How do you guys mount plates on a lathe?

[John Coloccia]

I usually use a 4 jaw chuck or drive for spindle work and a screw chuck for bowls. How do you guys mounts thinner items, like for a plate?

[Belton Garvin]

I start with the piece between centers with a drive spur. Once rounded off and the tail stock side surfaced I create a small 1/16-3/16 recess for a 4 jaw chuck. I get a basic shape started on the bottom before flipping and remounting in the chuck.

[Art Kelly]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udj9euwBEVE&feature=player_embedded

[Ralph Lindberg]

Well, one recent one I used a four-jaw chuck (4 inch) and turned the tenon into the rim when done. The 2nd, since it was the 'core' off the other, was a little thin, so I turned a small recess in the bottom. Then took a block of waste wood, attached to a face plate. Turned a tenon on that. Put some paper bag between and glued them together. When the front was done, I reversed and cleaned up the bottom

A vacuum chuck is almost a requirement

[Fred Perreault]

I make platters and plates as thin as 3/4" frequently. I usually glue a small block to what would be bottom of the turning and use a small face plate with short screws. I turn the inside of the plate and around an under the rim as far as I can get. Then I reverse the plate and hold it with my coles jaws, or vac chuck. I can then turn the block off of the bottom and dress it up. I have several round blocks cut into circles for this purpose at all times. I have a small drill hole in the center of the blocks, then a small pin prick locating the center of the turning. I apply glue to the block, put an ice pick through the block and locate the block on center thusly. I usually clamp the block on by using a cross brace made of scrap with a corresponding hole.... the pic might be easier.
I manage to have all kinds of small cut-offs, so I glue up pieces often. :)

[Eric Sayre]

I glue an "auxillary faceplate" to the workpiece: When I glue it together, I use a thin layer of glue on the workpiece and a thin layer of glue on a small round piece of wood that is to become the faceplate (the screws will only penetrate the aux. faceplate.) I then place a single sheet of newspaper between the two before joining & clamping them together. This creates a weak glue joint.

After the turning is complete, I use an old chisel and a mallet & tap the glue joint in several places until the pieces separate. If you choose this method you will have to sand the bottom of the plate to remove the glue/paper fibers. I use regular yellow wood glues.

[Thom Sturgill]

On the two I recently showed ( http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?156041-A-couple-of-plates ) I started between centers and turned a shallow ( 1/8") recess on the tail-stock side then shaped the bottom leaving a wide ring to support the jaws. Make sure the recess is flat at the outside with a slight dovetail.

I then reversed into a chuck and turned the face making sure that either the 'inside' or 'outside' (top or bottom?) was sealed. this is important if the wood is porous. I then used a vacuum chuck to reverse and clean up the recess turning it into the inside of the foot and removing the dovetail shape. Since I want the foot larger than the diameter of the jaws, and I had left plenty of width to the ring where the foot was, that mostly gets removed in the clean-up process.

[Bill Bulloch]

I mostly use a worm screw with a spacer, but you could drill a temporary 2" recess with a Forstner bit to mount it on the lathe. Once mounted you can turn another recess, square it up and completely finish turning the bottom before you turn it over. When you turn it over on the lathe to finish the top the temporary recess will be turned out.

[Gary Conklin]

Have not used this method personally, but I found this a while back and tucked it away.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/3jdw8/hintsattachment.htm

[Thomas Canfield]

I normally start with a faceplate on inside with short screws and turn the bottom with a recess for 4 jaw chuck, reverse and use chuck to turn the inside. At our local club meeting a couple of years ago, a member showed a platter about 12" diameter that he turned with a faceplate on inside and then double stick tape on the flat bottom. I was sufficently challenged to try it and turned a 9" D x 3/4" thick Cypress plate using double stick tape on bottom. I did use my live center to "hold" the plate on the tape when doing the outer portion of the inside. If the plate/platter is thick enough, the worm screw in my Oneway Stronghold or Talon willl also work. Frank Penta did a workshop here about 3 years ago for 3 axis turning on platter bottom and the chuck screw was used for center and 3 different axis turning of a 9" D x 1 1/4" plate on mini lathes.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I used to use a faceplate with short screws but have started using the worm screw. I turn a recess in the bottom and complete the bottom before turning around.

[John Coloccia]

Thanks for the ideas, guys. I guess I'm just over thinking it. I've been using a worm screw too, and it always seemed just so close to the edge I was wondering what I'd do with something thinner than an inch. I guess I just won't start with a blank thinner than an inch :)

[Steve Schlumpf]

Between centers to start, turn a recess while shaping the bottom of the plate, reverse and use chuck in recess. I have used a donut chuck to finish up the bottom of a plate/platter in the past but have found a vacuum chuck works great for these kind of turnings!

