Woodswap Roughout-Pin Oak Bowl

[Baxter Smith]

This is a piece of pin oak Bryan Effinger sent me a week ago. I hadn’t had time to turn until this morning. He said it would warp a lot so I left it about 1 1/8 thick. It is 9 1/4 wide. Gave up an extra inch in diameter to try and balance the heartwood and sapwood on the outside.
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The blank had developed some cracks along the top but taking off a about an inch and a half eliminated them. Was then left with a knot on the top edge. Soaked it with CA along with a couple of other small places inside. Its 4" high as is.
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I had planned on turning through the heartwood which I did but now I’m not sure if I like it as well.
Unfortunately, what I liked best on the inside didn't match what I had already done on the outside.
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It will be interesting to see if I can keep the balance once it dries and warps. Have Anchorsealed the entire bowl and will bag it tomorrow. Will just have to wait until 2011 for the final verdict. Thanks Bryan!

[David E Keller]

Looks good thus far... I've got a ton of pin oak blanks from a tree we had to remove. I can't say that I like the smell of wet oak when turning, but it sure is a pretty wood. Looking forward to next year's finished product.

[John Keeton]

Baxter, I think the bottom looks fine, but then, I thought I liked the donut bottom in my walnut/curly maple bowl!!:D The oak certainly has some neat grain and color, and I believe the end product will be well worth the effort!

That Brian is a pretty decent guy. But, I want to add, he can be pretty devious at times, sucking people deeper and deeper into the vortex!! One would never guess that of a quiet, reserved architect - those are the type one needs to watch closely!!;):D

Congrats!

[Brian Effinger]

That Brian is a pretty decent guy. But, I want to add, he can be pretty devious at times, sucking people deeper and deeper into the vortex!! One would never guess that of a quiet, reserved architect - those are the type one needs to watch closely!!;):D

Yup - it is always the quiet ones! :D Hehehehe :)

Baxter, it is looking good. I know you're not sure about it, but I really like the sapwood at the bottom - it is an interesting surprise when you look in the bowl. Now comes the not so fun part of waiting for the blank to dry. At least you have a ton of apple to keep you busy for a little while.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Looking good Baxter. Be sure to post when done.

[Norm Zax]

Did you remove the tenon? Thats usually left on until mostly finished. What's your plan? Suggest gluing one right back.

[John Keeton]

Norm, I think Baxter uses a chuck recess most of the time, as do I. It appears that is what he has done here.

[Baxter Smith]

I can't say that I like the smell of wet oak when turning, but it sure is a pretty wood. Looking forward to next year's finished product.
Didn't even notice the smell David but I have the cyclone running while turning. Was the first wet oak I have turned. A lot easier than dry!:)

Baxter, I think the bottom looks fine, but then, I thought I liked the donut bottom in my walnut/curly maple bowl!!:D The oak certainly has some neat grain and color, and I believe the end product will be well worth the effort!
Congrats!
John, when I saw the end result I thought of yours as well!:D(And thats not to say I didn't like yours!) It came out as envisioned to begin with but I turned through some pretty heartwood grain to get to the sapwood which had none.


Yup - it is always the quiet ones! :D Hehehehe :)

Baxter, it is looking good. I know you're not sure about it, but I really like the sapwood at the bottom - it is an interesting surprise when you look in the bowl. Now comes the not so fun part of waiting for the blank to dry. At least you have a ton of apple to keep you busy for a little while.
Thanks Brian. I agree with you on the interesting surprise idea when looking in, but I was also surprised at the figured grain in the heartwood that I turned away!:)


Looking good Baxter. Be sure to post when done.
Thanks Bernie, I will.


Did you remove the tenon? Thats usually left on until mostly finished. What's your plan? Suggest gluing one right back.


Norm, I think Baxter uses a chuck recess most of the time, as do I. It appears that is what he has done here.
Norm I did use a DT recess as John suggested on this one. While I was thinking about this one last night a question came to mind. If I had stopped hollowing at shallower depth I would have been left with a bottom that was too thick to dry evenly. What would have been the best way of reshaping the outside while holding it with the recess? Could I have tried to turn the bottom down to try and create a tenon that I could then grab for finish turning if I had enough room to do so? Or should I have just turned it around and tried to return the bottom using my cole jaws?
I am happy with the bowl as is but it was a very similar to a situation I faced last night with an apple roughout. Got the outside done, then turned right through some very pretty heartwood that looked a lot like birdseye.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Looks pretty good Baxter! Should make for a real nice bowl!

