# First routed bowl



## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

A good friend asked if I could make him a wooden bowl to store apples etc. for their dining room table. I initially declined under the ruse of not having a lathe. That must have worked as he never asked again which gave me ample time to design and complete this one. An article on routing bowls in Woodsmith magazine, issue “170 helped. An aside, the look on his face when I handed this one to him was worth the effort and I might add the ruse. 
An antique version of Sketchup confirmed the basic idea of stacking octagonal rings on a base might be buildable and provided rough measurements for the individual pieces. The base of mixed wood glued up from left overs of other projects defined the maximum diameter of the bowl. Bowl depth was determined by the length of a CMT bowl bit and extension. From those dimensions hickory and walnut planks were ripped into ¾” sticks for the bowl. 
Sticks were cut into 8 pieces, each sequentially numbered and labeled as to its orientation (L vs. R ends) on the stick and mitered at 22.5 deg on the TS. Cuts were set so the face grain would be to the outside of the bowl. The dry fit to the base looked reasonable.
To glue up a ring a set of 8 pieces was placed in order on painter’s tape along a straight edge. As the joints were end grain each was double glued as previously described on the Forum. The ring was rolled tight with the painters tape, banded to maximize pressure and clamped between 2 pieces of MDF to prevent twisting. Rings were passed through a drum sander to remove any squeeze out and assure uniform thickness. 
The bowl was formed by progressively adding rings to the base. Painter’s tape was used to minimize slippage as each ring, including the top was glued and clamped in place. A minimum of 24 hours was allowed between glue ups with Titebond III.
A circle routed from 3/8” BB affixed to the bowl top with double sided tape was the template for routing the interior. Once the inside wall was routed, the template was removed and additional routing added depth and set the inside curvature between the base and the bowl wall. 
Excessive material on the outside of the bowl and the base was removed with a bandsaw prior to significant sanding with an oscillating belt sander and ROS to establish the final bowl shape. A round over bit and table router established the curvature on the outside edge of the base. 
Hand sanding was done to 220 grit for the entire bowl and base. I elected not to fill the subtle nicks to the inside of the bowl as artistic license. 
3 coats of warm Howard’s Butcher Block conditioner was applied with 24 hours between coats.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

wow!!!
that is pure character...


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Great job.
Herb


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Betcha that's a "one of a kind". Can't see you doing that again. WOW

Good show!!!


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Well done, Jon! I've been wanting to try one of those on the CNC; now I may have to actually do one.

David


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

That's beautiful Jon, couldn't have turned out any better.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Thank you one and all for your comments. 

I agree with John's comment, doubt that I could duplicate this. That is what I was hoping for when I sequentially numbered and labeled the orientation of each piece as it came off each stick. I also kept the 2 hickory sticks oriented as they were ripped so the cuts were started as close together as possible. In the end luck was on my side.:grin:


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Beautiful job! I like how you used your drawing to guide the layout of the 8 sides. I think it might be a little easier to cut if the wood on the sides were a little thicker. This is a real test of your band saw setup and cutting skill. And a great use of scraps and cutoffs.


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## old coasty (Aug 15, 2014)

Beautiful


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I had to re-read this whole thing again this morning over a cup of coffee. Those oval pictures really had my mind twisted up until I went back and looked at them again after reading your latest post. You did a lot of pre-planning in your mind on how you wanted the grain to show in the end, and it came out very well. Really enhanced the whole project.

You can't stop now, the design options are endless, different shapes and different patterns. Your on to something now.
Herb


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Jon next time glue the boards together to form a long blank then cut side pieces from the blank. That way you already have all the joints lined up and just glue those together to form the bowl. It should save some time and headaches.

Nice looking bowl and good choice of woods.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

MEBCWD said:


> Jon next time glue the boards together to form a long blank then cut side pieces from the blank. That way you already have all the joints lined up and just glue those together to form the bowl. It should save some time and headaches.
> 
> Nice looking bowl and good choice of woods.


You always come up with the best ideas to make it simpler..................Why didn't I think of that. :smile:

Herb


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Now he HAS to try another one.

To the Clubhouse Jon!!!


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

MEBCWD said:


> Jon next time glue the boards together to form a long blank then cut side pieces from the blank. That way you already have all the joints lined up and just glue those together to form the bowl. It should save some time and headaches.
> 
> Nice looking bowl and good choice of woods.


Great suggestion Mike. That approach never accord to me but it will definitely be applied to any future builds.
@honestjohn
Yes, it is time to return to the Club house, further contemplation is required.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Just received this photo from the bowls owner. Always good to see one's projects in use.
Unfortunately I can't claim the table as well.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Jon - that bowl turned out really nice - I like it a lot. And it was nice of the new "owner" to send you that picture - means they like it a lot too.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

It does the table justice too.
Herb


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

You done yourself proud with that one Jon!!! Well done indeed


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Looks even better on second view.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Thank you one and all and Tom's point was well made, it does look a lot better on second view. Nice piece of photography helped.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Very nice! I have router that needs some exercise. Need to see if there is a video on this. I have lots of wood that needs to be made into something. Keeps SWMBO happy!


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