How to make an Alabaster Potpourri Bowl

Contents:

11. Complete the ring

Once you've test fitted the pieces, unfold the ring and dribble some glue in between each piece. Don't forget to put some glue on the end piece. Roll the pieces together and hold in place with the tape.

Let the ring dry overnight.

Remove the tape and sand one side of the ring on a belt sander or on a piece of sandpaper on a flat surface.

(Figure 11. Complete the ring.)

12. Glue the wood ring to the top of the bowl

Glue the ring to the top of the bowl. Try to get the ring as centered as you can. I use WeldBond® glue to glue the ring on, as it is a bit more flexible than CA, and it dries clear and is easier to "sand" away, if needed.

Let the ring dry overnight.

(Figure 12. Gluing the ring to the bowl.)

13. Shape the wood ring to size

Now you can turn down the wood ring to the height that you want it to stand above the bowl. I usually turn mine down to 1/8 of an inch. Remember, you are turning wood now, so be careful of tool catches. After turning alabaster all day, turning wood takes a bit of practice!

After you get the wood rim to be the right height, start to turn the inside of the ring to fit the potpourri lid. You can get these lids from many different sources. I get mine from The Woodturners Catalog. Do a search for Potpourri.

Each lid is slightly different in size, so you will want to fit each lid to it's particular bowl. Once you get the lid to fit inside the wood rim, start to shape the outside of the ring. I also add a slight "radius" to the rim so it doesn't have sharp edges.

Important step! Make sure you take a depth gauge reading of how deep your bowl is. You will need this measurement for the next step, and will not be able to get it easily after placing the bowl in a jig.

(Figure 13. Shaping the wood ring.)

14. Shaping the bottom of the bowl

The final shaping step is to turn the bottom of the bowl. There are probably many ways to do this, but I prefer the following. I part off the bowl (carefully!) and leave plenty of extra stone at the bottom.

I made another "jig" that holds the bowl in place. This is an easy jig to make, so I recommend taking the time to make it. All it consists of is two wooden disks, held together with bolts and nuts. On the first disk, I drew many circles while it was spinning on the lathe. On the second disk, cut out the center so it is slightly smaller than the largest diameter of your bowl. I even "tapered" the second disk so it "hugs" the bowl better. Then, drill some holes for the hardware to go through. Make sure you mark both disks with a "reference mark" so you can align the holes up easier. (you can barely see the black reference marks in the picture on the disks facing me)

Place the bowl inside the jig and finger tight down the hardware. Use the circles as reference for getting the bowl centered. If you tapered the second ring, it will help "self-center" the bowl. Rotate the jig around and gently tighten each nut. Don't tighten too tight, but tight enough that they won't vibrate loose.

You can now turn the bottom off of the bowl. Check the "depth" of the bowl by laying your depth gauge on top of the bowl. Turn away the material until you get the bottom of the bowl to the thickness that you want.

(Figure 14. Shaping the bottom of the bowl.)

15. Sand and finish the bowl

Well, that's it! Remove the bowl from the jig and finish any way you like. I usually sand the bowl on the lathe as I'm working along (before I part it off) and touch-up sand after removing it from the jig. I then spray on a few coats of Deft, but I recommend finishing the bowl any way you like.

I hope this tutorial was helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. brad_tallis@cocreate.com

(Figure 15. Sand and finish the bowl.)

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