# A segmented eye bowl pattern



## Walney Col (17 Aug 2014)

This pattern is for a simple segnemted eye-shaped bowl featuring the Japanese symbol for "beauty".





The segmentation is of 1/2" or 12mm thick wood in a simple 5 piece glue-up with contrasting stripes which when finished will form a decorative swag along the length of the bowl.




If you don't have sketchup right-click the following image and select "save image as..." to download it to your computer then print it out at 100% to produce a bowl approximately 260mm long, 180mm front to back, and 124mm tall.




Download the Sketchup Plans here:- https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=ufcee5253-3167-4908-96df-c3b4ef9a8fa9


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## Walney Col (20 Aug 2014)

I made the glue-up yesterday adding 2 more mohogany strips and it came out rather well.
















All ready for drilling and sawing now. 

At 7mm wide they're going to be my narrowest rings yet so there's a reasonably high chance of mishap if not in the sawing then in the sanding process during which I'm _hoping_ to end up with a wall thickness under 4mm. I'm aiming for 3 but given how much I shake that might not be very realistic. I'll just have to see how I feel when I get down to 5 :roll:


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## Claymore (20 Aug 2014)

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## smoggy49 (20 Aug 2014)

Hi Col, 
+1 for the finished item, Ive always been interested in the technique you're using for bowls. Id like to try it myself one day, (when I have time) I must put it on the list of stuff I want do.
Chas


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## Walney Col (20 Aug 2014)

I have lousy health and don't always feel up to cutting but no matter how poorly I feel I always enjoy the planning and design process. I hope to start cutting tomorrow and I'll post more as soon as I can. The bowl's a present for someone who's bedroom is decorated in a japanese style so I'm thinking of ebonised it all over leaving only the change in grain to reveal the swags. It's a bit of a shame imo since I'd prefer it natural colour but she's my big sister so I can't really refuse. haha


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## Claymore (21 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (21 Aug 2014)

That's an excellent point but not perhaps in the way you intended.
美しさ does indeed mean "beauty" but only if you don't accidentally mirror image it as I did!

Good catch Brian!


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## Samfire (21 Aug 2014)

Nice work col. I will be interested to see the finished bowl because I can not see what makes it go vertical. Perhaps I am being a bit thick this morning..

Sam


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## finneyb (21 Aug 2014)

Samfire":9vvg8gs9 said:


> Nice work col. I will be interested to see the finished bowl because I can not see what makes it go vertical. Perhaps I am being a bit thick this morning..
> 
> Sam



I've got an idea how, but would also like to see the finished bowl and how Col does it.

I've done a bowl from a board on the lathe and it maybe that the process is similar.

Brian


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## Walney Col (21 Aug 2014)

This is a cross section through the middle of the bowl. What makes it go vertical is that all the rings are cut out with the scroll saw table at a steep angle (in this case approx 30 degrees) so that the inside dimension of an outer ring is identical to the outside dimension of the next ring in.




The rings can then be stacked on top of each other like so:-




To avoid having to do massive amounts of sanding it pays to work out what angle you need to set your table at so that ring1's outer dimension is as close to ring2's inner dimension as possible. There's no maths involved though, just transfer whatever ring width you want to use to the edge of the board...




...and adjust the angle of the table so that the top and bottom of the marks line up with your blade like so.





Hope that helps demystify it a bit


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## Samfire (21 Aug 2014)

Thanks col, you have explained it very well. I must find time to have a go at cutting one.
Sam


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## Claymore (21 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (21 Aug 2014)

Claymore":1d6r49fs said:


> Regarding angles Lidl are selling some digital angle finders this week for £8.50


I don't suppose you've got a link for them, I can't find them on the web site and our nearest liddl has just shut down so I'm hoping I could get one online.


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## Claymore (21 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (21 Aug 2014)

Cheers Brian, but the one I got all excited about getting for a tenner is the little square box magnetic type you can sit on a table saw blade of a scroll say table and watch the reading change as you tilt it. 






