turning Bowls

[grybeard22]

I just got a lathe about a month ago ...cheap HF one ....and it works just fine for what im doing, (learning!)

Anyway I have been playing around doing different things with it and getting alot of enjoyment out of it but I run into a question that I dont understand about bowl turning.....

When you set up a blank for a bowl on the face plate using 1" screws (thats what ive read) how do you avoid hitting the screws when your turning the inside? or is this just a guessing game as far as how deep to turn it?
I understand the technique for turning the inside but that part I dont get and would really like to avoid that particular disaster if you know what I mean!...lol

Thanks for helping a newbie..lol

[DayDr]

Let me know how the learning is going. I have been interested in trying my hand at it................just always seem to find something else to spend the money on. I hear the tools are expensive.

[Charlie]

Grybeard22, there are a couple of ways to solve your problem.
1. Make a depth guage. Take a 12" long X 1" wide X 3/4" thick stick and drill a 1/4" hole in the center of it. Slide an 8" dowel through the hole. Drill a hole on the side of the stick over the dowel and screw in a thumb set screw.

Turn the outside profile of your bowl making sure you leave enough wood on the bottom for the screws and about 5/8" more for the bottom of the bowl. Then unscrew the faceplate from the top of the blank and screw it into the bottom.

Now, make a pencil mark on the bowl blank where the end of the screws would be. Put the depth guage against the upper lip of the bowl. Slide the dowel down until it is 1/2" or 5/8" away from your mark and tighten the set screw. As you turn the inside of the bowl, periodically stop the lathe and put the dowel of the depth guage into the center of the inside bottom. When the 12" stick touches the rim, then you know you are 5/8" away from the screws.

2. Glue a waste block onto the bottom of your bowl so your screws do not go into the bowl blank. Then use the depth guage as described above.


Let me know if you want to know how to finish the bottom of the bowl or if you have any other questions.

One suggestion. Check to see if there is a woodturning club in your area. Join it. You would then have access to a lot of free expertise. Plus it's fun to be around others with the same interest. If you'll tell me where you live, I'll check my American Association of Woodturners address book and see where the closest club to you is.

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DayDr, the tools can be expensive, but you really don't need that many to turn a bowl. A 3/8" or 1/2" gouge, a round nosed scraper and a parting tool. Make sure you buy High Speed Steel. You can also make some of your own tools. But, when you start buying chucks and some other accessories......they are expensive.

[grybeard22]

Thanks Charlie!
For the response....I did get the brain cells to working again and figured that out finally and as you suggested I did make a depth guage almost the same as u suggested and it worked out fine.

I did turn my first bowl on it last nite ...need alot more practice but it was fun!.....chips flying everywhere!...lol....made it out of a "madrone" hardwood blank ...may not look like much but sure will be nice looking wood when its finished.

Got a couple of madrone rounds from a friend a few days ago ...12"x 6" and tried turning those .....first one I thought was gonna shake the nails out of the siding before I got it round!.....next one I planed a bit before I chucked it and that helped some .....live and learn I guess!!...lol....ahhh the days of newbies!!!

Anyway thanks again charlie

[DayDr]

Thanks Charlie..................I don't think the wife will buy into this currently.

[Charlie]

Grybeard22, do you have a bandsaw? If so, use it to make your bowl blanks round before you mount them on the lathe. That helps make it not so traumatic when trueing up the blank. Here's how I do it.

I made several disk out of 1/4" Masonite. A 4", a 6", an 8", a 10" and a 12" disk all with a screw in the center.

Match a disk to the bowl blank size wise. Then screw it into the bark side of the bowl blank. This allows you to put the flat side of the bowl blank down against the bandsaw table while you use the masonite disk as a guide to cut the bowl blank into a circle.


Also, and you may already be doing this. When you mount your face plate on the flat side (which will become the top of the bowl) to turn the bowl shape, turn a small tenon the same size as the hole in your faceplate on the bottom. Then when you reverse the bowl blank and put the faceplate on the bottom of the bowl, the tenon will center the faceplate automatically.

