that I can not fix. I have had a few 8" bowls that turned into 4" platters though. Honestly, that is part of the fun as weird as it sounds….just let the wood tell you where to go. Sometimes it wants to go to pieces on the floor.

As I said, my perspective may be a bit different from others as I purely do it for fun and relaxation. If I had made a giant glue up segmented piece and it had a catastrophic failure…I'd probably be a bit more disappointed.


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## dirtycurty (Jan 29, 2014)

The things I find gratifying about bowl turning is that it is relaxing, I can turn and finish 3 or 4 in a couple of hours, but the most gratifying part for me is that the way a bowl shows off the grain in wood. I don't believe there is any other type of wood working that shows off wood better then turning bowls.

When I started turning bowls about 5 or 6 months ago my success rate was probably about 3 bowls to about 10 bad bowls, after about 2 months of practice my success rate is about 8 or 9 bowls out of 10.

I am a self taut turner learning from You Tube, wood working forums and reading books. I still have a way to go as far as learning but every bowl I turn I do something different that I never did before.

I also get a lot of satisfaction from the fact that I am self taught and seeing how far I have come and looking forward to learning more techniques to be a better turner.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

It's a skill that has a learning curve, once that skill is acquired most turners like to show off what they have accomplished. I haven't gotten to the point where I want to show off any of the bowls I have turned, but hope to someday.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Wood turning is a good starting point for anyone interested in the craft of woodworking.Theres alot someone new will learn from face turning.How the wood cuts in different grain. How a sharp tools feels like cutting with and against the grain.
Spindle turning also has its lessons.
My first woodworking project that's worth mentioning was a bowl I turned in 7 the grade.Early 70s


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

One other thing about bowl turning I haven't seen mentioned yet: It can be pretty much as simple or as difficult as you want it to be, and as your skills allow. A basic thick-walled bowl is quick and easy to make. But when you start getting into complicated shapes, and turning the walls as thin as possible, it can be extremely challenging.

As to your question about making errors, the most frequent problem I have is getting a "catch" serious enough to crack the entire bowl into two or more pieces. It doesn't happen very often, but it can be frustrating to completely destroy a project when it is nearly complete.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Turning bowls just another part of woodturning.

At one time turners like Bob Stocksdale and others made their living turning bowls for people that used them to eat food out of or food prep. He sold bowls to department stores around San Francisco area.

He and other turners found a few collectors that simply enjoyed wood grain/figure of turned bowls. Once bowls found their way into art galleries turners made more money for bowls. Guess people make more money writing books or making videos on turning bowls today.


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## JollyGreen67 (Nov 1, 2010)

As a Vet with the typical "mind bending" evaluation of combat, turning is a complete relaxing exercise in self satisfaction for me. I give most of the bowls away as gifts, with some sold in galleries. To see the expression in the face of someone who I have given one to is in itself my greatest joy. I went to the AAW Symposium in Phoenix last week end, and put three bowls in the Empty Bowls for Autism auction, and all three were sold ! That was well worth my time of turning a bowl for someone.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I enjoy turning spindles but bowls are usually one-offs and more impressive to non-woodworkers. To me, bowl turning is a bit tedious because you have to remove so much stock. So far I've just been giving them away. I keep an ugly one that I kinda like for my keys and coins. Someone gave me a bunch of mulberry and I started a bowl from one of the blanks but good golly is it some hard wood, even wet.

I want to make a couple kuksas. Normally they are carved but I'm going to cheat with my lathe then add handles.


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## ScrubPlane (May 22, 2012)

I've done all kinds of woodworking over the years and an aspect of turning that I especially like is the time. Sometimes a traditional project can take weeks or even months to acquire materials, tool, glue-up, etc. etc. Whereas a nice turning can be started and finished in just a few hours. There's something compelling knowing that you'll finish something the same day you start it.


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## Tootles (Jul 21, 2011)

It kind of feels to me that if you dont turn bowls then what else are you going to turn? Sure, pens is an obvious answer if you are happy working with small stuff, but nothing else really jumps into my mind as being as useful, saleable or presentable as a bowl. That said, the one thing that I have never turned is a bowl!

So if you accept that bowls are a natural point to get to with turning, then perhaps the question is why do turning? There are already some good examples above, but I'd like to add a few ideas to those.

One of the key advantages of turning is that you can get away with a smaller workshop. You need your lathe, a bench grinder and some means of sizing squaring and mounting the wood that you will be turning. That could include a band saw, table saw and other tools, but it needn't. It could be a chain saw or other portable power saw, but it could be a hand saw too.

You will produce some dust when you sand your work to finish it, but mostly you produce chips and shavings which are not as small and are possibly easier to manage. Still dust extraction is a good idea - it makes a smaller job of cleaning.

It's not very noisy. So you can pretty well do it any time of any day. I can't say that about running my table saw or router.

Wood can be quite easy to come by. It seems that there is always somebody chopping down a tree and chopping into good sized chunks for wood to make bowls. You get quite a variety of unusualy timbers that way as well.

I'm sure others can add to what I've said above.


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## Deela40 (Dec 11, 2009)

Tootles,

I like the idea of turning being a quiet way to woodwork. I hadn't thought about that aspect previously. I am currently limited on when I can work on my projects because I have a young daughter who takes naps and goes to be early. It's hard to make much progress when I can't use my saws when she's asleep.


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

Using them to make table legs is one thing, I can see a lathe being a great asset in the shop but for me personally I'm with Jim Finn as for as bowls go just seems to me a waste of wood when I can make the same thing on a bandsaw with much less waste and along with nesting bowls as well, only making a bowl on a bandsaw you're left with vertical walls apposed to angled walls at least the way I do it.


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## dirtycurty (Jan 29, 2014)

other things to turn are platters, lidded boxes, bird houses, candle stick holders, duck calls, etc. Search it and you will find all kinds of things that can be turned on the lathe


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

"Perhaps I don't get it because I have never done it, but what is the big deal with making …"

There are an awful lot of projects I see posted on LumberJocks that I don't see the big deal in. But the fact that I am not interested in it and don't do it myself doesn't mean someone else cannot enjoy and appreciate it.

I make the stuff I post here because it floats my boat. I'm not worried about whether it will sell or not and don't give a rip what anybody else thinks.


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