Here’s a quick, simple way to attach a bowl blank to the lathe. The method requires a faceplate larger than the finished bowl.

Start by screwing the square bowl blank to a faceplate in the corners using the shortest screws that will attach the blank. I use 3/4-in.-long screws for all but the largest bowls. If your faceplate is too small, then enlarge it by attaching a 3/4-in. plywood disc. Now turn the bowl inside and out, being careful not to hit the screws in the waste corners. Leave the last 1/4-in. thickness of wood next to the faceplate.

The bowl is now complete except for the bottom. Continue turning at the slowest possible speed, carefully angling a parting tool to release the bowl from the lathe. The bowl will not fly across the shop; it can be picked from the lathe as it is parted off.

Peter Sibbald, Lyndhurst, Ont., Canada

Fine Woodworking Magazine, December 1995 No. 115

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