DIY Bowl Lathe

Unscrew your standard lathe faceplate and position it on a circular piece of wood such as a log cross-section. Regular lathes are only meant for turning wood that's smaller than 10 inches in diameter, so make sure that your log meets those measurements.

Screw the regular lathe plate onto the center of the wood piece. This wood piece will be much shorter than a standard wood lathe piece and will not connect to the other side of the your lathe, so make sure that the screws are lightly embedded in the wood.

Mark a circle on the outside of the wood to show the penetration points of the screws.

Place the plate back onto the lathe.

Turn the lathe on and carve the interior of your bowl first, paying attention to the screw holes. Press gently into the wood with a hand adz. The wood will begin shaving off. Work from the center outward until you achieve your desired depth. Clean up the inside of the bowl to make it smoother with a spoon gouge, once again rubbing very gently.

Carve the outside, leaving the screw penetration holes untouched. Press gently onto the outside of the wood with a straight scraper to form the rounded bottom of the bowl and smooth out the sides. Press harder for any detailing such as stripes.

Remove the finished bowl from the lathe and cut off the penetrated part of the wood with your table saw.

Sand the bowl and finish as desired.