At a glance
Finished dimensions
Overall sizes
- Overall
- 6 in across the rim, 1-3/4 in high, on a 3 in foot
- Wall and floor
- 3/8 in across at the rim, about 0.35 in at its thinnest; floor 1/2 in; inside 1-1/4 in deep
- Curves
- Outside an arc of radius about 3.18 in; inside an arc of radius about 3.38 in; both centred on the axis
Materials
| Item | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dry hardwood | One blank | Measured at least 2 in thick; flat, free of cracks, checks and loose knots |
| Scrap for the backing block | One | Faces flat and parallel |
| Wood glue | As needed | Cured as its maker directs |
| Screws | As the faceplate takes | Non-tapered heads, into the block only |
| Abrasive | As needed | Used folded, never wrapped |
Cut list
| Part | Qty | Dimensions | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowl blank | 1 | 6-1/2 × 6-1/2 × 2 in, corners sawn off | Dry hardwood |
| Backing block | 1 | 3 in diameter × 3/4 in, faces flat and parallel | Scrap hardwood or plywood |
Tools
- Lathe with a faceplate
- Bowl gouge
- Parting tool
- Handsaw
- Band saw or coping saw
- Drill with a 1/4 in bit
- Clamp
- Rule and calipers
- Face shield
The design
| Feature | Size | How it is set |
|---|---|---|
| Rim | 6 across | Design choice |
| Height | 1-3/4 | Design choice; 1/4 in less than the blank |
| Foot | 3 across | The backing block's diameter |
| Wall at the rim | 3/8 across | Inner rim 5-1/4 across |
| Floor | 1/2 thick | Inside 1-1/4 deep |
| Outer curve | Arc of radius about 3.18 | Through the rim and the foot's edge, centred on the axis about 2.80 above the base |
| Inner curve | Arc of radius about 3.38 | Through the inner rim and the floor's centre, centred on the axis about 3.88 above the base |
Every size is a BenchRoot design choice. Because the two arcs have different centres, the wall is not one thickness all the way down: measured square to the outside, it is thinnest near the rim, at about 0.35 in, and thickens towards the foot, so the bowl is heaviest at its base.
The blank is a board, so its grain runs across the faceplate, and solid wood moves across its grain as its moisture changes: the Wood Handbook gives tangential shrinkage as about twice radial, with little change along the grain. A bowl turned round can therefore become slightly oval as it settles to its room. Turning from dry stock keeps that small; the moisture meter guide covers checking it and the wood movement calculator estimates the change. Turning green wood is a different process, covered in green woodworking, and is not part of this plan.
Mounting the blank
Blank, backing block and faceplate
Prepare the blank
Cut the blank 6-1/2 in square and saw off the corners so it is as close to round as you can make it, as Grizzly does before mounting, with a band saw or coping saw. Mark the centre on the face that will be the foot.
Make the backing block
Make a block 3 in across and 3/4 in thick from scrap, its faces flat and parallel — Grizzly warns that uneven faces make the work spin off centre. Drill a 1/4 in hole through its centre.
Glue it on
Sight the blank's centre mark through the hole, glue and clamp the block to the foot face, and let the glue cure for the time its maker gives; see how to use wood glue.
Mount
Screw the faceplate to the block only, with non-tapered-head screws, short enough to stop well inside the block. Thread the faceplate fully onto the spindle and lock it as your lathe's manual sets out.
Turning the bowl
Set the speed from your own lathe's chart for the blank's sweep, not from a general figure. A 6-1/2 in square with its corners sawn off sweeps about 7 in, which falls in the 6–8 in row of Grizzly's G0844 chart: 380 rpm for roughing, 810 for general cutting and 1240 for finishing. Once the bowl is round at 6 in it is still in that row. Other lathes have other charts; the lathe guide explains how they are read.
From blank to bowl
True the blank
Spin the work by hand to check it clears the rest, as the AWGB advises, then start at the lowest speed and rough the edge round to 6 in and the face flat.
Shape the outside
Mark the height 1-3/4 in from the block and the 3 in foot, and shape the outside from the rim to the foot. Check the curve against the table: halfway down, at 7/8 in above the base, the outside is about 2-1/2 in from the axis.
