Scroll Sawed Wooden Bowls!

Hey everybody!

I was disappointed recently to find that there are no instructables on making wooden bowls with a scroll saw, even though there are lots of books published on the subject.  So I've decided to fill the gap.

All you'll need is a scroll saw and a few other tools to get started.  I like this project because it minimizes the amount of wasted wood (unlike bowls made with a lathe) and the bowls produced have very interesting designs.  It's also surprisingly easy, as long as you have the patience to sand it to perfection...  So let's get started!

I also wanted to thank my wife Trish, who inspired and helped me to tackle this project.

Step 1: Materials

The following tools are mandatory:

• Scroll Saw

These tools are optional, but make everything easier and improve the quality of the bowls:

• Table Saw
• Miter Saw
• Planer
• Jointer
• Drill Press with adjustable stage (For different angles)
• Belt/Disc Sander
• Digital Caliper/straight edge

You will also need the following supplies:

• Wood glue
• Scroll saw blades (yes - they will break often)
• Pen/pencil
• Clamps, clamps, and more clamps
• Sand paper and sand paper belts for sanders
• Varnish (and/or stain, depending on what you want to do)
• At least 1 board foot of wood, can be pieces of various woods

Note:  If you plan on putting food in the bowl, you should avoid using exotic hardwoods.  Many of those woods contain toxic chemicals which can contaminate food and possibly harm you.  However, most domestic hardwoods are fine for use with food.

Comments

[mrtcurtis]

I found your info on a google search. This has been one of the best pages I have found so far on how to make a bowl with a scroll saw. I got a scroll saw for Christmas and have been wanting to learn this process. Thanks and your bowl is beautiful.

[SlickSqueegie]

very very cool. My hat is off to you sir. Not only for attempting such a challenging looking project, but for pulling it off with great success! Here is the only other tutorial I have seen involving this project type. http://www.woodcraft.com/Articles/ArticlesPrint.aspx?ArticleId=425

[elmejor06]

What types of wood did you use exactly? I can't find any affordable but different looking woodtypes. Would want wood that is dark next to some light one like in this ibl.

[LMO]

I think that was purpleheart, padauk, and maple (lightest). It might be interesting to use a combo of pine and oak. They might not look like they contrast at Home Depot, but they will once you put a varnish on. Otherwise, you could always play with stains on cheap pine and see what happens.

[elmejor06]

Thanks, I will try the normal supply store here in Germany and see what I can make out of that.
Unfortunately I'm going on vacation next week so need to finish some bowls this week to be ready for christmas.

[Mrballeng]

Absolutlely great tutorial.

[Scottbrizzle]

That P-Chem book is a beast. I see you've put yours to more use than i have. Great bowl!

[brianfss]

Very nicely done. I've done this same technique but used the lathe to finish the bowl. I just rough it out like you did, the mount it to a faceplate and turn to finish.
Good comments on using exotics for food. They can be pretty potent. Use domestic hardwoods if food is going to be stored in the bowl. Mineral oil is a fine finish and is food safe. So is Watco Danish Oil if you let it cure for about 2 weeks prior to use.

[mopedmoby]

I really like this project. good job... only question I have is how food friendly are the varnish and wood glue?... I have a wooden cutting board at home and wooden spoons but they are all unvarnished and the cutting board has seams but i believe that it uses a peg and hole system with glue only there, so as not to get glue near the actual cutting surface... regardless nice bowl for various knick-knacks and the like.

[Mik21]

Titebond III has been deemed food safe and all you need is mineral oil to finish it. This is common practice for cutting boards. I hope this helps.

[K0JSY]

There are food safe wood finish products. Check with a local woodworking shop. Don't go to Lowes, or Home Depot, but a store focused on woodworking. One type of product that comes to mind is salad bowl wax. It's easy to use, and provides a food safe finish that also looks nice. www.woodworker.com has a variety of food safe finishes you could look at too.

[LMO]

I really don't know, but I would have left it unvarnished if I put food in it. More importantly, the purpleheart used in these bowls has very toxic oils that can be leached out over time. If you want to avoid those toxic oils, stick with domestic woods like oak, maple, cherry, etc.

[mopedmoby]

Thanks a lot to both of you. Your replies are much appreciated.

[doctordoomless]

this is a pretty cool instructable.good job. i think i'll have to give this one a go.

[doubleshockz]

i dont have a scroll saw, but have a bandsaw, do you think it will work for this project.

[LMO]

You may have some trouble with the smaller circles. It all depends on what the turning radius of your band saw blade is, but it's hypothetically possible.

[doubleshockz]

oh thanks... im kinda new to woodworking but really like it, and my dad just bought me a band saw for Christmas and ive been doing projects like crazy on it. he will probally have to help me with this one though

[wisconsinjimmy]

I do bandsawing and scrolling is a close cousin and when making boxes I only cut thru the first line, make the cut and set the piece aside then go to the next and so on this will save a lot of gluing and the possibility of failure of the joints. Purple Heart will darken over time nothing will stop the reaction. Just the way it has to be. I like Elm when I can find it and look for the purple hue that signifies the tree is dying, make sure the wood has been dry or else. Love the bowl .
Jim

[fallental]

I like the wood used here , but I have none :( If I made this bowl with some scrap wood and stained it would it make a nice gift do you think?

[LMO]

Oh yeah! The materials here were kinda pricey ($16/bowl), so I'd like to try something different. Cedar has some wonderful grain that would probably look amazing. Please post your finished project!

