Round Opening Bowls

This is what most people visualize when they think of turned wooden objects, usually in the form of a salad bowl. Basically, round opening bowls have a top edge that is in the shape of a circle, and the height of the points on the edge over the base is uniform.

This is also the form that most turners create when they first make a vessel, as it is relatively easy to turn. However, while a bowl can be made by a novice in a few hours, a good bowl is much more difficult to create. From a functional viewpoint, a good bowl must be easy to hold, with either one or two hands, as may be appropriate. If meant to be picked up by one hand, it must fit well and be balanced between the thumb and the first finger.

Aesthetically, while there can be a wide variety of pleasing bowls, almost all of them share a feature, namely that there is a continuous curve from top to bottom. The curve may change directions, and these changes may be gradual or sudden, but, in Western woodturning, it is generally accepted that there must be no straight lines.

Below are some thumbnails of round-edge bowls. Click on any image you wish to and a larger picture will appear. You can then either come back to this page and select another item you wish to view, or directly move on to the next item. If there is an asterisk next to the thumbnail name, it means that I have written more than just what the wood is.