This is a blog post by guest author, Carole Rothman, Ph.D. She recently wrote a book called Wooden Bowls from the Scroll Saw and as you’ll see in her pictures, her work is unique and stunning! And there isn’t a lathe in sight!
I’ve always had mixed feelings about lathe-turned bowls: loved the bowls, hated the waste. When I learned that a wide variety of attractive bowls could be made from small amounts of thin wood, using the stacked-ring approach and a scroll saw, I had to give it a try. My first bowl, a simple one created from plans drawn on graph paper, convinced me of the potential of this approach. Wanting to learn more, I searched for a book to guide me. The only one I found relied heavily on the hand-held router, required many shop-made tools and jigs, and demanded extraordinary levels of skills. That was a turnoff. However, the book did make me aware that scroll saw bowls could be any shapeââ?¬â?square, oval, and multi-lobed, for example. More important, they could rival lathe-turned bowls in beauty and elegance.
I work in a community woodshop, where the scroll saw is not considered a serious tool. (Its location, by the slop sink, says it all.) Partly in protest, but mostly as a personal challenge, I decided from the outset that I would use only the scroll saw and a variety of sanders. Believing that fine woodworking needn’t be difficult, I looked for simple ways to accomplish complex tasks. My first challenge was to locate sanders for bowl interiors. A thorough search of the “turning” section of woodworking catalogs yielded the tools I needed. The second challenge was more difficult. 
I found no information anywhere about how to compute the cutting angle, which I knew varied with wood thickness and ring width. Fortunately, when I looked carefully at my diagrams, I realized that a standard tangent chart contained all the information I needed. (Thank goodness for high school trigonometry!) Now I could move full-speed ahead, tapping into a lifetime’s knowledge from various craftsââ?¬â?woodworking, sewing, and cake decoratingââ?¬â?to create plans for projects that could stand proudly with those turned on a lathe by “serious” woodworkers leaving mountains of wood chips on the floor.
Using common wood from the “cutoffs” bin of my local lumberyard, and small pieces of colorful exotics, I began creating bowls with gingham checks and plaids, bowls that looked like baskets, and bowls with swags and swirls. I made bowls with straight sides and bowls with curved sides. I began stacking sets of rings to create vases and other vessels. I developed new techniques as I needed them, and mustered up the confidence to obtain a contract to write the book I had looked for but hadn’t been able to find: a user-friendly guide to making truly beautiful vessels from wood, using only the scroll saw and sanders. 
The book would be easy enough for the novice, yet challenging enough for the more accomplished woodworker. Wooden Bowls from the Scroll Saw, published by Fox Chapel, is now a reality, and it’s exciting to see others use my instructions and patterns to make beautiful bowls. To be as helpful as possible, I regularly post hints, tips, and videos on my blog, Scroll Saw Bowls, and answer questions that come my way.
Although the book is finished, I continue to explore the limits of this approach. I’ve added a variety of laminations to my newer bowls, along with decorative center rings, and open segmentation. I’ve begun creating new shapes and edge effects, many of which could not be made on a lathe at all. I’ve started adding whimsical details: my “ribbons and bows box” reflects my background as a professional cake decorator as much as my compound cutting skills. Even as I progress, I never lose sight of my goal: to help woodworkers with ordinary skills make projects that are extraordinary.
This is great! I have always enjoyed scroll work. I have only seen planters made from scroll work, not bowls. They were a continuous cut from the outside to the inside and then flexed up to create the bowl shape you put the plants or whatever in. Nice, functional but not art work like this. I am sure the process is much different though. Thanks for bringing this to us to review!
I had an opportunity to touch some of Carole’s bowls at a Long Island woodworking show last weekend. They are stunning! It makes me want to set up the jig saw which has just been taking up far too much real estate on my bench for a few months now.
i really respect that you took the time to figure out how to accomplish these bowls, and also the amount of time to then sand them smooth. however, why not design and create your pieces on the scroll saw, but then turn the pieces on a lathe to finish them? don’t get me wrong, they look good, but a lathe would dramatically reduce your sanding time, and create a perfectly round shape. i realize some of your pieces are intentionally wavy and scalloped, but on the round pieces, you can’t go wrong. i mean no disrespect, this is just my two cents.
No reason why they couldn’t be turned on a lathe. That’s been a time-honored method for many years, with rings usually cut on a band saw. But being free to explore a whole universe of shapes is very exciting, and opens up many possibilities. Also, since you don’t have the centrifugal forces of the lathe to contend with, segmented glue-ups won’t break apart if not done perfectly, so it’s a lot more forgiving
i specialize in segmented turning(click my name for link), and so far have had no “surprises” with the glue. i guess it comes down to laziness for me. i like to let the lathe do most of the work. also i would be afraid i would get flat spots instead of gentle curves on my pieces. never the less, it works well for you, and ideas like this always open up doors on down the road. thanks
Amazing looking â
I can handle blanks up to about 9″, but that’s because I have small hands. There really is no limit, providing the blank can be manipulated at a steep angle. There are scroll saws with tilting heads, and those probably could handle larger blanks. This method has been around for a while, but no one has formalized it in a step-by-step format, or taken it in this direction. It’s creative, fun, and very economical!
Very impressive!! I wonder how soon I could justify the cost of a decent scroll saw based on the savings in wood…? B-)
I did not even know that you could do this with a scroll saw. Amazing!
A scroll saw? really? That’s amazing!! I had absolutely no idea you could do that with a scroll saw. I think this book is going on my Christmas list.
I’m glad to spread the word about what can be done with the scroll saw. I pushed to get the book out as soon as I could because I thought it was such an exciting medium. And for people who use the lathe and other shop tools, it opens up a whole new set of possibilities. And I’m always glad to answer questions about my work–and to help anyone who decides to give bowls a try.
I’m not real big on decorative bowls, but I can see a certain beauty in these and I do find the technique interesting.
Aggie, they are also very functional. I use the rectangular ones all the time as bread baskets, and small round ones for nuts. If I’m going to use them with food, I finish them with shellac or oil. And they are a great way to use up scraps of wood!
Wow, nice bowls. Me being closeminded never thought about doing bowls with a scrollsaw.
I heard an interview that Carole did on another podcast, but I never pictures the bowls to be that amazing.
I just bought your new book, and I’d like to thank you for making it so affordable! Can’t wait to get started. Thanks again.
What a neat idea – just love to learn from very creative people. But PLEASE – put on the safety glasses. Even a scroll saw can pop blades.
I ordered the book to get more ideas. I will probably use a combination of the scroll saw and a lathe. Experimenting with this should be a lot of fun and maybe less time consuming than making segmented bowls.
Thanks for putting this on the web site
Regards
Rodney Wren
The scroll-saw is a great tool and this will even make it more interesting in making bowls too …………Marshall