Material thickness is usually a problem with engraving Bowls and Trays deeper than 1/4”. A quick hack is securing the bowl/tray in the glowforge, then centering the design online. Afterwards, without moving the bowl, secure a piece of paper over the top. The errors should stop and allow you to print. I usually do at least two runs to compensate for the first run being on the paper. Bowl Height: 2”, Depth: 1 1/2”
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Interesting technique. I usually just put a small chunk of 2x4 next to my target piece and use set focus on that.
The bigger issue here is your laser focus. You’re outside the effective focus depth of your Glowforge (by about 0.8”, or in this case with your paper method maybe 1.3” unless you set the focus height manually in your settings) so you’ll end up with a soft engrave. If you want to focus on the bottom of a bowl you need to get creative:
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I’m sorry for your loss. That’s a beautiful rememberance! The bonus of the shallow bowl is the soft focus is fairly minor - I think only another laser engraver would even spot it 
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It was actually for a customer and they were pleased
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