i think i'm turning oval...

[Mike Minto]

well, at least, i'd like to try. has anyone come up with a do-able way for the home/amateur woodturner to turn ovals? techniques, specialty chucks that are affordable, does anyone know? i've heard of a Vicmarc chuck that is expensive - does it still exist - any other options? thanks, mike

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Mike, the easiest way to turn an oval bowl is to turn an open vessel form, a little taller than its diameter, and then split it into two halves, in order to re-join the halves into an oval. It can be done with either solid wood or segmented rings. Here's one example:

[curtis rosche]

i have seen it done using a pole lathe, but it takes a lot of skll do it

[Jim Underwood]

There was a post a year or so ago about turning ovals. Jim Maxwell made a chuck based on one found in David Springett's book, Adventures in Woodturning.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=78439&highlight=oval

I've been meaning to make one ever since I got a copy of the book (out of print).

If you go to Amazon right now, there's a copy of one for $22, and one for $210. Guess which one you should snap up because that's the best price I've seen since that post was made? (I paid about $50 or $60 for my copy.)

[Mike Minto]

malcolm, have your book, and have seen your oval bowls - very cool. i'd like to turn some oval picture frames and the like, as well as bowls. i'll have to try your technique. jim, thanks for the heads up - i just went to amazon and bought the book - was looking for it, anyway, on ebay, and had seen it sell for about what you paid for it. funny - i just listed a used book for the first time, on amazon, earlier today! mike :D

[Mike Golka]

Found this on the net, plans for an oval chuck, fairly simple as far as oval chucks go.
http://www.volmer---ovaldrehen.de/_private/4Oval%20Chuck%20and%20Ovalturning.html

[Mark Hubl]

Haven't turned any oval bowls/vessels yet. I have turned some oval spindle stuff. Similar concept using multiple centers. Here are a couple of countersink tool handles using multi axis turning. One was three centers and one was four.

[Brian Novotny]

off center and tighten down on your tenon on your chuck . Play around with mounting the tennon shooting out at different angles......not like trueing it up with the tailstock before tightening down the chuck. From what I know the first esculan chuck does nothing more than a regular scroll chuck can do.