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Faceted Walnut Bowl

The way I hold my bowls in place as I carve is with this wooden assembly called a bench hook. The main part, the actual bench hook, is the flat piece of plywood protruding out toward the camera. There’s a small piece of wood screwed to the bottom of the front and to the top at the back so when I push against it, it catches on the edge of the bench. Sitting on top of the bench hook is an auxiliary board with a big, cork-lined notch. In the next photo you’ll see the bowl in position for carving.

The way I hold my bowls in place as I carve is with this wooden assembly called a bench hook. The main part, the actual bench hook, is the flat piece of plywood protruding out toward the camera. There’s a small piece of wood screwed to the bottom of the front and to the top at the back so when I push against it, it catches on the edge of the bench. Sitting on top of the bench hook is an auxiliary board with a big, cork-lined notch. In the next photo you’ll see the bowl in position for carving.

Here the bowl is wedged into the notch. I carve on the far side of the bowl so that the pressure from my hands pushes it into that cork-lined “V”. It’s nice and stable, and it’s also really easy to re-position the bowl.

This bowl has a gradual fade from smaller to larger cuts as you go from bottom to top. I started with my beloved #5 Pfeil, then transitioned to the slightly shallower and wider #4 Henry Taylor gouge and then shallower and wider again for the cuts near the rim with the 2 Cherries #3.

Once the carving gets close to the rim it gets increasingly difficult to work on the bench so I move over to the lathe. I’m simply using the lathe as a clamp, here, holding the bowl against a padded faceplate with pressure from the tailstock. Once I lock the headstock, the bowl is immobilized in a good position for carving. To rotate the bowl I simply unlock the headstock

I buff the carved areas with white Scotch-brite, which is minimally abrasive. This gives it a bit of shine and smooths away some of the lifted fibers.

The bowl is finished with Mahoney’s walnut oil, my go-to finish for functional pieces. It’s easy to apply and easy for customers to maintain.