Wednesday, November 26, 2003

I purchased "Making Wood Bowls with a Router and Scroll Saw" by Patrick Spielman and Carl Roehl a few years ago. The book is no longer in print, but Amazon does carry an old copy. It details an amazing way to make beautiful bowls from a 3/4 -1" thick board. Most of the board (9" X 9") is used generating very little waste. This judicious use of wood compares favorably with the much more wasteful bowl-turning on a lathe. I have now spent the last few months preparing all of the jigs needed to do the job right. Last week I started on my first bowl made from poplar. I chose poplar because I had the board and expect to make mistakes so I didn't mind wasting it. Once I feel more adept I will move on to cherry and mahogany. The bowl making technique was perfected by Carl Roehl over many years according to his book. Essentially the bowl is made from stacked rings cut from the one board. Cutting the rings at an angle allows an outside ring to sit upon a smaller inside ring. The inside of the base is routed out for a nice curve. Once the base and three or more rings are glued together, the bowl is set for sanding. Carl goes on to show many examples of advanced techniques for different bowl shapes and inlaying techniques. This page by Martin Landis has a nice picture of a finished bowl (fourth picture down.) 3:34:21 PM