Bowl in a bowl

[Jack Tyree]

I went to a woodworking show recently and saw a bowl turned with another bowl inside of it. Kinda like when you stack two identical bowls in the cupboard only with the top on leaning off kilter. Can anyone explain to a dummy how that was done? I know it was some off axis but I'm darned if I can figure it out...

[charlie knighton]

Jack , i have not done one of these double multi-axis bowls, but
I know it was some off axis but you gotta be right

it would help if the blank were smaller at top and maybe 2x on bottom so you could chuck it up on side or 1st 1/3 of bottom, turn top bowl which is off center, then chuck it up centered bottom and turn bottom outside of bowl

not sure if i am making any sense???? i do not think a normal blank would work

[Dale Miner]

Making 2 stacked is easy. Turn the blank to a rough outside shape and leave the top 1/2 inch or so straight. Put a tenon that is almost as long as the chuck jaws will take. Reverse into a chuck, true the outside and have the curve of the outside end 1/2 inch away from the top, with the top 1/2 inch straight. Cut the outside of the inner bowl into the top 1/2 inch. You should end up with about a 3/16" indicated wall thickness on the outside bowl. Hollow the inside bowl, leaving a wall thickness the same as the indicated thickness of the outside bowl. It will now look like two bowls stacked with the inside bowl on the same exact plane as the outside bowl. Loosen the chuck and shift the axis of the piece by shifting one side away from the face of the jaws, and retighten the chuck. This is where the longer tenon comes in. The top of the piece will now be running out axially as well as radially. Cut the top of the piece flat, and the illusion of two stacked bowls with the inside bowl askew will result. Reverse onto a friction chuck and cut the foot as normal.

It gets a good bit trickier to do more than two.

I think the originator of this idea was Jim Burrowes.

[Steve Vaughan]

What a very cool and interesting idea! I sort of like that, thanks Jack, for the post...and for the answers!

[Jack Tyree]

Dale, that's absolutely right. Now I remember it was Jim Burrowes and he had a booth at the Artistry in Wood show at the Airport Expo Center in Dayton, Ohio. He tried to explain it to me but he was real busy with people there, and I really didn't want to take him away from possible business. Thanks for the explanation, it sounds fairly easy and I believe I'll have a go at it. I think I was trying to make it a lot more complicated than it was.

[Dale Miner]

Jack,

One detail that is now remembered that was left out of the above description; Keep the wall thickness of the top half very consistent. If the thickness varies, when the top of the piece is recut to create the illusion, the uneven wall thickness will become very apparent. It also helps if the form of the bowl/s is close to spherical.

Later,
Dale M