HOW TO TURN A WALNUT BOWL

In this project, we show how to turn a simple walnut bowl.

- Bruce Aulrich

Tools and materials:

• Drill and driver

• Lathe

• Sandpaper

• Carbide cutters

• Mineral oil

• Wooden blank

I recently picked up a wood lathe. I've always wanted one, and finally pulled the plug. I've been trying my hand at a few turning projects in the last few weeks, and I've been liking the bowl creating process especially. I had some walnut on hand that was about 50mm thick, so I found a piece that I thought would work and took it to the lathe to try out.

I started off by cutting out my blank. It was about 180mm x 180mm and after I found centre and secured the faceplate,

I cut off excess weight in the corners to make it more like a circle when I started. I like to use a large compass to find the largest circle possible out of the blank. That way, I know right where to cut the corners. I use a bandsaw for this typically, but sometimes, I just take it over to the table saw and cut off the sharp corners, turning it more into an octagon.

If you start with at least an octagon shape, it makes it much easier to get the blank round. You don't have any of the sharp corners that are prone to catching your tools.