[fallental]

If I have time to do this, I will and I will post pics. Thanks for this 'ible!

[Phil B]

I would add one thing in step 3. When gluing up strips to make a panel pay attention to the tree's annual rings. When you view the pieces from the ends, you can see a curved "C" pattern. With changes in humidity, each piece will cup in the direction of the opening in the "C". Ideally, the open side of the "C" should be up on one piece, but down on its neighbors, then up, then down, and so on. Any cupping in one piece will be offset by cupping in the opposite direction on the next piece and will keep the panel relatively free of warping or cupping when finished, even years later. I have attached a graphic.

[LMO]

I agree. I forgot to do this with the second bowl I made. It sat for a few days before I glued it and there was some noticeable warping in that short of a time. Thanks for the contribution!

[bowlbunny]

Surprised that the person who posted missed my book, Wooden Bowls from the Scroll Saw, which is full of detailed step-by-step instructions for making bowls of all different shapes using only the scroll saw and sanders. It's been out about a year, and lots of people are having fun with it. It's a great technique, and I ran with it because, as was said in the post, nobody has really given instructions for it before.

[LMO]

Don't get me wrong - I'm a big fan! The book is great (I just couldn't remember the name) and your youtube videos are very helpful.

[bowlbunny]

Glad you've found the videos helpful. And many people before me have made bowls, using the bandsaw and scrollsaw, so the idea certainly didn't start with me.

And BTW, that bowl that you posted is really pretty, and it looks like you did a nice job matching up the stripes, which isn't easy.

[LMO]

Thanks a lot! I did have one big problem though. After cutting and sanding the purpleheart in the bowl turned a shade of brown, which takes away from it a little bit. Have you ever seen this kind of thing with purpleheart?

[bowlbunny]

Purpleheart is very fickle. Some of it is bright purple both before and after it is cut, which is really great. However, I re-sawed one bright purple piece, had it turn an ugly brownish color, then let it rest of a couple of days, and it got purple again. In this case, exposure to sunlight accelerated the "purpling". It also made the wood warp, but that went away when I took it out of the sun.I wasn't even going to use it (it was for my box book, out in about a year) but it held its color nicely.

Some people put it in the oven to get the purple back. Other people have had the experience where the color darkened after it was exposed to sun and air. I wonder if there's a difference between heartwood and sapwood and the way the cells react to cutting and sunlight, but have never seen a technical discussion of this.

Usually the advice is to keep the finished work out of the sun to preserve whatever color it has. I usually try to build enough contrast into my laminations and glue-ups to allow for color variation so any change isn't that critical.

[bowlbunny]

Found this on a wood site. Hope it helps:

Purpleheart sapwood is pinkish-cinnamon with a light brown streaks and is from 2 to 4 inches wide in mature trees. The heartwood is a dull brown color when freshly cut but oxidizes to a violet purple color when exposed to light. When exposed to sun and rain, the purple color will become black.

[jd570a]

Purpleheart changes colors with exposure to air and sunlight. The purple is most vivid shortly after cutting or turning. Saw some photos once of a purpleheart tree being felled, the color in the in the sawdust was incredible. I use EEE Polish and Shellawax on my pens. I caution the customer not to leave them lying on dashboards or other direct sunlight areas. I read somewhere that car wax with u/v protection is supposed to work. I haven't tried it yet. Maybe it's time to break out the Meguiars and see if there is anything to it. Very nice work with the Instructable and the bowl. I want to try some segmented work, not sure if I have the patience for it.

[frazeeg]

You just addressed one of my main problems with using a lathe - the waste. I always hated finding a gorgeous hunk of wood only to have more than half of it end up on the floor as sawdust when I had finished turning a bowl.

I'm sure you've seen/thought of something like this but making a jig where you drill a hole in the center of your rings, slide that through a dowel, and rotate about the center would give you a clean, consistent radius throughout the cut. Obviously the jig would need to be designed so you can change the placement of the jig dowel to change the cut radius.

I'm sure I'll be trying this in the future and if I do make up that jig I'll be sure to post it. Thanks for the guide!

[LMO]

Jig designs have passed through my mind more than once. I think that mating the jig to the scroll saw itself would be the hardest part. I've also been trying to find a rotating clamp thing-a-majig that could hold the piece in place and rotate without drilling a hole in the piece. I'd love to see what you come up with, keep me updated!

[AaronAdamic]

That's wonderful! Great job!

[Dr. Pepper]

that clear coat looks greaton it!

[rimar2000]

Nice job, I will try it.

[crankyjew]

i'm curious, what are the advantages of a scroll saw vs. a band saw? the only difference i can tell between the two, in terms of functionality, is that a scroll saw blade is [more easily] removable. i'm not sure how the reciprocating motion and general complexity of the scroll saw would be preferred. thanks, excellent instructable by the way, i plan on doing this once i get a good pile of exotic wood scraps.

[jdege]

Scroll saws can change direction more easily than band saws. You can cut a tighter radius, which makes them better for cutting intricate patterns.

On this, the inner circles are tight enough that they could be tricky, on a band saw.

[JamesRPatrick]

Scroll saws can cut the inside of a circle or other design. Drill a hole, put the blade through the hole, and cut out the design from the inside (refer to the first paragraph of step 7). A scroll saw can cut a solid ring while a band saw cannot.

[scoochmaroo]

WANT. I love purple heart wood. Let me give you my address. . .

[bobby sissom]

very nice