So much more convenient than having to peer underneath the table at an angle gauge that's probably not accurate anyway. The cheapest I've seen so far has been over £20 which is a bit rich for me at the mo, I have a new lathe to save up for first


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## Walney Col (21 Aug 2014)

The wife was back and took a bit of video today, the idea being that when I give the present it comes complete with a video record of how it was made. It'll probably be far too long and boring for most people's taste but I want my sister to be under no illusion that it was a simple 10 minute job! I'll post a link to the video here for anyone who's really interested in the details.


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## powertools (21 Aug 2014)

This is brilliant and way beyond anything I have tried and I guess beyond what most others have done.
A video would be good.


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## Walney Col (21 Aug 2014)

Thanks powertools. You might or might not want to mute the sound on the video when it arrives. It's going to be very very long indeed and feature Japanese music all the way through to teach big sis a lesson 

There again I suppose I could do a cut down version specially for scrollers.


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## Claymore (21 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (21 Aug 2014)

Claymore":3g35cd4r said:


> what about "Turning Japanese" by The Vapours for the soundtrack? oooooopps sorry its Scrolled not turned 9-)
> Look forward to seeing the video Colin....will there be any bloopers like You've Been Framed?



Both great ideas but the bloopers will probably only appear on the scrollers version, my sister still thinks I'm perfect!


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## Walney Col (22 Aug 2014)

I got the rest of the rings cut this morning without too many blunders. In total I had 5 breakages on the glue joints mostly due I think to the thin rings overhanging the saw's table and starting to vibrate in harmony with the saw before I could catch them. They're easily repaired though and I was half expecting it anyway.

I didn't realise when I took the photos below but three of the rings need to be rotated 180 degrees to be in the correct orientation. They still line up well enough to give a good impression of what the finished bowl wold look like though.

And yes it does have a very small foot and would probably fall over if you bunged a couple of oranges in it. But that's almost the whole point of it.. if it had a large stable foot it'd be full of junk in no time, but if it's so small it'll barely stand when you open the kitchen door up that puts it slap bang in the middle of the "artistic" category and is more likely to be left empty or with minimal contents purely as a decorative item.

That's my theory anyway


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## Claymore (22 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (23 Aug 2014)

The glue up...





















I came across an almighty disaster about an hour after the last photo was taken.









I hastily forced wood glue into the gap and wrapped umpteen rubber bands around the bowl and managed to get the gap to close but only just. The rest of the images below were taken a good 6 hours later and the red line highlights the cockup.












I have high hopes that it'll all come out in the wash but can't really say for sure till I get the rubber bands off and give it a bit of a sand. If I still have any visible cracks I'll give it the sawdust and superglue treatment before I finish sanding. What I find interesting is that while sawing the rings I'd had 5 breakages and every one was on one of the transverse (epoxy) joints. Lesson learned I think. Use the proper glue and bide my time.


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## Claymore (23 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (24 Aug 2014)

The first 2 photos show the joint that had split wide open while gluing the rings together yesterday. 







I used a variety of different sized drum and spindle sanders and for me this represents 3 hours worth of very tiring work.
























In the photo below you can see a step in the line between the 3rd and 4th ring down. I'm a bit gutted about this since it's a simple glueup mistake that could have been avoided. What's done is done though so there's no use crying about it.








More sanding tomorrow and for the foreseeable future.


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## Claymore (24 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (24 Aug 2014)

It's a length of 12mm diameter aluminium tube with a long slit cut into it with a hack saw, and the paper was cut from the middle of a 6" disc because it's all I had in 240 grit.


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## Claymore (24 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (25 Aug 2014)

Progress made again today but nothing really interesting. The belt sander worked a treat for rough sanding the outside.










Final wall thickness looks as if it's going to be right around the 3mm mark which is exactly where I wanted it.