I really don't know what madrone looks like. That must be a California wood. Is it? How does it turn? What does the grain look like? I wouldn't mind seeing a picture of your madrone bowls. I live in Minnesota, so the majority of my turnings are of red oak, walnut, cherry, maple and box elder.

[grybeard22]

Thanks again Charlie!
Thats a good tip ...I dont think my shack could stand another tremor!!....lol....I do have a band saw ....its not a big one like a 14" ...its an old craftsman 3 wheel 12" but it does what I want to do with it and runs great...so I will try that this weekend.

Madrone is hardwood and I think its only on the west coast that you would find it ...another is myrtlewood ...its primarily in the northwest.....

When its finished it has a kind of "Red" tint to it and very pretty to the eye.....I would say its alot like the red oak in your area I think....I know its hard as a rock when its cured thats for sure!

Btw....while im thinking of it .....another question....when you cut the bowl blank ....how thick do you leave it?....I have been trying about 4" for the bowl and leave another 1" for the screws so I dont hit them ....and how short of screws is ok?....well thats 2 questions....hey give me a break its still morning here and only the first cup of coffee!...lol

Thanks again charlie for the help

[Charlie]

Grybeard22, my bowl blanks are basically 1/2 the log. I measure he diameter of the log and cut the length equal to the diameter. Then I saw that short log in half for two bowl blanks. I then mount my masonite disk onto the bark side of the blank and place the flat side on the bandsaw table. Using the disk as a guide, I saw the blank into a circle for turning. So the size of my blanks are determined by the diameter of the log. You will want to eliminate the pith (heart) from the edge of the bowl because it is very prone to splitting. Sometimes I leave it for effect though and stabilize it with thin CA glue as I turn.

I don't use faceplated anymore since the purchase of my Oneway Stronghold chuck a couple of years ago. If I'm turning a large bowl, which I rarely do, I'll use a faceplate. Basically I mount my bowl blank between centers and rough turn the bowl shape and turn a tenon on the bottom. Then I put my chuck on the lathe and mount the bowl block onto the chuck using the tenon. I then rough turn out the inside leaving the walls about 3/4" thick. Remove the rough turned bowl from the lathe, seal the endgrain and set aside to dry. I also might soak it in a soap solution instead.

When using a faceplate, the size of the bowl would determine the length of the screw. For most average bowls 7" to 12", I would think 1" screws would be sufficient. The faceplate I use the most, when I use them, are 3 1/2" or 4" because the majority of my bowls are from 6" to 10" in diameter.

[dananne]

Charlie, I haven't heard of the soap soaking before. Tell me about that, how it is done, etc. I'm not new to turning but I must of missed something or maybe this idea wasn't around when I was keeping up to date on everything.

[Charlie]

Dan, this is so you can turn a green wood bowl in about a week or too without it cracking.

Go down to the department store and buy a gallon of the cheapest dish detergent (not the kind for the dishwasher but what you would use to handwash dishes) you can find. Mix it with a gallon of water in a big plastic bucket.

Rough turn a bowl from green wood leaving the sides about 5/8" to 3/4" thick. Take it off the lathe and put it into the detergent solution. Let it soak a minimum of 24 hours (I usually let mine soak a couple of days). Take it out of the soap solution and let it dry. Finish turn it, sand it and apply a finish. The wood won't crack. It will change shape as wet wood will do (will go a little oval), but it doesn't crack. I will let mine dry several days and that seems to cut down on the amount of wood movement that occurs. No one is sure what is going on. A guess is that soap is wetter than water and it is replacing the water in the wood cells. Give it a try.

Even if a bowl goes a little oval.....sometimes that adds to the beauty and character of the wood.

A woodturneer in Hawaii discovered this. I will look up his name and come back in put it in this post at a later date.

