Have you ever looked at a wooden bowl and wondered, “How do they do that?” Well, this is your chance to find out!

This 6 hour workshop (choose from two weeknights or one Saturday) introduces you to the art of bowl turning in a fun, safe environment. You’ll begin by learning how to secure your practice poplar blank to the faceplate and set up your lathe. Then you’ll learn how to efficiently use the bowl gouge to rough out, shape, sand, and finish your bowl. If time allows, you will complete a second hardwood bowl from start to finish.

At each step, the instructor first demonstrate the techniques and works with you individually to improve your skills. In the end, you will (hopefully) have a small completed bowl or two to take home, keeping in mind that the challenges of bowl-turning can sometimes lead to broken or bottom-less bowls.

If you love bowl-turning, you can then move on to our Intermediate Bowl Turning workshop (coming soon).

We provide a bowl gouge and parting tool, a lathe, and face masks, although you are welcome to bring your own safety gear. If you would like to invest in your own bowl gouge, please see the recommendations below.

What You Learn

Setting up the lathe and wood blank for faceplate turning, correct use of the bowl gouge, roughing out a bowl, shaping the bowl, sanding and applying finish, and using the parting tool to remove the bowl from the faceplate.

All The Details

Cost: $85 (including materials)

Meeting Times: Choose from 2 night classes or one Saturday class

Prerequisite: None. You might like to take Intro to Spindle Turning before or after this class, just to see the difference between the two turning methods.

Please Bring: Your own bowl gouge and safety equipment if you like (optional)

Instructor: Brian Mulcahy

Recommended Tools: A 5/8” or 1/2″ bowl gouge. There are a variety of gouges available that vary in quality and price. As long as it is made from high speed steel (HSS) it will work, but in general, you get what you pay for. Here are some options for 5/8” gouges at a different price levels:

Benjamin’s Best 5/8″ HSS

Robert Sorby 1/2″ HSS (instructor’s favorite)