Have fun! Looking forward to seeing your plate/platter!

[neil mackay]

I make platters and plates as thin as 3/4" frequently. I usually glue a small block to what would be bottom of the turning and use a small face plate with short screws. I turn the inside of the plate and around an under the rim as far as I can get. Then I reverse the plate and hold it with my coles jaws, or vac chuck. I can then turn the block off of the bottom and dress it up. I have several round blocks cut into circles for this purpose at all times. I have a small drill hole in the center of the blocks, then a small pin prick locating the center of the turning. I apply glue to the block, put an ice pick through the block and locate the block on center thusly. I usually clamp the block on by using a cross brace made of scrap with a corresponding hole.... the pic might be easier.



Pretty much the same, then I turn the bottom first and a small height spigot to fit my SN2 130MM or so jaws. Turn it around and finish the front. Then off to the Longworth chuck to finish of the spigot and thats it

[John Keeton]

Between centers to start, turn a recess while shaping the bottom of the plate, reverse and use chuck in recess. I have used a donut chuck to finish up the bottom of a plate/platter in the past but have found a vacuum chuck works great for these kind of turnings!While I have used the glue on waste block, I also have done as Steve does and it is a preferable method. The recess does not need to be over 3/16" deep, and that is about right for finishing out the bottom of the plate/platter. If you cannot spare that much waste of material, then the glued on waste block works fine. I also keep several already turned with a tenon, and I mark the bottom of my blank for center, and use a compass to mark a circle the size of the waste block for gluing it on center. For glue, I have used CA, 5 min. epoxy, and if I have time - Titebond (preferable by far!)

[John Coloccia]

I like the idea of turning between centers and finishing the bottom first. That's the same ordering I use with the screw chuck of course. How do you get in to make the dovetail for the chuck with the tailstock in the way? I tried doing that and it seems impossible!

[John Keeton]

John, I have a homemade scraper I use. It is profiled for the dovetail, and has two cutting edges - the front face, and the side dovetail. I remove a little material with the gouge first, and plunge carefully with the scraper - then move to the left to create the dovetail.

Keep in mind that your jaws are not thick, and the recess does not have to extend fully across the bottom. It just has to have enough room to insert your jaws at a particular diameter. You can remove the remaining waste later.

[John Coloccia]

Ah. I've just been making them with a skew, sort of using it as a scraper to get into the corner. To do that, I pretty much need to be right where the tail stock is.

[Thom Sturgill]

I like the idea of turning between centers and finishing the bottom first. That's the same ordering I use with the screw chuck of course. How do you get in to make the dovetail for the chuck with the tailstock in the way? I tried doing that and it seems impossible!

Very carefully! Seriously, I use a dovetail scraper that I made. It was a HF scraper that I reground and cut the handle shorter. I have to have the tail-stock extended almost as far as it will go in order to insert the tool straight.

I am toying with the idea of grinding a scraper so that the dovetail sticks out the side. It would have to be a negative rake scraper and sharpened from the top only to keep the shape consistent. I would probably want a long shaft to keep the handle clear of the turning platter, and I'm afraid the rotational forces would be hard to fight.

[John Keeton]

John, my "dovetail tool" is made from a power jointer blade - about 6" long, and 5/32" thick. I have several different profiles of scrapers that I use in a square metal tubing handle - see this thread (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?125824-My-New-Lathe-Tool-Thanks-Paul-Atkins!!&p=1270342).

[John Keeton]

Very carefully! Seriously, I use a dovetail scraper that I made. It was a HF scraper that I reground and cut the handle shorter. I have to have the tail-stock extended almost as far as it will go in order to insert the tool straight.

I am toying with the idea of grinding a scraper so that the dovetail sticks out the side. It would have to be a negative rake scraper and sharpened from the top only to keep the shape consistent. I would probably want a long shaft to keep the handle clear of the turning platter, and I'm afraid the rotational forces would be hard to fight.Thom, I haven't experienced any trouble with mine. And, I haven't found the rotational forces to be significant. I use 50mm jaws, and so I am cutting my recess at about 2" from center +/-, and only 1/8 - 3/16" deep. I relieve a little of the material with a bowl gouge - nothing more than a dip - then, with the tool rest very close to the work, I ease in the scraper. Mine is not negative rake, and has about 10-15* undercut on it. It isn't very wide, so it isn't creating a large recess.

[John Coloccia]

Maybe I'll pick up a cheap scraper and use a grinder to grind the proper profile. Then I can just plunge straight and move left as you do, John. That seems a whole lot easier than what I'm doing even without the tail stock in the way. It's difficult to nail just the right angle freehand with the skew.

[John Keeton]

John, it doesn't have to be a scraper - an old screwdriver will work, as well. I would probably prefer one with a "not round" shaft so it could rest flat on the tool rest and not roll. Or, regrind a spindle gouge you may not be using - about anything will work as you aren't using it much and it doesn't need sharpening often.

