Bowl wall thickness

Re: Bowl wall thickness

GaryG in MD

It's certainly true when they are drying from green wood, but after they're finished (let's say soaked with oil), probably not so much.

BUT, wooden bowls should never be "under water"!

After use, they should be just wiped out with a soapy rag/sponge and freshly oiled. ...GG

Re: Bowl wall thickness

robo hippy

Well, for sure, bowls and most wood things do not like sudden changes in temperature and humidity. Thicker pieces will have more 'adjusting' to do than thinner pieces. For a bowl that size, I would want walls in the 3/8 inch thickness range. Part of this is because I turn green to final thickness, and with a 20 inch bowl, if you twice turn it, the necessary thickness for the rough turning will not let the bowl totally adjust/dry enough for the second turning. There is always some thickness variations near the bottom of the bowl, but I still strive for a consistent thickness. It evens out the stresses of climate change.

robo hippy

Re: Bowl wall thickness

Ralph Lindberg

I tend to leave bowls "thick", but thick (for me) is more like 3/8 to 1/2 (10 to 12mm).

I know many turners like to turn real thin, but, to me, that can be dangerous as the bowl could lack strength if you turned it too thin.

Ideally I start out with about a 3/8 to 5/16 edge (10 to 11mm), thin down by about a 1/16 (1mm) then go about 1/4 inch (2 to 3 mm) thicker at the base.

Leaving bowls soak in water is a bad idea

I once had someone what their money back/new bowl after they ran their bowl through a dish-washer and the heat/humidity cracked the bowl

Re: Bowl wall thickness

Sergio

Thank you. I certainly do not recommend soaking bowls in water but people that buy them may do it after use anyway at least this is my fear!

Re: Bowl wall thickness

Bill Boehme

Sergio, I haven't turned many bowls that size, but I prefer a uniform thickness at least as far as appearance is concerned. If a bowl is 20 inches in diameter and the difference in thickness from rim to bottom is only about 1/4 inch, nobody is going to be able to tell. First of all not many people have hands large enough to gauge between thumb and any other finger further than about three inches. Second, only woodturners engage in that sort of nonsense. I have turned as large as 18 inches diameter and to me, 3/4 inch seems about right. As you probably know, only woodturners have an obsession about turning thin. Everybody else wants some "heft" to the bowl. The weight of a particular species of wood used will determine the right thickness to achieve that "heft".

Given that the bowl has been oiled, it's not like sticking a sponge in water. Giving it adequate washing in the kitchen sink followed by promptly toweling it dry is perfectly fine. The problem is that some people might be a little lax in following that procedure and "forget" that they left the bowl soaking since sometime yesterday. I think that might be the origin of woodturners admonishing users to not immerse the bowls. Worse than getting a little wet would be too much detergent washing away some of the oil finish.

Re: Bowl wall thickness

John Lucas

I've only turned a few that large and the difference between 1/2 and 3/4" at the base isn't noticeable. It does make the bowl sit more firmly and balanced. I typically try to get an even thickness all the way through but I do remember several of them were thicker at the bottom. I think my walls were thicker also. Possibly not 3/4" but I'm pretty sure they were thicker than 1/2" I know my free standing salad bowl was thicker and it sold at a cherity auction very quickly for a good sum.

Re: Bowl wall thickness

Sergio

Thank you again. I certainly like solidity when handling a 20 inch bowl, mainly because, as I said, it can be used as a dough bowl. The old carved ones were mainly rectangular but round is OK. In my opinion they are difficult to sell but I had the opportunity of three big trees cut for the electrical company. The maple on my property is about 26 inch but I just discovered old fence nails and rot in it so the final size might be much smaller.

Regards.

Soaking a Bowl in Water...

Brad Vietje

This thread reminds me of a story a turning friend told me. He turned a pair of 20" diameter natural edge bowls from Weeping Willow, and tossed them into a pond, like little boats.

They grew leaves and then stems out of the bark edge, and apparently floated for a few weeks with a green halo growing up from the rim until they got too tall and top heavy and fell over.

I'd like to try that sometime Then I'd just swim out and plant them on the shore or in a damp area.

Safe spinning,

Brad Vietje

Newbury, VT