Hollow the inside
Bring the rest round to the face and hollow towards the centre. For most inside work Grizzly's manual has the tool contact the work slightly below centre. Leave a 3/8 in wall at the rim and stop at 1-1/4 in deep, checking the depth with a rule across the rim and the wall with calipers.
Sand and finish
Stop the lathe and move the rest out of the way, as Grizzly directs, then sand with the abrasive folded, never wrapped round the work, as Grizzly and WEN both warn. Apply any finish with the lathe off; see how to sand wood.
Part off
Part in at the glue line from the side, towards the centre, but not all the way through, as WEN does; stop the lathe and finish the cut with a handsaw. Easy Wood Tools gives the same rule between centres: part to about 1/4 in and saw.
Finish the foot
Sand the foot flat on a sheet of abrasive laid on a flat surface, so the bowl stands without rocking.
A finish is your choice. If the bowl will hold food, choose a finish whose maker documents it for that use and follow the maker's cure time; what makers and the FDA say is set out in food-safe wood finishes, and finishes in general are compared in the wood finish guide. This page makes no claim about food contact, heat or washing for the bowl. A carved companion piece, a 10 in wooden spoon, is in spoon plans.
Safety— Faceplate work
Check the glue has cured and the faceplate is locked before switching on; wear a face shield and safety glasses, as Grizzly directs; start at the lowest speed standing out of the work's path; keep the tool on the rest before it meets the wood; and stop the lathe whenever unsure, as the AWGB advises. Your lathe's own manual comes first. Tools and their use are in turning tools, woodturning, protective equipment in woodworking safety equipment and general rules in woodworking safety rules; dust from sanding is covered in dust collection.
Before turning
- Blank dry, flat and free of cracks, checks and loose knots
- Corners sawn off, centre marked
- Backing block flat and parallel, glued and cured
- Faceplate on the block only, non-tapered screws, locked
- Speed taken from your lathe's own chart
- Face shield on, work spun by hand to clear the rest
Sources
A BenchRoot design; every dimension is on the drawing or in the tables and is a design choice, not a standard. It was drawn and checked but not built or tested for this page. The drawing is to scale on screen but is not a printable or full-size template, and there is no download. Speeds are quoted from Grizzly's G0844 chart only, to show how a chart is read; use your own lathe's chart. The page makes no claim about food contact, heat or washing; finishes for food contact are covered, from their makers' documents, in the food-safe wood finish guide.
- 1.
Model G0844 14" x 20" Benchtop Wood Lathe, Owner's Manual. Grizzly Industrial, 2019.
Used for: Faceplate turning for open-faced work such as bowls; a backing block of scrap with flat, parallel faces, a 1/4 in hole drilled through its centre to sight the work's centre, glued and clamped to the work and the glue cured as its maker directs; only screws with non-tapered heads; corners cut off the work to bring it close to round; for most inside (bowl) work, the tool contacting the work slightly below centre; the speed chart by diameter — 6–8 in: 380 rpm roughing, 810 general, 1240 finishing; 4–6 in: 510, 1080 and 1650; never wrapping abrasive around the work; the rest moved away for sanding; each workpiece free of knots, splits and foreign objects; a face shield and safety glasses whenever the lathe runs.
- 2.
Model 34034 14" x 20" Variable Speed Wood Lathe, Instruction Manual. WEN Products (store-hosted copy), 2019.
Used for: The separation begun with a parting tool but not cut all the way through; sanding with the paper folded, never wrapped; finish applied with the lathe off.
- 3.
Easy Parting Tool — product information and safety. Easy Wood Tools.
Used for: Between centres, never parting completely through: cutting to about 1/4 in and finishing with a handsaw.
- 4.
Woodturning Safety Guidance. Association of Woodturners of Great Britain.
Used for: A visor or goggles, the work properly held, the rest set, the work spun by hand to clear the rest, a speed suitable for the job, the tool on the rest before it meets the wood, and the lathe stopped whenever unsure.
- 5.
Chapter 4: Moisture Relations and Physical Properties of Wood. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Wood shrinking and swelling across the grain as its moisture changes below fiber saturation, tangential about twice radial, with little change along the grain.
About this project
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.