Second Time Around?

[Chris Stolicky]

I'm hoping this will spark some discussion to each turner's preferred method, as I am sure there is no true right way to do this:

When you go turn a bowl, that was originally turned green, or too wet to prevent movement, how do you go about finishing it?

Let me explain a bit more:
- You first rough out a piece of wood down to the 10% rule
- Then, you let the wood dry by what ever means (i.e. air dry, microwave, etc.) or potions (i.e. DNA, dish soap, etc.) of your choice
- Then, you rechuck it after it dries to complete it

Assuming it is no longer a circle, should you true up the:
Outside first?
Inside first?
Depends on the wood/desired shape or figure?

I can see arguments for any case. Since I am fairly new to the bowl turning arena, and have not seen any formal demonstrations on the finished once-turned wood concept, I am just curious. I have been roughing out some green wood and letting it air dry, but I will get to the point where I can begin to finish them. Dry wood is a little more straightforward.

Thanks.

[Cyril Griesbach]

Chris, as you mentioned there is more than one way to skin a cat. Here's what I do.

I always make sure there is a mark in the center of the tenon from my tail stock so I can most accurately remount the bowl. I set the tail stock to this mark and and using the tail stock hold the bowl against a jamb chuck. You could also use your scroll chuck as the bowl is just being driven by friction from the scroll chuck or jam chuck. I then true up the tenon and part way up the outside of the bowl.

Then reverse the bowl and hold in the scroll chuck to finish turn and sand the bowl. Then I reverse it again on to the jamb chuck using some material to protect the finished inside of the bowl. I often use an old mouse pad but leather and other stable materials should also work, (with the "black" side to the jam chuck or it will discolor the bowl rim) and turn away the tenon leaving only a nub tapered into the bottom like an hour glass and finish up the sanding where the tenon was turned off. I usually just turn a slight concave on the bottoms of bowls.

Remove the bowl and cut off the nub and hand sand, or, as I do, use a 1" sanding mandrel in the drill press to sand off the concave though all the grits used on the rest of the bowl.

I then sign, date and put the type of wood on the bottom with a wood burning tip and apply the finish.

I hope this helps to answer you question.

Cyril

[Skip Spaulding]

Chris, I am totally self taught so probably wrong, but I rechuck, square face (rim) of bowl, outside, inside, mount on vacuum chuck and finish base. If I hear any strange changes in sound I stop the lathe and check for cracks etc.!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I put the inside of the bowl up against the jaws of my chuck and recent the bowl using my live center and tailstock. I return the tennon and the outside. Rechuck it and return the inside.

[Jason Clark2]

Ditto what Ken said.

Jam against the chuck using the dimple from the tailstock to center the piece. True the tenon and the outside of the bowl. Turn it around and finish the rim and then the inside. Reverse one more time on a vacuum chuck to finish the bottom.

Jason

[Chris Stolicky]

Chris, I am totally self taught so probably wrong, but I rechuck, square face (rim) of bowl, outside, inside, mount on vacuum chuck and finish base. If I hear any strange changes in sound I stop the lathe and check for cracks etc.!

Hey, thanks for all of the answers so far. I can definitely see the many ways of doing this. I would likely do what Skip described, above. But I guess it might depend on the whether the tenon needs truing....

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Squaring up or should I say rounding up the tenon (my version of Ken's post) takes a few SECONDS to do. Then rechuck and turn outside, tehn inside then sand to finishing. Reverse the turning using a jam chuck (or vacuum if you're rich) and turn off/finish turn the tenon.

[Chris Haas]

i dont even true up the tenon, dont know if its dangerous not too, but i just put the dried bowl in the chuck, true up the outside, set up my bowl steady and turn the inside, normally the rim of the bowl starts to move a little on me as i thin the piece down, thats where the bowl steady comes into play, its as necessary as a bowl gouge for me.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I pretty much do like Cyril does except for the jam chuck. I will put the tailstock in the mark it made when I roughed it. I then bring it up against the chuck. It doesn't make any difference about the chuck because the inside is not finish anyway. I retrue the tenon and the outside. I then chuck it up and finish the inside. Once I am done sanding inside and out I then mount it on the vacuum chuck and finish the bottom.

[Pete Jordan]

Ditto what Bernie does.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ditto what Pete does.

[Rasmus Petersen]

Straight into the chuck then pullcut the outside near the tennon and the outside, and a quick pass on the inside to get the pice stabel. then near vertical shearscrape (with bowlgouge) on the outside, sand outside. Bowlsteady setup, and turn and sand the inside, reverse in jumbojaws and turn the bottom. sand. Apply finish off lathe.

That is the fastest way i know how to do it.. I use it for my production bowls where time is money.

I also use an angegrinder with a large sandig pad for the outside. its quick and dirty but FAST..

[steven carter]

Ditto Steve,Pete, and Bernie.

Steve

[Kim Ford]

Great Post !

My way is a little different because I seldom get more than a half hour in the shop at a time so my bowls will come on and off the lathe a lot.


Rough with tennon.
Dry
Between centers clean off tennon and establish center
Glue onThreaded Waste Block
Once on block, clean up both outside and inside to get balanced.
Final cut outside down to foot.
Sand outside to 220 grit.
Final cut interior
Sand interior to final grit.
Buff and polish interior on lathe
Reverse and mount on Vacuum Chuck
Turn foot and final sand outside.
Buff and polish outside.
What works the best for me.

[Kaptan J.W. Meek]

Chris, I am totally self taught so probably wrong, but I rechuck, square face (rim) of bowl, outside, inside, mount on vacuum chuck and finish base. If I hear any strange changes in sound I stop the lathe and check for cracks etc.!
Sounds right to me.. Exactly my plan.

[Don Orr]

I'm in agreement with Cyril, Ken, Jason, Pete, Steve, Bernie, etc.

If you want to see it done and try it, come on over and play ! I must have some roughouts around here somewhere:D.