Collapsible bowls

[tdub4ever]

How does some one come up with a pattern for a collapsible bowl? How do you space the lines for bigger baskets or small ones? Thanks in advance! Don

[tony coleman]

i too wondered this,so i bought a book on them,which had many patterns ,i found this too be the easy way out,in the book it also explains how they work,which i was toataly supprised by,all the bowls follow a common theme,just the outer rims are changed,unfortunatly i havent had the chance too try them out yet....

[handibunny]

The collapsing part is really a spiral which can vary in width. The width of the rings and the thickness of the wood affect the cutting angle, just as with a bowl. What's demanding is that you cannot sand the rings, so the cutting has to be precise to look good. Also the kerf created by the blade you use will affect the cutting angle. There are basically two different types:

The first, found in most books, has the collapsing part hanging freely.
laminated collapsible basket2.jpg

The second uses cross pieces on the center part to stabilize the collapsible part.
horizontal laminated basket.jpg

If you follow the recommended woods and blades, you should not have a problem. They make great gifts, and are fun to do.

[guitarman]

Don, I've cut quite a few of these over the years. They're not as complicated as they look. They do have to be cut about the same all around to look good. You'll do alright with it.

David