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Calcimator

Bowl Blank Calculator

Blank dimensions from finished bowl diameter and depth.

Inputs

Results

Blank diameter (in)

9

Blank thickness (in)

3.75

Blank volume (cu in)238.6
Board feet1.66
Waste (%)88.1
Roughing RPM667
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Finished bowl diameter (in), Finished bowl depth (in), and Wall thickness (in).
  2. Set Tenon / foot height (in) and Green wood?.
  3. Review Blank diameter (in) and Blank thickness (in).
  4. Use Blank volume (cu in) and Board feet to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Finished bowl diameter (in)

Finished bowl diameter (in)Blank diameter (in)Blank thickness (in)
4.055.053.75
13143.75
24253.75
32333.75

What each input means

Finished bowl diameter (in)
Desired outer diameter of the finished bowl.
Finished bowl depth (in)
Desired interior depth of the finished bowl.
Wall thickness (in)
Target wall thickness. 3/8" is common for decorative bowls.
Tenon / foot height (in)
Height of the tenon or foot for chuck mounting.
Green wood?
Set to 1 for green (wet) wood to add 10% shrinkage allowance.

What each result means

Blank diameter (in)
Required blank diameter including waste and shrinkage allowance.
Blank thickness (in)
Required blank thickness including tenon and face waste.
Blank volume (cu in)
Total volume of the cylindrical blank.
Board feet
Blank size in board feet for purchasing lumber.
Waste (%)
Percentage of blank removed as shavings/waste.
Roughing RPM
Recommended starting RPM using the 6000/diameter rule.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Finished bowl diameter (in) = 8, Finished bowl depth (in) = 3, Wall thickness (in) = 0.375, Tenon / foot height (in) = 0.5 = 5 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Blank diameter
    Blank diameter = (finishedDiameter + 1) * shrinkageFactor
    9 = 9
  3. Calculate Blank thickness
    Blank thickness = finishedDepth + tenonHeight + 0.25
    3.75 = 3.75
  4. Calculate Blank volume
    Blank volume = π * blankRadius * blankRadius * blankThickness
    238.6 = 238.6
  5. Calculate Board feet
    Board feet = blankVolume / 144
    1.66 = 1.66

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