How thick should I make a user bowl?

[Tom Jones III]

I'll be making a set of bowls to eat salad and a bowl for serving salad. How thick should I make the bowls? Does it matter much? FWIW, they will either be mesquite or pecan.

[Jim Ketron]

I would make the serving bowl at least 1/2" and the salad bowls at least 3/8" Thick I like my bowls a little thicker than most, but that would be the minimum I would make a utility bowl. They should give many years of service if taken care of properly. Also a lot depends on what size they are, to determine the thickness.

[Ernie Nyvall]

Tom, I've seen them very thin... less than 1/8". If I were doing them though, I think I'd make the walls 1/4" to 3/8" and round the edges... just personal preference. I think a thicker bowl would hold up better with the washing and all, and I like a more hefty feel to something I'm eating from. Again just personal preference.

Ernie

[Andy Hoyt]

I'm with Ernie. It's a heft to size ratio thing.

[Bill Grumbine]

Thick?!? THICK!?! I don't know guys, I think I may be the thickest around here.

Tom, below are two of my salad bowls, both fairly recent turnings for me, both from the same log.

<img src="http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/englishwalnutsaladbowl01.jpg">

This one is just about 14" in diameter, and about 4" high. The walls are a little over 1" thick. :eek:

<img src="http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/englishwalnutsaladbowl02.jpg">

This one is almost identical in size, with the exception being the wall thickness, which is closer to a fat 1/2".

I have turned bowls with wall thicknesses of 1 1/4" for people who like them that way. It has to be proportional though, and feel good in the hands of the holder. My bowls are thick at the rim and taper down to significantly thinner at the bottom. They are actually lighter than they seem when looking at them, and that is always a pleasant surprise for whoever picks them up.

People like my thick bowls so much that I usually don't make the thinner ones for use.

Good luck with it.

Bill

[Keith Burns]

Tom I have to agree with Jim on this one at 1/2" for serving and 3/8" for a utility (eating out of) bowl.:)

[Bernie Weishapl]

Tom I am making a set of mahogany salad bowls and the main bowl. The salad bowls for eating are 3/8" thick and the main bowl will be around 1/2" thick.

[John Hart]

Carole Valentine sent me a beautiful little Cherry bowl that would be the perfect size for a side salad....but it has a 1/8" wall. I would be fearful that it wouldn't survive the washing though. It holds an honored place on my desk instead.:)

[Stephen Hibbs]

what do you guys use to finish user bowls? I use polyeurathane, but I'm wondering if there's a safer option.

[John Hart]

It's my understanding Stephen that all the finishes these days are food-safe after they've cured. It's just a matter of how one cares for the piece over the years. So many options....