Bowl Making 201

DATE: Saturday January 25th, 2025

TIME: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

LOCATION: Houck Machine, 12811 16th Ave N., Plymouth, Mn   https://goo.gl/maps/kJdhVLsHq8F2

A Journey to Better Form and Execution of Turning

Full day class 9-3pm

This class is designed for turners who have been turning bowls and want to enhance their skills. Do you
sometimes have a bump, lump, thick or thin area you don't expect on a bowl? Are you unsure what to do
at the bottom of your bowl with your mounting method? Does your bowl gounge sometimes
“misbehave”?
We will look at the three elements of a bowl (foot, body and rim) as well as topics such as how a bowl
looks on a table (lift) its comfort, and its cross section. We will learn how to get more out of our bowl
gouge and scrapers. How and why do these two tools work? What is happening at the tip of the tool as it
engages the wood? When should you consider a pull cut, a push cut and a sheer scrape (and do we
understand those techniques?) Sanding suggestions will also be an area of focus. We will work on
making purposeful cuts that allow us to remove the wood we want an keep what we intended.
The class will involve some lecture, some observation of turning techniques, and lots of time behind the
lathe for students to practice the suggestions in the class. We will be turning small (5-7”) shallow bowls
so that we can focus on techniques and be able to complete our pieces without stress. If you prefer you
may bring a bowl blank of your choice (no larger than 6” by 3”) for the afternoon session and work on
that project.
Bring a smile and accept that we are all learning to turn better together. Mistakes happen, so be prepared
to laugh off the ones we make on the path to becoming better turners.

Tool and Equipment Suggestions

(Please do not go out and purchase any tools for this class! With the exception of a face shield (which is
an important thing for us all to own), bring what you have of the following. We can share some tools or

improvise if your shop doesn't have all of the items on this list.

Face Shield
Safety Glasses or appropriate Eye Protection
N 95 mask (for sanding)
Smock or apron
1⁄2 “ Bowl Gouge (You can use any grind you like, but make sure your tool is SHARP, and you know how
to sharpen it.)
3/8 Bowl Gouge (Ditto)
One or more Scrapers for use inside a bowl (round or french curve, flat top or negative rake, or carbide),
which of course you will bring sharpened!
Sanding abrasives for hand sanding a bowl
2” disc sanding pad, abrasives and a drill
A Pencil or two
6” ruler (nothing fancy)
Whatever measuring device you like to measure bowl wall thickness
One or two bowls you have turned that we can discuss in our class
You may bring a bowl blank to turn in the afternoon session. We recommend it not be larger than 6” in
diameter and 3” high so that it fits well on our mini-lathes.
If you struggle with sharpening please work on this before the class. It will make your day more fun.