[dananne]

Thanks Charles - I have a couple of pieces of Mesquite that were cut about a week ago that I have been wondering what I was going to do with them. Guess I better cut me off a hunk and do some turning. These pieces I picked up to maybe make a carving mallet or two out of but the soap idea just sounds to good not to try it. Thanks again and will let you know if I'm successful or not. Dan

[Evan Sutton]

I assume that you have a Chuck on your Lathe. If not ignore this.
To avoid using screws altogether :-
Ensure that ypur blank is reasonably circular
Set your speed fairly low 400 rpm ( you can always increase it)
Mark the centre of the face which will be the inside of the bowl
Open your chuck well out
Place the blank against the jaws of the chuck
Bring up the tailstock to the centre mark and tighten against the chuck
Start lathe and ensure that it is not going too fast
Using a parting tool cut a groove into the face (the inside of the bowl), at about the size of your chuck opening, to form a spigot which will fit on the chuck.
Reverse the blank to fit onto the chuck and turn the outside of the bowl cutting a spigot or recess to later hold the blank for turning out the inside.

I hope this is not too difficult to understand

[dananne]

That's not difficult, it's simple. Will save time, and help keep the work flowing from start to finish. Gets away from drilling several to fit the chuck, then turning. Thanks for a good idea. Dan

[Charlie]

Evan, I do it a little different. But then most of my bowls are less than 11" diameter.

I cut my bowl bland round on my bandsaw and mark the center on both the bark side and the flat side of the blank.

I then mount it between centers with the flat side against the drive center and the bark side against the tail center. I turn my lathe on a slow speed and rough turn the basic bowl shape and cut a tenon on the barkside next to the tail center. I then remove the blank from the lathe, take out the drive center and put on the chuck. I mount the bowl blank tenon into the chuck and begin hollowing out the bowl.

Charlie

[Evan Sutton]

Charlie
I used to do it your way but found that the way i have explained starts with the chuck on and saves time. It helps if both top and bottom of the blank are flat, but it is not essential. With one flat, you place the flat against the chuck and if the bark sie is the bottom you can start by cutting the spigot on the base.

I have been through a few transitions and finally settled on the suggested way as the quickest because it avoids the need to change from between centres to chuck.

Happy Bowling

Evan

[Charlie]

Evan, I'll certainly give your method a try. I'm always looking for shortcuts to save time. I sure do love using my chuck too. It's a real timesaver.

Charlie

[twoodsmith]

Which Harbor Freight lathe did you buy? I hope it was the variable speed. You must know that after you turn say 20 hours on it, the belt will break. I know this from my experience. Match it with a good automotive belt at your favorite automotive supply store. It will last hundreds of hours. I bought two at the time, and have not needed to replace the first one yet.

[twoodsmith]

I started with a cheap HF lathe as well. My chuck cost more than the lathe, but it is indispensable. I bought the Oneway Talon. I now have two and all the jaws that will fit it. Great chuck. The other chucks that I would consider are the Oneway Stronghold or the Vicmarc or the Titan by Nova/Teknatool or Axminster 4 inch precision chuck. The reason that I have two Talons, is that I have all the jaws for it. I have no complaints about the Talon although I think that I should have paid the extra money for the Stronghold. I use the #2 jaws most of the time. When I think I need a little extra holding power, I use the #3 jaws. The "spigot" jaws, as Oneway calls them, is excellent for holding pen blanks to drill as well as any other small piece of wood. Most other chuck companies call them pin jaws. The Vicmarc has the Shark jaws as an option. They are very good. The Axminster has O'Donnell jaws and long nose jaws. Both of these are very good. Bottom line is you can turn without a chuck, but the chuck opens a world of possibilities.

[Charlie]

I have a Jet 1236 and also have a Oneway Stronghold Chuck. I use it more than anything. Almost all my turnings use this chuck. I'd be lost without it. I use the #1 and #2 jaws. I don't own the #3 jaws and don't think I need them.