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Don Stephan

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Bowl Uses
Oct 3^rd, 2020 at 6:48pm

Customers often seem completely unable to imagine how one might use a bowl less than 14" (salad mixing bowl, the request often is for one 15-16" in diameter). I've suggested holding fresh fruit on the kitchen counter, cereal, snacks while watching TV, wallet and coins and car keys when changing clothes, . . . without making a sale. I'm going to look for artificial bananas and apples to put in a bowl, anyone have any other suggested uses for customers or props to help sell a bowl?

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Glenn Jacobs WR Addict Offline JC L&S Posts: 2,077 North DFW, Texas Texas USA Gender: Powermatic 3520C	Re: Bowl Uses Reply #1 - Oct 4^th, 2020 at 11:39am Under 4" is good for candy, nuts and as you stated, keys and pocket trash. Glenn J.
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Ed Weber

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Re: Bowl Uses
Reply #2 - Oct 4^th, 2020 at 11:59am

Don Stephan wrote on Oct 3^rd, 2020 at 6:48pm:

I'm going to look for artificial bananas and apples to put in a bowl, anyone have any other suggested uses for customers or props to help sell a bowl?

Well first of all, there are plenty of articles and videos about turning fruit. You used to be able to get little gold leaves for them as well but I don't remember where.

There's nothing wrong with a large bowl for visual impact but the majority of bowls are much smaller.
For turners, unless you have access to inexpensive wood, blanks in the 16" range are elusive. IMO any blank 8" or larger should be cored to utilize as much as possible.

The kitchen and culinary uses seem to be the first place people look for bowl usage (covered and uncovered) but they are not limited to food use.

If you want to start a database of sorts for size & use, it might be a good idea. i also like to know what species is traditional or most common.

I look forward to members input.
Common size, common use, common wood species and popular derivations might be a good place to start.

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Glenn Jacobs

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Re: Bowl Uses
Reply #3 - Oct 5^th, 2020 at 9:36am

Ed Weber wrote on Oct 4^th, 2020 at 11:59am:

If you want to start a database of sorts for size & use, it might be a good idea. i also like to know what species is traditional or most common.

I look forward to members input.
Common size, common use, common wood species and popular derivations might be a good place to start.

For me my wood is mostly Ash. (cut down tree in front yard and saved a bunch.)
To start a data base:( Ed, after this discussion is made, could you collate?)
Common sizes:
6-8 inch/ 3-4 inch depth: Salad, Fruit, "junk" IE: pens, coins, etc.
8-12 inch/ 4-8 inch depth: Salad, fruit
seldom make anything over 12 inch.

Glenn J.

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robo_hippy WR Addict Offline Posts: 3,638 Eugene, OR USA	Re: Bowl Uses Reply #4 - Oct 5^th, 2020 at 10:43am Bread bowls as in a bowl that you mix your bread in. Other than that, anything that fits into them, from scoops for pet and bird food to baby bath bowls. Bringing in garden produce... robo hippy
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Ed Weber

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Re: Bowl Uses
Reply #5 - Oct 5^th, 2020 at 11:09am

I suppose I could work on something to put all the info together in one place.

Not to stray to far from Don's OP, I think this is more of what most people turn. As I mentioned, 16" bowls are great, just not as readily available for lots of reasons.

Being a woodworker & turner, I have many wooden items around the house.
Some bowls are simply art but the utility or general-purpose bowlscan host a wide range of contents.
Some examples (I don't have all of these)
Smaller bowls (6" and under) have things like keys, USB drives and SD chips, chocolates, desk items like binder/paper clips,rubber bands.
Smaller bowls are also good for crafts like candles, yarn bowls and sorting containers.
Kitchen items like salt boxes, tea and spice containers (masala box), pinch bowls, Tortilla box/warmer and the list goes on for these smaller sized containers.
As I always suggest, look around your house and see what you use most and see if it could be made from wood.

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« Last Edit: Oct 5^th, 2020 at 11:11am by Ed Weber »

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Al Wasser WR Addict Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 626 Pueblo West, CO Colorado USA Gender: Robust American Beauty	Re: Bowl Uses Reply #6 - Oct 5^th, 2020 at 1:06pm I buy the large bags of popcorn (prepopped) at costco and an 8 in. bowl is a pretty good serving for me.
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Bill Neff WR Addict Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 997 Barronett Wisconsin USA Gender: Jet 1642EVS	Re: Bowl Uses Reply #7 - Oct 6^th, 2020 at 9:22am I call the 6-ish inch bowls "debris" bowls. I had a lady in my booth complimented my "debris bowls". I must have looked at her puzzled and she said "Every gentleman needs a debris bowl on their nightstand for when they empty their pockets."
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Don Stephan WR Addict Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 2,659 Cincinnati, Ohio Ohio USA Gender:	Re: Bowl Uses Reply #8 - Jan 7^th, 2021 at 9:44am A bowl use i hadn't imagined - yesterday a 10" diameter bowl was purchased to hold hand towels in guest bathroom.
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robo_hippy WR Addict Offline Posts: 3,638 Eugene, OR USA	Re: Bowl Uses Reply #9 - Jan 7^th, 2021 at 12:27pm Can't remember where I heard the term first, but 'ort' bowls, which the needle point sewers use for their thread clippings. Yarn bowls were popular also for the knitters. robo hippy
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