Popular Woodworking 2007-06 № 162, страница 63

At the Lathe

Round Bowl; Square Rim

'Found-edge' turnings offer unique edge shapes and a glimpse at wood origins.

Square bowls - or perhaps more accurately, found-edge bowls - are one of my favorite variations on the general theme of natural-edge pieces. I started making these (oh-so-many years ago) not long after I started turning. The random shapes of the wood chunks I was putting on the lathe were often far more interesting to me than a simple round bowl.

Among other things, the design opens up many possibilities for showing off unusual pieces of wood, especially crotches and pieces with a strong contrast between the heart-wood and sapwood. This kind of bowl can serve almost as a Rosetta Stone for someone unfamiliar with trees and wood. The pattern and orientation of the grain in a plain, round bowl may seem to have nothing to do with

the piece of tree from which it came. But a found-edge bowl makes its origins clear.

Making these pieces also allows me to indulge one of my particular obsessions in turning: What happens when a turned surface intersects one that is not turned. I love to play with the shapes exposed on the edges, especially when the thickness of the rim area changes. And I like the contrasting textures - the smooth, sanded wood next to the bark edge next to the saw-cut ends.

by Judy Ditmer

Judy, author of two turning books and many articles,

has been turning since 1985. She teaches and demonstrates her skills throughout the United States and Canada.

Try to pay attention as you are cutting up wood you have gathered, and you will probably begin to notice pieces that are practically crying out to be used for projects like this.

A note about safety: You must be especially careful while turning these bowls. If one of the corners protrudes farther out from the piece than the other corners, it will be effectively invisible while the piece is spinning. It can do serious damage if your hand or arm gets in its way. When you are working in the edge area, make sure the toolrest extends well beyond the longest corner of the workpiece, and never allow any part of your body to cross to the active side of the toolrest. And don't even think about touching any part of the workpiece with the lathe turned on.

A "square" bowl is turned using the saw cuts and the outside edges of a chunk of wood as the edges of the bowl itself.

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Popular Woodworking June 2007