Lidded Bowl and Box Project

Lidded Bowls and Boxes Project

Lidded Bowls and Boxes Project is gearing up for a busy fall and winter season that expects to see lots of seriously ill children battle their own conditions as well as complications from flu, pneumonia and such.

To help out with the needed inventory, we have scheduled a group turning day at Merrimack High School on Saturday, September 22nd from 9 till whenever! Merrimack host Phil Carle has 17 serviceable lathes in working condition and we hope to put them all to good use.

Can any, all, some, most of you turners find a way to clear your busy schedules and come for a morning or more of turning?   We will keep the GSWT business meeting short and sweet and get to flying chips as fast as possible!

We envision this will be similar to the previous lidded bowl turning event when folks were paired up on lathes, sharing ideas about design, shape, lid fit and other classic issues.  We hope to be able to turn and finish as many lidded bowls as 17 lathes can produce!

Please provide your own wood and bring your own tools, etc.  Extras, anyone? There is a wolverine sharpening system available, but still best to do all the band saw work ahead of time.

The requested sizes cover a huge range.  CHaD Dartmouth prefers slightly smaller bowls at 4-7 inch diameter while our other three hospitals requested slightly larger bowls at 6 to 12 inch diameter. Depth depends on the size blanks that you are willing to donate.  Do remember that finials cannot be sharp and finials or knobs must be short enough to fit upside down in the bowl.

The choice of a finish is yours and your teammates but all finishes must be food-safe when dry.

Check out the photos of "Captain Jack" in a recent Touch-Ups as he fills his keepsake bowl with all kinds of tiny treasures.  His folks were in tears when they realized they keep the lidded bowl!
Lidded Bowls and Boxes is a small effort with HUGE rewards.

Please note that this is NOT a teaching or demonstration meeting; with four pediatric units requesting many more bowls, this is a get-it-done meeting.  If you are not comfortable turning lidded bowls, we do welcome you to watch and learn a technique or two.

Tentatively we are planning a lidded BOX making day those who prefer working with flat stock. Currently it's scheduled for a Saturday in April, 2019 at Pinkerton Academy. Like the lidded bowl project, we will team up to create lasting memory boxes, square, triangular, hexagonal, or any shape that interests you.  We'll keep you posted.

Anyone with completed lidded bowls or boxes is welcome to bring them to the Annual Meeting, September 15 at Concord High or drop them off at Woodcraft in Newington. Or email Annamarie and she'll find a way to find you!

The Guild of New Hampshire Woodworkers and the GSWT are committed to assisting seriously ill young folks with keepsake, memory and treasure bowls and boxes. As New Hampshire has the highest rate of childhood and pediatric cancers in the ENTIRE NATION, we wish to pass on our love of wood and the enjoyment of woodworking to children with little hope and little to hope for.  Let's put a smile on some tiny faces!

The Lidded Bowl and Box Project