A Square Bowl

In this instructable I will show you how to turn a square bowl. These make beautiful centerpieces and look very cool!

You can use any type of wood you choose. Softwood/hardwood doesnt matter here as long as the wood is thoroughly dried.
I made one out of rough cut Maple and one rough cut Mahogany with Ebony stain.

I used the table saw to rip my board. I then used a joiner to smooth one face and one edge. After that I took it to my Table-saw to rip it to finished length. then Using a crosscut sled or miter gauge cross-cut it to the exact same width. You should end up with a perfect square.

I marked center by making a line from one corner to the other on all four corners with my diagonal square. Next using my 3" face-plate, I marked all four mounting holes using a center punch.
get the screws and the matching drill bit. Tape off about 1/2" up the bit (maybe a little less), this is simply giving you a visual stopping point (stop when you get to the tape) You do not want to go too deep or use long screws.
After the holes are drilled place the faceplate in position. Now, screw it to your block of wood and mount the faceplat with the block of wood onto your lathe. It's a good time to sand all the edges as well. start with 80 and go up to 320 grit.

Moving on.

Now we need to for a recess for a chuck. but first we need to flatten it. Using my finishing tool I flattened the entire surface.
Now you can start cutting out the wood for the chuck recess. I only went about 1/4" deep and 2-1/2" in diameter.
Once you have the recess formed test it by mounting your chuck to it. If it all goes well sand the recess and around  it to 320 grit.

Now remove the face-plate from the lathe, unscrew it from the workpiece. Now mount the chuck to the recess and mount it to the lathe.

Moving on.

This fact that this thing has 4 corners rotating extremely fast is a bit scary not to mention dangerous. So be careful.
I started in the center and slowly work my way out towards the outside. Deeper in the center than the outside. remember, you are simply dishing it out  to for the inside of the bowl.
Once you are happy with the depth and the smoothness of the slope you can move your tool-rest to the other side of the bowl (the bottom). then form the bottom to your liking. Stop and look at the edges often to see how they look. You want the edges to be the same thickness all the way around the bowl.
Now its time to sand. You really do not want to sand the outside of the top and bottom while its on the lathe. So remove the workpiece from the chuck and sand it all the way up to 320 grit.

I finished the Maple bowl with 1 coat of sealer and 2 coats of polycrylic (light sanding in-between). after its done polish it with some wax and hand polish.
Now its done. Most people think I made a bowl and then cut the edges to form a square. They never believe me when I tell them how I did it.
Thanks for looking, Enjoy.