Inspired by japanese design,the ramen bowl! A lush eating bowl for everyday life. And it doesn't need to be ramen, really.

This is a series of bowls turned from heavily spalted Beech. Knowing that these would show signs of age I had a choice to throw it on the fire or go the extra mile with doing proper old fashioned repairs. These were done with copper plated pins and a bit of sealing glue. I believe they are very beautiful and this style repair goes long back in history to a time where we still attached different values to our possesions.

As a turner who has turned creatively for many years, I have notice, just like in life, there are phases one goes through. It's a joy to be able to tune into a particular design and through experience, get really good at it. I have a japanese bowl phase at the moment.

Japanese aesthtics have always appealed to my sense of beauty and here I have created my very own version of a japanese bowl, or Ramen bowl.

They are of a generous size with a high foot, so it lifts the bowl of the table nicely. The taper at the base points inward and upward and creates a V shape.This gives the bowl a distinct appearance. Finally, there is some decoration carved into the upper part of the walls, some with colour some without.

These bowls are turned with extremley fine cuts on the last rounds and this results in a supreme finish. No modern abrasives were used.

* 20cm x 8cm, oiled with Tung oil and ready to use.

Ralf Bidder

Pole-lathe turned wooden bowls and plates.

Japanese Style eating bowl with carving and repair