"Congreve Cube" Bowls

[George Guadiane]

The bowls are 6 /14 inches square. Both were turned from a single cube of tulip poplar.
I got the idea for these from a video I saw through FaceBook:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w621ZZOITs

The video is well worth the watch. I've seen it numerous times myself
Jerry McMaster did a demo that was recorded. I found it interesting, but what with my motto, I changed one thing. I did it with a single piece of wood and all on the lathe.
I'm going to do my version for a demo at the Brevard Woodturners Meeting sometime next year.
As you can see, I'm still messing with the design.

 

[Joe Greiner]

For the second turning, I'd attach the assembly to a flat piece of sacrificial plywood with screws into the spacer, and cut the corners off with the band saw, as was done for the first turning.

Also, the entire bottom can be more easily finished by attaching the bowl with stout tape (e.g. filament tape) across the sides and back around the backing disc. (From Betty Scarpino's article in Fine Woodworking many years ago.)

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

I don't see the point of the double axis turning of the glued up chunk. Rig up a simple method of cutting on the band saw using four position indexing for the bottom. Make one bowl blank at a time.

 

[George Guadiane]

I don't see the point of the double axis turning of the glued up chunk. Rig up a simple method of cutting on the band saw using four position indexing for the bottom. Make one bowl blank at a time.

Doug, that wasn't my demo, and I didn't see the point either. I wanted to get the same general results without all of the extra tools and steps, so I took a single cube and turned it on three axis then parted the whole thing in half.More of an exercise than a necessity.

 

[hockenbery]

I don't see the point of the double axis turning of the glued up chunk. Rig up a simple method of cutting on the band saw using four position indexing for the bottom. Make one bowl blank at a time.

Turning the faces can leave a cleaner surface than the bandsaw.
Both the lathe and the bandsaw offer possibilities for a textured surface using the tool marks.

I have seen people do them both ways.
Band saw is usually faster and less accurate ( but more than close enough)
Lathe may be better for large bowls 14-16"

Also John Beaver uses a circle jig that a chuck screws onto.
Using a screw mount on that set up you could make the four (6,8...) sides
Opposite sides would be cut in one pass.

Put it on the lathe and turn a tenon.

Mark Gardener is a creative guy.