 Katie may be a new member of our club,
but she is no newcomer to woodworking.
This young, enthusiastic, Wisconsin woodworking teacher brought us her
expertise in basket & bowl making.
As does any teacher, Katie supplemented her presentation with very
informative handouts that described her favorite internet sites related to bowl
and basket making, a bowl cutting Angle Calculation chart, as well as one on
Making Bowl Patterns.
Katie brought in bowls and baskets that were made from one flat board. The baskets are cut with the blade at a 90 degree angle to the wood, while the bowls are cut at an angle that is calculated based on the thickness of the wood and the desired ring width. Katie told us that www.scrollmania.com is a great website that includes a tutorial and a free bowl pattern maker.
Swede, no newcomer to woodworking, has
been making his beautiful baskets for quite a while – but just recently started
making the bowls. As he does so well,
Swede told us what does work, and just as importantly, what doesn’t. He said that although he hasn’t quite
mastered this bowl making, he sure gets a kick out of taking a flat board and
making something wonderfully 3-Dimensional out of it. Some of Swede and Katie’s bowl making tips are:
·
You
must SAND the board prior to cutting
·
You
use Geometry (Katie’s handout) to figure out the angle to cut the board
·
Use
the SMALLEST pilot hole possible! (one of the hardest parts of making these
bowls is making sure that the pilot hole does not show up on the bowl) ·
For
glue, Katie likes TiteBond or Eileen’s Craft Glue. Swede prefers SOBO (from Micheals) because it
leaves a clear ring
·
Swede
sometimes stack cuts his boards. He uses
medium-duty, double-sided carpet tape between the boards
·
When
stack-cutting, Swede suggest using different species of wood in the stack. That way you can mix and match, thereby
making your finished bowls much more decorative and interesting.
·
The
MOST CRITICAL step in bowl making is the angle set-up!!! Take the time to do it as perfectly as you
can.
·
Swede
suggests using an ice pick to make a dimple at the site of the pilot hole. This prevents the drill bit from drifting off
course.
·
After
rings are cut, rub the bottom of each ring on a piece of sandpaper that is on
an absolutely flat surface. This
flatness is critical to rings laying flat upon each other.
·
Swede
made a bowl press and suggests that after you glue the rings - but BEFORE you
glue them onto the bowl bottom piece - you put the rings in a press until
dried. This allows you the freedom to
more easily finish-sand the inside of the bowl.
After that sanding is done, then glue the bottom on.
·
Try
to use a Food Grade Finish or leave unfinished.
Members suggested using Butcher Block or Walnut Oil
·
Swede
says his baskets sell like crazy for $55 to $65 apiece.
·
If
you cut your board from a log, be sure to seal the ends and let the log dry
prior to using. Once the log is dry, you
can cut your boards with a bandsaw and sand the board flat and smooth. Do like Katie and leave the ring of bark on
your board as it becomes a beautiful top ring of your finished bowl.  · Unlike turned bowls, a bowl made via a flat board can have ANY shape. It can be round, square, scalloped, triangle, oval, rectangle. And, if you intersperse different species of wood within your bowl, it has the potential to be absolutely stunning.
All in all, the combined woodworking wisdom of Swede and Katie was very
helpful and informative. Give basket or
bowl making a try. Like anything that
turns out gorgeous, it is not the easiest thing to do, but well worth the
effort when done right. Speaking of done
right, the North Star Scrollers have “done right” in having the experience,
talent and wisdom of Swede, as well as the enthusiasm, skill and talent of our
youngest member Katie in our organization.
They are what made it a “Super” Bowl meeting. |
|
|