Ceder Crotch Bowl

Nice shape and figure on this one Gary. It will complement someone's coffee table nicely. What is the popularity of a foot on a bowl like this? Do you think people like it better with a foot or without one? I don't know what the general populace favors.

Thanks Jeff. I'm not sure what most people think of a foot on a bowl like this. On some bowl forms I like to add a small foot to float the bowl, so it doesn't look anchored to the table. The down side is that the bowl becomes less able to be used.

That's an interesting point, to keep the bowl from being anchored on the table. I've read in Richard Raffan's design book, the discussion on feet (in fact have read it multiple times). However it's not clear if you have the 2 bowls with the same form sitting side by side....which is the most popular, the one with the foot, or the one without.

I like the open shape on this bowl, and it has a light airy feeling. Maybe that's because of the foot bringing it off the table.

A counterpoint to having a foot is that a potential customer might turn a bowl over and see there are no protrusions to hold the piece to the lathe. For the folks who have come by my house, they always turn each piece over and look at the bottom. One of the questions that often comes up...."how did you hold this on the lathe?"

Jeff, good point re' folks looking at the bottom. Each piece I turn, foot or no foot is reversed onto a jam chuck or vac. chuck and any evidence of how it was mounted is turned away. For footed pieces I usualy turn a clean tapered ring, with the center hollowed to follow the form of the piece. Also most times I will add some suprise element inside the foot, like beads or rings, ect. This piece was held with a turned tenon, then reversed using a vacuume chuck.

Good points Gary. I think the tapered foot will add an element of "how did he do this" to the discussion of the piece. I usually add beads to the bottom as well.

"The down side is that the bowl becomes less able to be used."


Depends what you're putting in it, apples or eyeballs

Nice work!!