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## Claymore (25 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (25 Aug 2014)

The finish is currently open to debate. Being intended for a japanese themed setting I was going to do it in high gloss black with a fine red pinstripe echoing the swags inspired by this piece...






But I got the indian ink out today and tried it on what's left of the glueup only to find that it totally obliterates the grain of both the mahogany and the oak meaning that you wouldn't even know there were swags on it. I was hoping the difference in grain of the swags would still show up even if the colour didn't but no such luck.

So the wife is now in favour doing it with oil and wax and keeping it for ourselves and starting something else for big sis.

I'll be taking a couple of days off from the bowl in any case 'cos I've got two new workbenches to make before my new lathe arrives on thursday.


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## Claymore (25 Aug 2014)

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## Jim o1 (29 Aug 2014)

Looks fantastic a true labour of love 
Dont worry too Mutch about your little gluing up misshap 9/10 non woodworkers dont have your eye for detail 
I would give myself a little talking to if it was me hehe i wind myself up over mistakes but dont beat yourself up 
I've been using a pva glue from ever build as its free from my workplace 
The one i have is a fast dry pva starts to set in 10 mins I've found less is more with it 5 mins after application it is easy to fine adjust before final clamping 
Thanks for sharing your progress
I'm going to attempt a simple version over the weekend


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## Walney Col (29 Aug 2014)

Thanks Jim, and good luck with yours!

This is 240 grit. One more day of sanding with 320 grit and it'll be time to oil it. 













The plans have definitely changed though, we'll be keeping it natural and doing it with linseed oil and wax.


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## Claymore (29 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (29 Aug 2014)

Claymore":xiamwnc4 said:


> I suppose using that technique you could make a Targe (shield) ?


I shouldn't think so. No scroll saw that I know will let you cut at the really shallow angles you'd need to make a targe.


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## Walney Col (30 Aug 2014)

Final sanding by hand with 320 grit this morning then the linseed oil went on.
The enhanced contrast between the woods really makes this mis-alligned rings pop but overall I'm still happy with the way it turned out bearing in mind it's the first bowl of this type and the largest I've ever done.





















I am however seriously considering slicing the top three rings off, cutting a base for them, and turning what you see now into a shallow dish and bowl set one to be stacked inside the other. That would eliminate one complete set set of misalignment which currently show up in 4 places inside the bowl and 4 places on the outside so it might well be worth doing.

Still to be waxed and buffed - but I'll decide whether to slice the top off first.


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## Walney Col (30 Aug 2014)

I've just finished cutting the top three rings off my bowl. I used a dremel clamped vertically and spun the bowl around on the work top below it.







The cut's not as clean as I'd hoped for but a bit of sanding soon fixed that and I've now got a base gluing up on what has suddenly become a separate dish and I'm quite happy with the way things are turning out. 







It would have been nice to have no flaws in the glueup in the first place but as a result I'm now in with a chance of getting something even more unusual. More sanding and oiling tomorrow then it's out with the wax.


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## Claymore (30 Aug 2014)

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## Scrollerman (31 Aug 2014)

Col.
I am seriously impressed by your efforts in attempting such a complicated project but it's really starting to take shape now.
I really do take my hat off to you as your posts, which are very descriptive, along with your progress photos, are an absolute joy to see on this forum !
Yes, I know you've had problems but you've also showed us (and are still showing), how you soldier on to achieve your goal.
I'm sure the finished piece will look great and I for one find this thread and your inventiveness, inspiring ! 
Please keep the running commentary and pics/videos coming for this forum to enjoy. =D>


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## Walney Col (31 Aug 2014)

I fit a 1.5mm plywood base to the dish this morning.








I also rounded over the top of the new bowl where it'd been cut off from the remainder which necessitated re-oiling so the wax has yet yet to come but at last I'm feeling quite chuffed about what I'm accomplished. 







