Class description
A bowl or a platter is where a lot of turners really fall for the craft. You take a solid block of timber, find the form hidden in the grain, and bring it out cut by cut. This two-day workshop teaches you how, whether it is your first time at a lathe or you have been turning for years and want to sharpen your form and finish.
Over the weekend you will turn your own bowl or platter from start to finish, working through blank preparation, balance and design, riding the bevel, and clean tool control. Day one builds the foundations and gets you shaping. Day two is about refining the form, adding detail, and bringing it to a finish you are proud of.
This class is open to all skill levels and there is no prerequisite. If you are new to turning you will be guided from the very first cut. If you already turn, you will have the room and the guidance to push your form further.
Why You’ll Love This Class
- A finished piece in your hands. You leave with your own turned bowl or platter, taken from rough blank to finished form over the two days.
- Tool control that carries everywhere. Riding the bevel and a controlled cut are the heart of every turning project, and that is exactly what you will drill here.
- Work at your own lathe. Each turner has their own lathe and station, with turning chisels and chucks on hand. Bring your own tools too if you have them.
- Form and design, not just shaping. You will learn what makes a bowl or platter sit right, from wall thickness to the line of the curve.
- Guidance from an experienced turner. You will get hands-on feedback tailored to where you are at, from a working woodturner who lives at the lathe.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the two days, you will be able to:
- Prepare and mount a blank ready for turning
- Ride the bevel and control the gouge for clean cuts
- Shape and refine the form of a bowl or platter
- Balance design choices such as wall thickness and the line of the curve
- Sand and finish a turned piece to a high standard
Course Content and Structure
Day one starts with your lathe and your timber. You will prepare your blank, get familiar with the lathe, and begin working on your first bowl or platter, with the focus on balance, design and riding the bevel to get clean, controlled cuts. The groundwork here is everything the rest of the weekend builds on.
Day two moves into refining. You will shape and detail your piece, correct the form, and take it through to a finished surface. By the end you have a complete bowl or platter and, just as importantly, an understanding of the cuts that got it there.
The aim across both days is to understand the process, not just to finish the project. Once you can read the timber and control the bevel, every bowl and platter you turn after this gets better.
Hands-On Experience
This is a hands-on workshop from the first session. You are at your own lathe with real timber, and your instructor moves between stations giving direct, personal feedback as you cut. Wherever you are starting from, you make progress on your own piece every step of the way.
Join Us and Refine Your Craft
Turning a bowl or a platter is the kind of thing that gets under your skin in the best way. Bring whatever level you are at, get your hands on the timber, and leave with a piece you turned yourself. Book your spot now.
