Carving Large Bowls 4

Carving
Large Bowls
Design Basics Although carved bowls can take almost any shape, I follow the principle that form follows function. Furthermore, the forms I like are efficiently made with the tools that I use. The exterior consists of gently curved convex sides, and ends that are easily shaped with a hewing axe, spokeshave, and gouges. To dramatize the lines, I leave distinct corners on the exterior at the junctions of the sides and ends. The interior is rounded everywhere. You could carve corners where the sides, ends, and bottom come together, but doing so is time consuming and not a particularly efficient use of the basic bowl carving tools. These large, carved bowls are almost always made from a halved log section, although I have used thick chunks of sawed timber. The most usual configuration is with the split section of the blank facing upwards (4). This is the easiest orientation to work with, and can result in the largest possible bowl volume. It's not difficult to visualize how the bowl form will be developed from the halved log. You can also orient the bowl upsidedown, with the split section of the log towards the bottom (5). This approach intuitively seems wrong, since the semi-cylindrical log blank doesn't evoke a bowl-like shape. Although it's more difficult to work with a split-down blank, the results can be attractive, and the challenge of working this way is intriguing. Hewing and carving a split-down bowl blank can result in a striking growth ring pattern on the finished bowl. On the exterior, growth rings appear as longitudinal bands, closely resembling planking of a classic lapstrake wooden boat. On the interior, the growth rings form pleasing concentric ellipses. The wooden boat motif can be taken further with this orientation. In an effort to achieve significant bowl width, you must lower the sides-the "shear line," to borrow boat design terminology-along the midsection of the length. One possibility is to make the entire bowl very shallow-a necessity if you're working from a plank for the bowl blank. But there is also the attractive option of shaping the stem ends high and proud, forming dramatic handles, and further invoking the boat-like shape. One further consideration in deciding to work split-up or split-down is the difference in shrinkage during drying. Wood generally warps contrary to the curve of the growth rings during drying. A bowl carved from a split-up blank will tend to curve more across the ends and along the shear line as it dries. The curved lines of the carved bowl become more dramatic during drying. And the flat bottom will cup slightly, possibly making the bowl more stable when it sits on a table top. With the split-down configuration just the opposite happens. The handles tend to flatten and the bowl gets slightly narrower as the shear line rises. Also, the bottom becomes convex, requiring some additional flattening after drying. When carving a split-down bowl blank from wet wood, you should consider exaggerating the curvature of the shear line and the flat end-decks that make up the hand holds. Next Page Country Workshops Home Page

E-mail:
Drew Langsner
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828-656-2280 (M-F, 9-6 Eastern time)