The wife is over the moon too (I don't think my sister could get if off her if she tried now) and plans to visit a florist tomorrow to investigate silk flowers etc.


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## Walney Col (31 Aug 2014)

Hi scrollerman, thanks for the kind comments and I'm glad you're enjoying the thread. There have been a couple of problems I didn't quite grasp the importance off but that's the thing isn't it... the next one can only be better.


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## marcros (31 Aug 2014)

I think the modification makes the proportions better and both items work well. 

Good work.


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## Walney Col (31 Aug 2014)

Thanks Marcros, I'm happy to say I agree with you


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## powertools (31 Aug 2014)

I fully agree with everything Scrollerman said and like Marcros I think that the finished item is better than the original idea.
I look forward to your next project.


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## Scrollerman (31 Aug 2014)

marcros":2kuazm7m said:


> I think the modification makes the proportions better and both items work well.
> 
> Good work.



I agree marcros and Col gets 2 really good finished products from the original which is an absolute bonus !


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## Claymore (31 Aug 2014)

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## Walney Col (31 Aug 2014)

Claymore":2zlzelel said:


> Colin I'd like to place an order for 3 dozen sets of them...... can you have them ready for mid September? 9-)


Probably... provided you let ME pick the year!


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## ardenwoodcraft (31 Aug 2014)

Can't really add to what's already been said. Superb work and splitting it into the bowl and dish really work well together. Looking forward to seeing your next project. =D> 

P.S.
Don't let your wife hide that wonderful inside bowl detail by filling it with flowers!!!!


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## Walney Col (1 Sep 2014)

finished


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## powertools (1 Sep 2014)

Stunning work.


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## Claymore (1 Sep 2014)

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## Scrollerman (3 Sep 2014)

Col.
The finished items look great !
I say 'items' because they really do look more pleasing to the eye than the original single design piece.
What a nice result for all your hard work. =D> =D> 

Looking forward to your next project.


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## Walney Col (3 Sep 2014)

Thanks guys, it was definitely more challenging than cutting hearts out of plywood, I'm amazed it turned out so well.


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## jonluv (3 Sep 2014)

Looks fantastic -- my fist attempt at a Swag Bowl ended in the bin with lots of unrepeatable words.

You should be proud of it ---- love it!

John


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## Claymore (10 Sep 2014)

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## Walney Col (11 Sep 2014)

Thanks for the heads up Brian. I just found a second hand copy on amazon for a fiver. Bargain!


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## Claymore (11 Sep 2014)

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## Walney Col (11 Sep 2014)

Whoops. Wrong thread, sorry!


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## Scrollerman (13 Sep 2014)

I've got to ask this Col.....Did your big sis like this bowl present you gave her and does she even realise how much love and affection you put into making it ?


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## Walney Col (14 Sep 2014)

I never gave her it or even told her about it scrollerman. As I was putting it together the sulk on the wife's face was getting deeper and deeper until I finally had no option but to abandon the dye-it-jet-black japanese theme leave it natural and give it to the wife instead. It now take pride of place in the middle of the coffee table as it was in the last photo and I started work on the pagoda light box for my sister instead.


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## Scrollerman (16 Sep 2014)

Walney Col":32n47eqt said:


> I never gave her it or even told her about it scrollerman. As I was putting it together the sulk on the wife's face was getting deeper and deeper until I finally had no option but to abandon the dye-it-jet-black japanese theme leave it natural and give it to the wife instead. It now take pride of place in the middle of the coffee table as it was in the last photo and I started work on the pagoda light box for my sister instead.



Nice one Col and here's hoping your sister gets the Pagoda LOL ! :roll:


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## Walney Col (21 Sep 2014)

It's taken a while but I finally got the video done for the dish and bowl set.

[youtube]Gt7Rbqyv2k0[/youtube]

It's 26 minutes long and there's not a lot of talking but there's music to help you on your way, I hope you like it.

Col.


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