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View Full Version : What tools do you use to embellish bowl rims?



Jack Gaskins
02-02-2011, 9:01 AM
I was wanting to try and do some embellishment around a plain bowl I made that has a wide flat rim. I see from other photos around the web that some people use a carving tool or some kind of grinder or one of those mini arbor carving tools. What do you guys use?

Norm Zax
02-02-2011, 9:49 AM
Endless options - burn line on outside (with wire) or inside (with small piece of Formica); if thin - pierce with high-speed drill; burn (with torch) and then carve; burn (with pyrography tool) and possible color in; remove some wood while turning (a ring) and then fill with crushed stone and CA; carve with a grinder with a proper wheel or an arbotech grinder / mini grinder; etc, etc.

Steve Vaughan
02-02-2011, 10:12 AM
Yup, Norm's about got it there. Pretty endless possibilities and depends on exactly what kind of embellishment you're wanting create. One to add to Norm's list would be a texturing tool too, such as the one by Sorby where you can create textures or spiral effects. And, I just recently completed and posted pics of a platter I did where I created two grooves on the edge and then copper-leafed that 1/4" area between the grooves.

Christopher K. Hartley
02-02-2011, 10:49 AM
Jack, I often cut grooves and hollows in my rims. This would be similar to the Walnut bowl I did sometime back. I use a small narrow parting tool for the grooves and a small round nose scraper for the hollow. Both of these tools were fashioned from small carving tools from Harbor Freight.

Jack Gaskins
02-02-2011, 1:57 PM
I was thinking more along this type of embelishment. Photo is not my bowl, used one from the web.

Steve Vaughan
02-02-2011, 2:37 PM
OK, that helps. Looks sort of like small carving gouges, freehand, then stained and finished.

Kyle Iwamoto
02-02-2011, 2:52 PM
I use sandpaper.:o

I know I'm in the minority. My personal preference is to not use other "stuff" and have the bowl "natural" or whatever you may want to call it. Maybe someday I'll venture into the more artsy/creative part, but for now, I like to leave the wood alone for the beauty of the wood itself. I also do not like to use stains or dyes.
Sometimes I use a burn wire or chatter tool, but that's the extent of my embellishments.
Just my $0.02.

Mike Peace
02-02-2011, 6:09 PM
I like the Sorby Spiraling and Texturing system. Here are some examples I posted earlier:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?156314-My-texturing-technique&p=1600859&highlight=#post1600859

I haven't gotten to carving yet like the sample you showed.

Jack Gaskins
02-02-2011, 8:49 PM
I think the Arbortech tool or one similar is what I am probably looking for. Has anyone used the a similar tool to carve the rims of their turnings?