First bowl

[lee33]

Hi All,

I thought I'd share a photo of my first attempt at turning a bowl on a pole lathe. I've had a go at bowl turning on an electric lathe before but I found this to be very different, a lot more enjoyable in fact!

bowl.jpg (72.35 KiB) Viewed 3980 times

It's made from silver birch, which felt quite nice to turn with one of Ben Orford's hook tools. I found that you really do have to pay attention to what you're doing with these hooks. They're nice to use but very aggressive, I guess that's the nature of a hook.

bowl 2.jpg (39.98 KiB) Viewed 3980 times

I found the thinning down of the core to be the hardest part, any tips or demonstrations at the next BB greatly appreciated!

Thanks to the local Sussex APTGW group for letting me have a go on your bowl lathe at the Weald Wood Fair. It really inspired me to try completing the bowl making process all the way through once I returned home, I'm glad I did!

[SeanHellman]

Looks like a very nice bowl. How big is it? I found the same making the core into a cone shape was really difficult at first.

[lee33]

Thanks, it's about 6 1/2 inches in diameter. I was speaking to my friend this evening about turning the very last part of the bowl, he has been turning bowls for a while and suggested trying a crooked hook tool like the one that Ben Orford sells. Have you started making any hook tools yet Sean?