Bowl blank dimensions

[Holmes Anderson]

Is it common practice to cut blanks with a height to diameter ratio within some fixed range?

 

[Doug Freeman]

Nope, just depends on the final shape/size you want. A little extra dimension in a blank is easily cut off, too small is impossible to fix unless you want to glue some.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

A little extra dimension in a blank is easily cut off, too small is impossible to fix unless you want to glue some.

As with a lot of things in my life, I like a little extra....

 

[Darryl Fective]

A downside of extra thickness is a longer drying time.

 

[Doug Freeman]

A downside of extra thickness is a longer drying time.

You wait for bowl blanks to dry? The question is about blanks not 2 turn wall thickness.

 

[hockenbery]

Is it common practice to cut blanks with a height to diameter ratio within some fixed range?

I don’t have any fixed rules. For NE bowls I generally cut the blanks 2” + longer than the width of the log
This accentuates the ovalness. The hight is then 1/2 the diameter of the log.

Most all of my bowls have a width 2x or greater than the height.

There are lots of great looking bowls taller than wide but those might be called vases.

 

[Kirk Amidon]

For most bowls, I find that a ratio that approaches 3:1 works well. That is, make the diameter about 3x the height. This will generally provide a pleasing shape. The rule of thirds works well for all sorts of designs, whether a bowl, vase, or other object.

 

[Dean Center]

Each of us has a 'typical' bowl shape we tend to turn. This depends on what we're starting with, what pleases our eye, and how bad the arthritis is that day. A week ago, my granddaughter asked for a walnut bowl for fruit and when I asked her about size and shape, she said she wanted a fairly open bowl. Out of the 100 or more dried blanks sitting on shelves in the basement, walnut or otherwise, not a single one was in her size and also the open shape she wanted. I'd spent all those hours manhandling trees into ready-to-turn blanks, and nearly all of them were of the same shape. 😯 Let that be a lesson to me.

The lesson for you might be, don't have all the blanks the same ratio. (Corollary: you can always make a bowl in process shallower, but you can't make it deeper than where you start)

 

[Holmes Anderson]

Thank you for these great responses. I did think a typical ratio would be from 2:1 to 3:1. The outliers for me are the ones that are significantly taller than average relative to diameter because of tree shape, pith location, or splits. Those tall blanks create a lot of waste when used for a basic footless utility bowl. Maybe better to just go with the flow and use those tall blanks for roughing out footed or lidded bowls.

 

[robo hippy]

Well, bowls, plates, or platters? I always start from a log, well 90% of the time. I select how I am cutting it up so there are no knots in the blanks, but some times there are surprises. Take a log section and cut it in half, again priority for no knots! Cut one end off square on my big bandsaw, then stand it on end. Some times I want more personal sized bowls, some times family sized bowls, but again, this depends on the slab. I then cut slabs out of the log half. Some times due to cracks in the log section I will get more plate/platter slabs, some times more bowl slabs. Since I once turn my bowls and let them warp, I don't worry about anything other than knots. I guess it depends on what you are aiming for. Some of everything always has worked for me. This does work great for sales. I like to get the most I can out of each piece of wood, so if 2 pieces are identical, that is an accident rather than by design.

robo hippy

 

[Doug Freeman]

Thank you for these great responses. I did think a typical ratio would be from 2:1 to 3:1. The outliers for me are the ones that are significantly taller than average relative to diameter because of tree shape, pith location, or splits. Those tall blanks create a lot of waste when used for a basic footless utility bowl. Maybe better to just go with the flow and use those tall blanks for roughing out footed or lidded bowls.

Why cut a bunch of bowl blanks that won’t be used for months or years? Why not leave logs whole with ends sealed, then cut up a section at a time, and create the size blanks wanted at that time? The logs do need to be stored off the ground and out of the sun.

 

[Darryl Fective]

You wait for bowl blanks to dry? The question is about blanks not 2 turn wall thickness.

OK, I guess I didn't understand whether the question is about cutting up a log for making bowls or coring blanks. D'oh!

 

[Holmes Anderson]

The blanks are mostly being roughed out into bowls on the same day they are cut. I would prefer to leave the wood in log form but I can't haul full logs and don't have a good place to store them either. I buck a log onsite and then seal and load the rounds in my truck. As many rounds as practical are moved into the woodshed and shop so I don't have to work with ice-covered wood. The others wait in the truck.

 

[Dean Center]

The blanks are mostly being roughed out into bowls on the same day they are cut. I would prefer to leave the wood in log form but I can't haul full logs and don't have a good place to store them either. I buck a log onsite and then seal and load the rounds in my truck. As many rounds as practical are moved into the woodshed and shop so I don't have to work with ice-covered wood. The others wait in the truck.

Just a thought. When we process, or have the arborists cut to length, we specify 'twice the diameter plus 2-6 inches'. When I get them home, I rip lengthwise through the pith and bag until I can get around to making rough bowl blanks.

If you're wanting to decrease the weight of the logs, the 2-blank half log would weigh about as much as those rounds you are making, the stress at the pith would be relieved, and you would lose less of the length to end checking or cracks.

 

[hockenbery]

Just a thought. When we process, or have the arborists cut to length, we specify 'twice the diameter plus 2-6 inches'. When I get them home, I rip lengthwise through the pith and bag until I can get around to making rough bowl blanks.

I do pretty much the same but usually rip through the pith while working the tree.
We often coat the ends with anchor seal there as well.

These half logs we stack in the shade. They usually last 3-4 weeks before their use by date expires.
I cut the blanks as I use them.