Wood Bowl Mortise – Make It Right

The wood bowl mortise method to attach a bowl to the lathe is a straightforward and relatively simple procedure. Mortise creation is an excellent and efficient technique for beginners and experts alike. What is a Bowl Mortise A recessed cavity in the bowl bottom, called a mortise, receives the jaws of a four-jaw chuck, also […]
No Catches-Using a Bowl Gouge With Confidence

Using a bowl gouge with confidence is critically important and an initial hurdle to jump when first turning wood bowls. The fear of getting catches can be paralyzing. Knowledge and practice are required to tame that fear and create beautiful bowls while using a bowl gouge. Let’s face it; no one wants to get a […]
Bowl Sanding Tools and Finish Techniques – Wood Bowls

Bowl Sanding Tools are somewhat simplistic. How those bowl sanding tools are used to get the best looking bowls can seem overwhelming at first. I’ll tell you straight out: I used to hate sanding. I dreaded the idea of “wasting time” and wanted to get on with doing other more important things. Sanding and I […]
10 Places Find FREE Wood for Bowl Turners

Finding free wood is thrilling, especially when it is beautiful and saved from destruction. Turning free wood into beautiful bowls makes that wood even sweeter. There are many sources for free wood all around; we simply need to tap into these wonderful resources. With a little investigation and communication, the following sources can be producing […]
Riding the Bevel – Bowl Gouge Technique Explained

“Riding the Bevel” is said over and over among woodturners. But what does riding the bevel really mean? This article is going to explain the ubiquitous woodturning term – riding the bevel. Before I explain riding the bevel in detail let me simply explain that this term is used to describe the purest, most clean-cut […]
Wood Bowl Tenon Removal – 3 Easy Ways

Bowl tenon removal is one of the last steps to finishing a wood bowl. After a properly formed tenon has done its job, its no longer needed and must to be removed from the soon-to-be-finished bowl. Depending on the final bowl foot design, some of the tenon areas may become incorporated in the bowl base. […]
Bowl Gouge Technique – 4 Turning Cuts To Master (Push, Pull, Scrape, Shear-Scrape)

I remember when I first started turning bowls. With the bowl blank spinning on the lathe, the feeling of approaching the tool rest with the gouge was a bit intimidating. How am I supported to present the bowl gouge? The bowl blank has a way of telling you when things aren’t quite right. But luckily, […]
Four Jaw Chuck – How To Use Bowl Chuck Wood Lathe

We need to celebrate the four-jaw bowl chuck, because it is a spectacular tool! This bowl chuck is a must for any serious bowl turner. Turning is easy and safe with the four-jaw wood chuck’s underlying advantages of stability, strength, and ease of use. We will explore the integration of the four-jaw chuck in the […]
Supported Cut Wood Grain – Bowl Gouge Cut Direction

The supported cut and bowl gouge cut direction is initially a big hurdle to jump in wood bowl turning for some, myself included. I think part of the reason for the confusion is the fact that there are so many not-so-helpful phrases thrown around about bowl gouge cutting direction. “Oh, just be sure you cut […]
Bowl Tenon – Create perfect secure wood bowl foot

The bowl tenon, foot, or some call it the spigot of the bowl, is a critical step in the bowl-making process. The bowl tenon must be sized right and cut correctly to make a secure attachment to a four jaw wood chuck during the creation and shaping of the bowl’s interior. If you’d rather not […]