When it comes to turning a bowl, one of the first considerations you will want to make, is what bowl blank you should use.

There are many factors that will shape your decision. In this article we will explore timber choices, grain direction and cutting the blank, to ensure your bowl blanks are ready to turn into the perfect bowl.

Timber selection

With any woodworking project, getting the right timber for your intended piece is vital for success. With woodturning, there are lots of things to consider, including moisture content, timber species and flaws such as knots and cracks.

If you have mastered turning between centres, you should have a good understanding of timber structure and how to select your timber for turning. However, when selecting a bowl blank there will be other factors to consider.

Firstly you might want to think about where you source your blank. The easiest way to source your blank is from a timber merchant or woodturning specialist. These blanks will be dried, sized and and ready to turn. They will have a wax seal around the edge to protect the grain from moisture.

Good timbers for turning bowls include native, British timbers such as elm, ash or beech. Sycamore is a great choice when starting out in bowl turning.

Before cutting your bowl blank, check your timber for flaws such as cracks or knots. These may be problematic when turning and could even be dangerous, causing your wood to split.

Bowl Blank Tips

While buying a pre prepared blank might be the easiest option, selecting and preparing your own blank from a log section or flat board can give you the opportunity to create truly unique pieces.

Remember to check your board is flat and stable and check for flaws.

You will need to consider how you mark out and cut your blank. To mark out on a board you could use a dividers or a template, but for a log section these methods can be trickier to get a perfect circle. You might want to make a circle cut jig instead.

The best option for cutting your material is a bandsaw. Choose a narrower blade to help keep control on the curves. Remember to check your grain direction - the end grain and side grain cut differently with the end grain much denser. Therefore, be mindful of these changes in density as you make the cut.

To learn how to cut your own bowl blank, watch our useful, instructional video, where woodturning expert Jason Breach will guide you through the process.

Wet vs Dry Timber

Most commonly turners will opt for dry turning, however wet turning can be much easier and cheaper to turn. Therefore using a wet or 'green' blank could be an option.

Wet timber is a term used to describe timber, which is recently felled, and is often referred to as green. This is when the moisture and sap content it still high.

There are a number of advantages and disadvantages to turning green timber. The main reason for turning green timber is to speed up the drying process by rough turning a bowl and leaving to season before re-turning. However, it can be a messy process and can cause cracking in the bowl as it dries.

More woodturning tips

Explore our articles for more woodturning tips, advice and projects.

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