Introduction to Bowl Turning
Set of Nesting Bowls by Ernie Conover, maple burl (largest diameter 10"), 1999
Fluted Bowl by Ernie Conover, ash burl (14" dia.), 2000
Ernie Conover
June 4 – 8
This course introduces beginners to the pleasures and creative challenges of bowl turning. Master turner Ernie Conover provides a solid understanding of the equipment and materials needed, from choosing a lathe to wood selection. Through demonstration and one-on-one instruction, he teaches correct sharpening and use of gouges, parting tools, and skew chisels; use of commercial and homemade chucks; sanding; finishing; and much more. He also teaches more advanced techniques such as hollow forms, natural edge bowls, carving, and texturing.
Students work primarily with green wood, plus they get to experience turning a platter out of kiln-dried stock. Ernie encourages participants to bring interesting chunks of burl or figured wood with which to experiment. Ernie’s book Turn a Bowl with Ernie Conover—Getting Great Results The First Time Around (Taunton Press, 2000) provides a textbook for the course.
Ernie Conover is a widely published author in the woodworking field, with seven books, four videos and hundreds of articles to his credit. His work has received numerous awards and been the subject of several one-man shows. He lectures widely for clubs, trade show groups, and woodworking stores and is a founder of Conover Workshops, in Parkman, Ohio, where he has taught since 1980.