Once it dries - just use your chuck as a jam chuck after opening the jaws up as much as possible to fit inside of the bowl. Bring up your tailstock and turn a tenon or dovetail that you can use for finishing.

I usually shape the outside of the bowl while it is still in the jam chuck - then reverse and finish the inside.

[Allen Neighbors]

What would have been the best way of reshaping the outside while holding it with the recess? Could I have tried to turn the bottom down to try and create a tenon that I could then grab for finish turning if I had enough room to do so? Or should I have just turned it around and tried to return the bottom using my cole jaws?
Baxter, depending on what shape you had on the inside, of course, but If I were doing it, I might have tried to shape the outside bottom of the bowl while I was still chucked in the DT recess. I'd have taken really light cuts, and to keep from breaking out of the DT, I would have made the tenon a larger one, to fit my larger chuck. When I got the tenon finished, I would have taken the bowl off the expansion chuck, and either chiseled away, or sanded away the DT recess, to get the depth right for the larger jaws.
Make sense?

[steven carter]

Baxter,

FWIW, when I first started turning, I roughed out an oak bowl about this size and used a DT recess for holding it. After is had dried and I put it back on the lathe to finish it, the bowl blew apart in two halves. One half hit me in the shoulder and the other half put a hole in the ceiling. I have not used a DT recess since. Now I use only tenons, the force of a recess is spreading the wood apart as opposed to a tenon which is compressing the wood. I suppose that if might use a DT recess on a small bowl and feel ok about it, but an oak bowl of any size is so heavy that I feel I need a lot of strength to hold it, and would be concerned with the DT recess. YMMV

Steve

[Baxter Smith]

Looks pretty good Baxter! Should make for a real nice bowl!

Once it dries - just use your chuck as a jam chuck after opening the jaws up as much as possible to fit inside of the bowl. Bring up your tailstock and turn a tenon or dovetail that you can use for finishing.

I usually shape the outside of the bowl while it is still in the jam chuck - then reverse and finish the inside.

Thanks for that idea. It would have worked but in this case I would have been left with aout a 2 1/2 inch thick bottom with the 1 inch sides.


Baxter, depending on what shape you had on the inside, of course, but If I were doing it, I might have tried to shape the outside bottom of the bowl while I was still chucked in the DT recess. I'd have taken really light cuts, and to keep from breaking out of the DT, I would have made the tenon a larger one, to fit my larger chuck. When I got the tenon finished, I would have taken the bowl off the expansion chuck, and either chiseled away, or sanded away the DT recess, to get the depth right for the larger jaws.
Make sense?

That makes sense Allen. Thats what I was trying to describe. I actually used that today except I went from a tenon to a tenon on one of my apple roughouts. Had enough room to part off the bowl with the new tenon ready for returning.


Baxter,

FWIW, when I first started turning, I roughed out an oak bowl about this size and used a DT recess for holding it. After is had dried and I put it back on the lathe to finish it, the bowl blew apart in two halves. One half hit me in the shoulder and the other half put a hole in the ceiling. I have not used a DT recess since. Now I use only tenons, the force of a recess is spreading the wood apart as opposed to a tenon which is compressing the wood. I suppose that if might use a DT recess on a small bowl and feel ok about it, but an oak bowl of any size is so heavy that I feel I need a lot of strength to hold it, and would be concerned with the DT recess. YMMV

Steve
I can see why you would be leery of the DT recess. I will keep that in mind. I wear a faceshield now that I have started doing bowls and feel rather naked without one.:) I had a 12 inch bowl rolling across the floor today after coming out of the recess. There was a small bark inclusion and the 50 mm jaws weren't quite big enough. Put the faceplate back on turned a tenon that I could grab with my 100mm jaws.

[Scott Hackler]

"Will just have to wait until 2011 for the final verdict."

You have a lot more patience than me. I couldnt wait that long. For a bowl that size the Dna method would have it ready to be final turned in a month.

PS, its most likely gonna move a bunch. You should be ok this that thickness. I found this out the hard way!