The obsession with thinness

[Rob Miller]

What is the obsession with getting a thin wall? Is there a reason thin walls are more desirable?

[Scott Hackler]

Two reasons:

1) to impress people (mostly fellow turners) with the light weight of the piece. It takes skill and hours of practice to achieve consistently thin walls.
and
2) to facilitate piercing a piece. (from someone who pierces a lot of my pieces, I require 1/8 or thinner to make piercing a lot easier.

[Paul Williams]

I don't think thin walls are more desirable. Depending on the use, size, and style of piece the wall thickness should vary. Having said that I continue to turn thinner than necessary just to see if I can.

[Dale Miner]

I think it starts with the comparison to pottery.

The early and sometimes recent earthenware bowls and vessels were made with thick walls and were for the most part utilitarian objects. The fine porcelains were thin and often translucent and were above the means of the common man. The stonewares were not as thin as the porcelains, but still quite a bit thinner (and lighter weight) than earthenware. Stoneware was a higher fire pottery than earthenware, and so was more expensive.

Thin pottery then was a more expensive and usually fancier object, and from that thin became desireable. Some of that carries over to woodturning. A 12" bowl that is 1" thick will be considered utilitarian regardless the form or embelishment. The same bowl with a 1/8" wall would never see utilitarian use.

Besides the above, it is neat to show off to other turners and turn a large piece a consistant .075" wall :-) .

[Reed Gray]

I went through a thin phase, well on my turnings, not on me. When trying to sell them, they were interesting to customers, but many were afraid to even pick them up, and at outside shows, I had to put juggle balls in them to keep them on the shelves. I want my pieces to be used, so less than 1/4 inch just doesn't usually fall into that area. It isn't particularly difficult to turn an open form very thin, say less than 1/8 inch and keep it consistent. You use the same skills doing that as you do if you can keep a consistent thickness and ripple/bump free surface on any bowl. Getting that type of surface on the outside of a bowl is much easier than getting it on the inside. If you can do it on the inside, without having to resort to several discs of 80 grit, you have skills. However, with hollow forms, it is an entirely different story.You can't see what you are doing on the inside, and have to feel and/or guess.

robo hippy

[Rob Miller]

When trying to sell them, they were interesting to customers, but many were afraid to even pick them up, and at outside shows, I had to put juggle balls in them to keep them on the shelves. I want my pieces to be used, so less than 1/4 inch just doesn't usually fall into that area.

robo hippy

It's really a matter of balance, IMHO. I like the piece to have enough weight to stay where you put it. A little extra substance adds a degree of tangibility.

[Michelle Rich]

I think it purely a turner fixation. To show off one's skills. Many of us know what it takes to achieve that skill, so we appreciate it. the general public and your mom, aren't impressed one bit

[Prashun Patel]

Yes, I'm convinced it's to impress other turners. Technically it's more impressive. However, in my short experience at fairs, I find that many people correlate heft with value in utilitiarian forms. Ironically, a light bowl feels cheaper in some people's hands. If it's a hollow form or strictly decorative piece, then lightness and delicateness may be valued higher.

If turning green wood that you wish to warp but not crack, then turning a thin (and even) wall is preferable to thick. A thin slice cooks easier and more evenly than a thick filet.

[neil mackay]

What is the obsession with getting a thin wall? Is there a reason thin walls are more desirable?
Not really from my point of view as I tend to carve mine after turning. Most purchasers go for the shape, form, colour, grain and so on etc. Thin really isnt there, unless it adds something like the translucent Norfolk Pine bowls

[Richard Coers]

I could care less what other turners think about my thin work. The major benefit of thin turnings is with my wet to finish work. The wood is free to move and distort. The effect I am after. Drying cracks are nearly non existent. I'm curious why the OPs question? If you don't want to turn thin, don't let it bother you. I would not consider that technique an obsession, it's just a method of work.

[Dennis Ford]

I agree with Richard; turn the thickness that you want to turn. If for sale as utility pieces, thin means 1/4" - 3/8".

[Jack Gaskins]

I don't think it is just because thin walls are desirable; just that people don't like to pick up heavy objects. IMHO I think thicker bowls look nicer and give a quality feel. But I have bigger hands and don't mind the weight. I try not to turn any thinner than 3/8ths. Mostly 1/2" or more for bowls. Some folks just like to test themselves though and nothing wrong with that.

Jack

[John Beaver]

There are times when thin looks a little more elegant and on certain shapes thick can appear clunky. I think it's a matter of evaluating each piece and it's intention. Is it a salad bowl or an art piece? I make some hollow forms thin and others thick depending on the feel I am going for. Some of my bowls require thicker walls, some thinner. Either can be right or wrong.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I agree with John's comments. It all depends on what it is you are creating. The real concern should be about balance. Does the piece feel right when picked up? Art pieces, at least mine, are generally thin and lightweight and when you view them, you would expect that they don't weight much at all. The bowls that I turn, decorative or utilitarian, are not super thin but are never clunky. Again, it is all about balance.

[robert baccus]

Thin depends on how far people can reach in.

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

There's another aspect to this conversation - segmented work. Because wood moves as a percentage of it dimension, the thinner the vessel wall, the smaller the potential movement. Segmented vessels can actually be more stable when they are thin.

[Dale Bonertz]

My obsession with thin is as Richard said. I love they way they dry and distort. I don't much care what other turners think. Try turning a piece of elm or hack berry down to a 1/4" or less and watch it do its thing. They come out looking pretty neat. My personal fruit bowl is a 15" to 16" by 5" to 6" deep hack berry bowl. Turned to 3/16" to 1/4" or so thickness and the undulations and warping turned out fantastic. I have been using it for about three years now with no issues so thin can be utilitarian as well.

[George Overpeck]

I like to turn some wood thin because the wood can change its appearance from having a touch of light coming through. It doesn't need to be notably translucent to change appearance, but around 1/4" a light wood can take just enough backlighting that chatoyancy and wood figure stand out a bit more, and the viewer is looking into the wood as well as looking at the surface.

There is also the factor of the rim in turning thickness. If the rim is meant to be focused on as a design element it needs to bring some balance to the work, sometimes that means thick instead of thin of course.

Also, sometimes one is working with a piece of wood which simply isn't very remarkable in any way and a good method to make it interesting to turn or view is to go super thin.

[William Bachtel]

If I have to clean out the worm holes I turn it thin, so the job is easier. Thin is over rated by turners, not buyers. John Beaver is right on. Steve to.