When does a bowl become a vase?

[wabbitpoo]

What I mean by that is, I've assumed that to make a goblet, box or vase you mount the wood spindle-style, whereas a bowl is mounted with the grain across the lathe.

Having just tried to make a bowl with grain along the bed of the lathe, and it turned out very well (for a beginner!) I was wondering what the logic is of using one approach over the other?

 

[CHJ]

....Having just tried to make a bowl with grain along the bed of the lathe, and it turned out very well (for a beginner!) I was wondering what the logic is of using one approach over the other?

For starters strength, if you have turned an endgrain bowl with thin sides then they will have very short cross grain links at some point which will be fragile.

Unless the wood is very dry and stable it will be at far more risk of splitting, a cross grain piece would more likely tend to distort rather than split.

 

[Bodrighy]

The difference isn't in whether it is a bowl or a vase. It's about spindle versus face work. Which way the grain is going doesn't determine what it is just how you work it. A vase is usually tall and the wood for this is often used end grain but doesn't have to be. Bowls are often face work but again can be turned from a big enough piece of branch or trunk. At the end of the day the rules are that you do your own thing and just be aware of how the wood will react. To turn a bowl you mount it face plate style and to turn a goblet you mount it spindle wise but that has no bearing on how the grain is going. Half of my bowls are technically spindle as the grain is running along the bed of the lathe. Goblets, vases etc ideally need the grain running along the bed simply because the stem would be too weak otherwise but again there are probably woods where this wouldn't matter.

Pete