Turning your first bowl

Step-by-step guide

Turning a bowl involves a number of steps. To stay on track, you might want to use this list as a cheat sheet. (Note: We're starting with your wood blank already on a chuck, which we'll cover in a future lesson.)

1. Put on your safety gear: A face shield is mandatory. Use a dust mask and ear protection as needed.
2. Put the wood blank on the lathe by screwing the chuck on to the headstock spindle.
3. Select the scraper you'll use to start turning the bowl (your instructor will help with this).
4. Set the tool rest so that when the tool is flat on the rest it is pointed directly at the center of the bowl. (Otherwise it's going to either grab on the bowl or fly off of it. You don't want that.)
5. Before turning on the lathe, revolve the wood by hand first to make sure the rest is close to the bowl without touching the wood.
6. Turn on the lathe. Talk to your instructor about the best speed to use for the project you're making.
7. To avoid having the tool catch on the wood, always keep it flat on the rest. 
8. Turn the outside of the bowl into the shape you want. Some people sand and finish the outside at this stage.
9. Turn the inside of the bowl. Match the inside shape to the outside shape without getting the wood too thin or going through the bottom of the bowl. They say "we all do it" and that's true. But we'll start out making sure you don't. You can use the shop's calipers to test the thickness of your bowl sides. There are other techniques for gauging the thickness of the bowl's bottom. They vary depending on the chuck you're using, your instructor will help you keep an eye on the bottom thickness as you go.
10. While its still on the lathe, sand the bowl till it's smooth enough to make you happy. The pros get pretty fussy about creating a mirror finish. You can if you want, but we won't judge if you think that's overkill.
11. If you're using a wooden chuck glued to the bottom of your bowl, cut it off with the parting tool. Otherwise, take the bowl out of the metal chuck.
12. Finish the bottom of the bowl by hand sanding. Or, you can put the bowl back on the lathe using Cole Jaws to hold the bowl by its top so you can sand the bottom.
13. Finish the bowl with oil, clear spray, wax, or other treatment. 
14. Grab the bowl, run home, and show your friends and family how talented you are!!!