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To Turn a Basic Bowl made out of cherry wood is easy enough. Using basic and simple techniques. For this project I used a 5″ x 5″ x 3″ block of cherry. While turning this bowl I primarily used a bowl gouge and a skew. To finish the bowl I sanded it smooth and then used a butcher block finish. The bowl turned out great, and should last a long time.

If you make one of these be sure to post a picture of it over on the WoodLogger Facebook Page. I’d love to see how yours turns out.

Material List

(1) 5″ x 5″ x 3″ Cherry Bowl Blank

Milling & Assembly

To get started with turn a basic bowl. I picked up this block of cherry wood from my local rockler store. I then found the center of the block by using a ruler and drawing crisscross lines. After finding the center point I then used a compass to draw a circle that would give me the outline of my bowl. This will be used as a guide for removing wood waste.. Next up I moved to my band-saw and removed as much as possible to make turning my block an easier and faster turn. Next up I drilled a starter hole in the middle of the block to make it easier to insert a wood screw. The next step was to load my block on to a worm wood screw that is attached to my talon chuck. This is fairly easy to screw on if you drill a pilot hole for it. To turn my bowl I start by shaping the outside and bottom of the bowl. I like to use a bowl gouge to start with and then move to a skew. After shaping and forming the bottom of my bowl I put an indention in the bottom of the bowl that was approximately 1 – 1/2″ in diameter and approximately 5/8″ deep. After forming the bottom, I flipped the bowl over and secured the bottom to my talon chuck in the indention I made earlier. I then turned the inside of my bowl. I used the same technique of a bowl gouge and then a skew. I also ensured that I didn’t go to deep into the bowl. To finish the bowl. I sanded the outside and in using a turners pack of sandpaper. I started with a 150 grit paper and worked my way up to 600 grit. After sanding I used a Butcher Block finish to seal my bowl. I really like this product it uses a mix of a food safe mineral oil and bees wax. The bowl turned out beautiful and will be useful for many years.



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