For me, a 12 x 12 x 12 blank would get me 2 six inch deep bowls. One
12 inches deep is just too deep for design and general use, not to
mention the difficulty of turning one that deep: special tool rest to
get that deep, probably a bowl steady to prevent too much vibration,
and specialty gouges for turning that deep. If you really eat that
much popcorn, a 14 inch or more bowl about 6 inches deep would be
better.

Now, why do you need to let the wood dry for a year before turning?
You can green turn to final thickness (about 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick),
slow dry it for about 2 weeks, and you will have a nicely warped bowl.
This is my prefered style. You can also green turn a blank, leave it
about 1 inch or slightly more thick, seal the end grain and let it dry
for a couple of months, then remount and return it. Thick turned bowl
blanks are easier and faster to dry than 6 inch thick slabs, which
never totally air dry in the center.

You can also laminate some pieces together, and if you have a planer,
joiner, and a bunch of scraps, you can get dry wood this way.

robo hippy
On Sep 14, 6:00*am, Nova wrote:
Marty G wrote:
Ok the Wife SWMBO want me to turn a large bowl for popcorn for xmas, Since
Ike missed central Texas there is no big trees down around here and even if
I could score the logs they woulnd not be dry until next year. *Does anyone
know where I can find a 12x12x12 or 14 blank of a fairly soft wood. *I am
only a soso intermediate turner and don't want to try it with purpleheart or
Narda.

TIA
Marty

I think you'll find that to buy a blank of that size will be expensive.
* *Have you considered laminating a blank of the desired size by using
scraps? *If contrasting woods are used in the lamination the resulting
bowl can be quite attractive.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA