Turning My First Wood Bowl

by Stephen Scott Johnson

I wanted to enhance my kitchen's look with a beautiful wooden bowl. So I'm proud to say this is my first bowl, made from Cedar of Lebanon. Now I need to figure out what to put in it. Maybe some hard candies or peppermints.

how to make a turning wood bowl, crafts, how to, woodworking projects

I watched a few YouTube videos to get an understanding of the tools needed and the required steps. I purchased a wooden blank from a local woodworking store for about $15 and turned it into a bowl on my JET mini lathe.

This picture shows me attaching the faceplate with 4 wooden screws. This faceplate will screw onto my wood lathe. Holds the wood so I can shape the exterior of the bowl.

Here's a picture after I turned the profile of the bowl and sanded. This is the outside of the bowl. The indentation on the very bottom is for my 50 mm 4-jaw chuck. The 4-jaw chuck will hold the wood so I can turn the inside of the bowl.

Here's a picture of the 4-jaw chuck. It fits the indentation I made in the bowl's bottom. When I expand it, the jaws will grip the bowl tight so I can turn the interior of the bowl.

Picture of my bowl after I turned it, sanded, and finished it. I used a bowl gouge and scraper to turn the inside of the bowl. I had to make sure I maintained the correct depth and thickness of the bowl's sides. Started sanding with 120 grit up to 400 grit sandpaper. Then switched to micro mesh. I finished with a friction polish.