How to Carve a Wood Dough Bowl

When not in use, dough bowls allow you to display fruit.

Dough bowls have been part of American culture since the days of early colonization. A woman's dough bowl was often a prized possession that was handed down from generation to generation. Aside from the nostalgic attraction of this useful kitchen tool, many people to this day insist that a dough bowl is the only way to ensure that bread and pastas rise correctly. Whether you seek to add one of these hard-to-find commodities to your kitchen or simply wish to carve for the sake of carving, wood dough bowls are valuable items.

Things You'll Need

• Chisel(s)
• Mallet

Instructions

1. Select your wood. If this is your first dough bowl, choose a softer wood. The best option is a green wood, as it is easier to carve and tends to crack less. You can make the bowl any size you wish. An 18-inch length log will probably yield two bowls (cut the log lengthwise in half).

2. Optimize the wood for working. The piece of wood should be flat on top and bottom to ensure that the wood does not rock while you are working on it and the thickness remains consistent from one end of the bowl to the other (this is important because if the bowl's thickness is varied, chances that the bowl will dry unevenly increase). Uneven thickness can cause the bowl to split, crack or develop a rocky or uneven bottom during drying.

3. Mark your bowl's size and shape on the top and bottom. Draw an oval or circle on the top of the wood to give yourself an area to "carve out." Draw a smaller oval or circle on the bottom to serve as your guide for rounding out the bottom.

4. Carve out the inside with a large chisel. A chisel that is 1 1/4 inches or larger is a good choice for the bulk of the removal process. Once you become less confident in your ability to carve without going too far into the bowl, switch to a smaller blade and continue to transform the inside of the bowl until you are satisfied with its size, thickness and shape.

5. Begin carving away at the bottom of the bowl just as you did with the inside until you are satisfied with the shape, thickness and size.

6. Put the bowl away in a plastic bag. Check the bag every two days, empty out any moisture, dry the bowl and return the bowl to the bag. Continue to do this until the wood has fully dried. The drying process depends on the type of wood you used. For example, if you chose a piece of wood that had been sitting for a long time, the wood will be fairly dry to begin with; however, if you chose a fresh log, the drying time may take weeks.

7. Sand the inside and outside of the bowl to create a smooth surface, and finish the bowl with a food-safe oil. You can use walnut oil, but keep in mind whether the bowl will be used to prepare food for someone with nut allergies. If so, seek an alternative food-safe oil to use (do not choose a stain or finish that is not food safe).

Tips & Warnings

• It's important that you begin with carving out the inside of the bowl first, because if you begin with the bottom, you're likely to have a difficult time securing the bowl for carving the inside.

• Always keep moist wood inside a bag as it dries to help prevent cracking that can result when the wood dries too fast.

• Try not to make your dough bowl too thick, as this style tends to be pretty heavy.

• If you've never worked with a chisel before, search for tips on using a chisel safely and practice on a scrap piece of wood first. Chisels are extremely sharp and can slice right through your hand if not used properly.

References

• Betterbaking.com: Bread Bowls, Biscuits, and Wood Carvers Par Excellence, or Introducing Leon Neal