Basic Bowl

[Steve Schlumpf]

The majority of the bowls I have turned over the years were finished with poly. While that works great for a display/centerpiece, it is not the finish I want for a general purpose utilitarian bowl. Colleen asked for a slightly larger bowl to primarily be used as a fruit bowl but also could be used to serve food if needed. This is what I came up with.

Maple, 12” (305mm) diameter x 3 ¼” (83) high and finished with a couple of coats of Mahoney’s Walnut Oil. The rim is 5/16” (8mm) wide and the walls taper to about 3/16” (4.8mm). The bottom of the bowl is slightly thicker to provide some ballast. Overall, the bowl is well balanced and feels good in the hand. The small knot hole on the outside was filled with Ebony shavings and CA.

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As always, your opinions, critiques and comments are welcomed!

Thanks for looking and Happy New Year!!

[Michelle Rich]

very nice utility bowl. I hope it gets lots of use , and you are glad you made it each time it sits on your table.

[charlie knighton]

Colleen asked

[BILL DONAHUE]

That's a very good looking and functional bowl. Isn't it nice to make something simple and fast for a change? I recently did only my 12th and 13th bowls after several years of turning hollowed forms. Both were done when the weather was too nasty for the boat or cycling and I just felt like doing something on the lathe that would be quick and easy. Your wife will probably like it more than your artsy pieces. Always look forward to seeing your work.

[Reed Gray]

I prefer plain and simple.

robo hippy

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Steve, It's nice to see all that blind hollowing didn't make you forget how to hollow out something you can actually see. Did you turn this one green and second turn it or is it once and done?
faust

[Eric Gourieux]

I like the simple form and the wood is beautiful. Hope you/she enjoy it.

[David DeCristoforo]

My new goal in life is to make a bowl as nice as this one. No... it's not a "New Year's resolution". I don't do those. It's a goal. Even if it's just one, I am determined to make one! This is a great example, plain and simple, unpretentious, useful and simply beautiful.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Thanks for the comments everyone - I appreciate it!

Faust - I roughed this bowl out in 2008! For some reason - I much preferred turning HFs since then but have to admit, it sure was fun to just turn and not worry about thickness like you have to on a hollow form!

David - bowls can be a lot of fun because it is more of a dance when you turn one as opposed to working on hollow forms. I think you'll enjoy it!

[John Keeton]

Great work, Steve!! I hope you get extra brownie points from Colleen for this one.

Makes me want to finish one of my rough outs!