Andy Coates looks at a commonly made object and deconstructs it to make something more interesting.

Once in a while you obtain a log of something special. It might be the grain, colour, or species that makes it ‘special’, but whatever it is that distinguishes it, you are often presented with a conundrum; use it immediately in the excitement of acquisition, or save it? I have a laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides) trunk that qualifies as a log, and as such it is not something I would be comfortable using recklessly. As much of the wood as possible ought to be used to get maximum use from what is becoming a rare commodity.
There is something I regularly turn that is perfect for a project with such constraints: a lidded bowl from a single blank, where even the finial comes from the same block of wood. I prefer to use a wood with some character, striking or at least obvious, grain and for preference some distinction between heart and sap wood; all these add to the finished object. Due to the method used to produce the lid the grain will align upon finishing and if you can manage to incorporate the sap/heartwood boundary, even better as this adds to the visual dynamic considerably. This is also a useful methodology for expensive exotics as it reduces waste dramatically.
This is also a useful methodology for expensive exotics as it reduces waste dramatically, and negates the necessity for two expensive blanks when producing a lidded bowl. You might also consider it useful for simply making the most of a bowl blank by producing a second blank for a different project; it not only makes financial sense, but also reduces the amount of shaving you have to dispose of at the end of the day.
The coring method I use here is by no means the only method available, but to my knowledge there is no dedicated system for sub-150mm blanks such as is available for larger coring jobs, and whilst not entirely ideal, it is an adequate method which does produce useable secondary blanks. Keep in mind the stresses, on both your body and the blank, take things slowly, withdraw from the cut regularly to remove shavings, and all should go well.
Tools
- 10mm long-ground bowl gouge
- 10mm parting and beading tool
- 2mm parting tool
- 10mm long-ground spindle gouge
- Modified Robert Sorby slicer
- Hot-melt glue gun
Materials
- Half a 150mm log, 190mm long
- Abrasives 180–400 grit
- Cellulose sealer
- Danish oil
- PPE: Facemask, gloves, dust mask/respirator


Drawings and how to resize them
To enlarge or reduce the size of drawings right click on the image to download it and then go HERE to watch a video on how to use paper with a grid to do exactly that.

























