Accueil / Ressources /
How to make a slab-built ceramic bowl (free template)
How to make a slab-built ceramic bowl (free template)
Make a slab-built ceramic bowl step by step: prepare the slab, cut the template, build the flared wall and base. No wheel needed, with a free printable pattern.
LC
Louis Coffin
6
Image de couverture
Espresso cup & saucer, on the house
A template to print, then news only when it's worth your time.
A bowl is one of the most satisfying slab-building projects — and one of the simplest once you have the right template. No wheel is needed: a flared wall, a base, and you are ready to go.
What you need
Clay — grogged stoneware is forgiving.
A rolling pin, guide sticks, a knife, slip and a rib.
Your printed template: flared wall + base.
Step 1 — Prepare your slab
Roll clay between guide sticks — 5–6 mm for a bowl. Let it firm up to a soft-leather-hard state. Thickness matters for both strength and the pattern calculation: choose the right slab thickness
Step 2 — Cut the template
Generate the developed flared wall and base, print at full size, lay it on the slab and cut.
Create your bowl template for free
Step 3 — Build the wall
Curve the strip into a flared cone. Bevel the two joining edges, score, add slip, press, then smooth the inner seam.
Step 4 — Add the base
Set the wall on the base disc, trace and cut. Score and slip all around, join, then reinforce the inside with a small smoothed coil.
Step 5 — Dry slowly
Add a foot ring if you want, then dry very slowly and covered. Even thickness and slow drying are the keys to avoiding cracks.
Read next: print a ceramic cup template · choose the right slab thickness
To remember
Measure your soil once, then let the tool apply shrinkage to all your dimensions.
LC
Louis Coffin
Designer and amateur ceramist. Creator of the Gabarits tool.
To read next
Guide
Throwing in batches: 5 tips for making identical mugs
Weighing your balls, height and width gauges, profile templates: the five habits that turn six “roughly similar” mugs into a matching set.
Guide
How to make your own pottery ribs and templates
Cardboard, plywood, plastic or laser-cut: which material for which job, how to cut cleanly, and how to start from a pattern that’s already the right size.
Guide
Pottery without a wheel: 8 easy ideas to make at home
No pottery wheel? No problem. Eight easy slab-building ideas with free printable templates — perfect for starting at home.
Ready to start your first template ?
Free, in your browser. Choose a shape and print to actual size.