Japanese Style Bowl
A Study in Restraint
£185 per person | Saturday | Maximum 5 students
The Japanese rice bowl is deceptively simple: a clean single curve from rim to foot, thin walls, quiet elegance. Simple forms have nowhere to hide. This class is about learning to execute simplicity with precision.
You'll turn from end-grain, aiming for thin even walls, and finish with decorative black and red gessos and, if there's time, metal leaf before finishing with a satin lacquer. The discipline of simple forms improves everything else you make.
There's a meditative quality to this work. Chasing perfection in simplicity teaches you things that complex forms don't.
Who Is This Class For?
Turners with some experience who want to explore precision and restraint. You should be comfortable with basic bowl turning, but this class will push you to be more precise than perhaps you've been before.
Those interested in Japanese aesthetics and proportion. If you appreciate clean lines and understated beauty, this is your class.
Anyone wanting to develop end-grain skills. End-grain turning has its own challenges. This class teaches you to navigate them.
Not suitable for complete beginners.
Your Tutor - Martin Saban-Smith RPT
Martin has been teaching turning wood since 2018, bringing a photographer's eye for proportion and form to the lathe. Martin’s teaching approach is patient, with room for questions, the understanding that mistakes are steps towards skill, and that learning is more process over perfection, community over competition.
What You'll Learn
You'll learn to turn thin, even walls from end-grain. You'll understand how to apply decorative gessos for the traditional black and red finish. If time allows, you'll add metal leaf detailing. And you'll explore proportion, because a Japanese bowl lives or dies by its proportions.
By the end of the day, you'll have a finished Japanese-style bowl to take home.
What's Included
All timber, tools, consumables, safety equipment, lunch, refreshments, your finished bowl to take home.
Tools Used
- 3/8″ Bowl Gouge - 3/8″ Spindle Gouge - Scraper - Diamond Parting Tool - Bowl Sanders -
- Gessos - Finishes -
We strongly recommend you bring your own freshly sharpened tools.
What To Expect On the Day of Your Lesson at The Woodturning School
If you have queries, please check the FAQs
Book Your Place
Booking your place is simple. The calendar shows the next available date.
Click the date, then click the time. Then fill in some details and pay the deposit. We’ll look after the rest for you.
The day
9am: Meet at the Garden Centre Coffeeshop
9.30am: Workshop begins
12.30pm: Lunch at the Coffeeshop (included)
1.00pm: Carry on
2.30pm: Coffee break
4pm: Finish and tidy.
Included: All timber, tools, consumables, safety equipment, lunch, refreshments, your finished Bowl to take home.
Payments
A deposit of 30% is required to secure your booking. This deposit is non-refundable in the event of cancellation by the client. It covers, buying materials and advertising your space in the event of cancellation. Amendments can be made up to 14 days before date for £10 admin fee. Cancelling within 14 days will forfeit all monies paid. Click HERE for full terms and conditions.
Queries?
Before contacting us, please take a moment to check our FAQs. You'll often find the answer you're looking for is already there.