Bitty Bowl

That’s either a mutant lemon or a really small bowl.  As you probably guessed, it’s a small bowl — less than nine inches long (8 7/8″ x 3 3/4″ x 2 1/4″ high).  It came from this 5″ diameter branch of red maple:

I had been wanting to make a “model” bowl like this.  It’s a good way to explore a new design or experiment with proportions.  With less material and time invested, you won’t feel so bad about chucking the whole thing if it doesn’t work out.  If it does work out, you’ve learned a thing or two and now have a model on hand for reference when you make the larger version fit for a melon rather than a lemon.

Preparing the blank and the general shaping go relatively quickly.  I didn’t use an adze at all.  I did use an axe to rough out the exterior, but with a bowl this size a chisel and mallet can do the job.  The time savings is less noticeable when it comes to the finer stages and decorative carving, but is still a factor.

Maybe not the best fruit bowl, but still could be useful for serving small items like nuts or candy.  And the bitty size makes it a lot easier to pack and take along.