IM sorry to disturb you guys, I have a dumb question.

Yes, I paid the toll to cross over the bridge to come to this island.

I had some limbs cut down from a tree in my backyard yesterday.

I had the tree guy give me 2 24 inch pieces, approx 8-10 inch diameter.

I looked online last night, how to cut it down for bowl blanks, and I saw a few cut the log in half the long way, then use a compass and cut out bowl blanks from the flat side.
Could I just slice 6 inch sections by making crosscuts and turn the blanks that way?

Is it better to turn either way?

allen, from what i have been told by those wanting some blanks from me is that they want it to split in hlaf then a round cut from there the growth rings are usually going in the general shape of the bowl.. look in the forum here there is a diagram somewhere on how to do it ...there is always a exception to the rule but for starters its done like i suggested..

Allen you can do it either way but cutting them the way Larry suggested is the norm. Turning end grain is also a bit harder because of the grain. Just like end grain cutting boards.

You can just cut them the way you said but you will still have the pith. And unless you are very very good every one will crack at the pith. That is the reason the logs are split in half; to remove the pith and release the tension.
I would cut them in half to length (2 12" long sections), and then cut the two sections through the center to remove the pith. That should give you 8 bowl blanks. You will still get a little cracking on the ends so seal the ends asap. You do not need to round the ends at this point.
I cut mine about 4” longer than diameter to allow 2” at each end to trim crack offs of. Sounds like yours will naturally fall into that range.
You can then turn with the bottom of the bowl to the bark side or bottom of the bowl to the pith side (as in a natural edge bowl).

I cut it down center and cut out two blanks for now.
I didnt change the blade in the bandsaw, it was a thin blade so it was a slow process.
To be honest, I didnt enjoy dealing with such a heavy piece on the bandsaw, as Im not keen on that machine.
Im hoping to turn something later this week.

Allen if it were me if the logs are 10" in diameter I would cut them to about 11" long then split them down the middle right thru the pith. Then I would cut each half into a round bowl blank. You can turn it as a Natural Edge bowl or as a conventional bowl.

thats what I did bernie. I thought the full log was a bit heavy to handle, so I cut it in half, then split it, then took out 2 blanks. The logs were a bit smaller than 10 inch.And when I used a compass to cut out close to a circle on the band saw, the diameter of the bowl is now around 8 inches. Big enough for my small lathe. I believe the tree was birch.

Your not disturbing anybody - thats why we post and talk - so lets hope we are helping you...................sooooooooooooo here is my 2 cents.

I cut mine like mentioned above - If the log is big enough I cut on each side of the pith (taking out about 1" or so out of the center with the pith in the middle) and seal them. If they are smaller I simply cut thru the pith and watch them for checking/cracking and anchor seal them up. The extra on the ends helps for any future checking to like mentioned.

When ready or if I am going to be turning some in the near future or so I place a round template on them and cut them to a octagon shape and anchor seal them until I start working with them. I used to cut them round on my bandsaw but I found it easier to just use my chainsaw to knock off the ends and corners and call it done - mount and turn.

I also have 3 logs about 3' tall plus with only the ends sealed standing up in the garage - been there for a month now and they still look fine so this can work also.

Allen i do what Dan and others have said. If the pieces are small i'll just knock the corners off with my 12" miter saw.