[Reed Gray]

I never liked the screw chuck. You have to drill a hole, mount the screw chuck in your main chuck, then turn, then take the screw chuck out, then mount the blank back in the chuck. If you have the proper sized forstner bit (within 1/8 inch of the size of your chuck jaws, which for me is 1 5/8 inches for my small chuck, and 2 5/8 inches for my large chuck) you simply drill a recess with the forstner bit in the top of the blank, and mount that way. You can use your tailstock to steady it if you want, but not really necessary unless you are doing bigger pieces. By the time you get to turning the recess or tenon for remounting, you can move the tailstock for easy tool access. Minimal pressure in the center of the bowl. I used to remove the chuck for remounting the blank, but have learned to feel when the blank is properly seated. If you are working with a big heavy blank, then it is easier to mount it like shown in the Jet video. I recently turned a 22 inch diameter Madrone bowl, and had to take the chuck off the lathe to mount that one. Not as strong as I used to be.

robo hippy

[Mark Levitski]

Between centers, turn a recess for the chuck jaws, reverse, finish top, reverse again on the vacuum chuck to finish the bottom.

For between centers to begin, I guess a screw can be used in the chuck, but I just put one of those Oneway chuck spurs in to drive it against the tailstock. Some people just insert their morse taper spur drive, but not sure if that's good for the jaws or the taper if it gets spinning. There are other chuck spurs I see for sale, but I have not tried them. I usually do a number of pieces at a time for whatever stage of the process in order to save time in production. This gets around changing stuff on the lathe at every step for each piece. If you turn a lot of pieces, you're always thinking of how to be more efficient (that would be a good topic for another thread, huh). Reed's idea to drill a recess for the jaws during the first step between centers is a good one.

If you are limited in the thickness of the blank, then a glue block works great. Then a tenon can be used instead of a recess.

[Kurt Johansson]

I do platters in batches and work like this. I send the blanks trough the planer, thickness 22 mm. Got a jig on the bandsaw for cutting round blanks. After bandsawing I have got a centering mark on the up side of the blanks. On the pillar drill I have got a centering pin exactly under the center of the drill. I put the blank bottoms up on the centering pin, drill a 50 mm recess 3 mm deep, using a Forstner bit with the center ground away. Now the blank is ready for turning. I mount it on my chuck using the 50 mm jaws, now using a 12 mm sideground bowl gouge I can first turn the underside of the rim and then the inside of the platter without having to remount the blank. After turning I powersand what has been turned. Now what is left is the sanding of the foot and the recess. I do that by mounting the platter in homemade jaws for the chuck that fits the diameter of the platter. Using this methode I can turn and sand a 300mm(12 inch) platter in less than 10 minutes. The biggest batch I have done so far was 1000 300mm platters for one customer. Sorry for my English. Kurt Johansson

[John Coloccia]

So you just make a recess. No dovetail?

[Frank Kobilsek]

John

If starting with a dry planed board I double face tape to a face plate. With tailstock providing back up support I turn the bottom. Then remove the tailstock to create recess. Now flip into chuck to turn front side. Flip back on to vac chuck or jam chuck to fancy up the bottom if nessecary.

Good fabric double faced tape is good to hold many thing on the lathe. I use tape I buy at my local Ace Hardware.

Frank

[Kurt Johansson]

Hello John
Just a recess and no tailstock. 12 inch platter -2000 rpm. Three drills with 2 inch homemade sanding pads, grits 120 and 150 open grit and one with 150 close grit attached to the sanding disks using hot melt glue.
Polishing using steel wool 000. Finish is an oil mix of BLO and Tung oil.
Kurt Johansson

[Kurt Johansson]

Hello John
Just a recess, no tailstock, 12 inch platter-2000rpm
Kurt Johansson

[Jim Silva]

John

If starting with a dry planed board I double face tape to a face plate. With tailstock providing back up support I turn the bottom. Then remove the tailstock to create recess. Now flip into chuck to turn front side. Flip back on to vac chuck or jam chuck to fancy up the bottom if nessecary.

Good fabric double faced tape is good to hold many thing on the lathe. I use tape I buy at my local Ace Hardware.

Frank
Exactly my method also. I have an 8" faceplate to which I've secured a plywood disc that's 15". I use this for donut chucking but for platters when starting with flat stock it's my go to method. I also use the fiberglass backed double faced tape (I believe it's 2" x 75' made by Henkel? and is available at Ace Hardware or I believe Acehardwareoutlet.com.) Best tape I've found and I use it for work almost every day. The tailstock is there for backup just like Frank's and removed to make recess tenon. I learned early on that you CAN put too much of this tape on and removing a large (16"+) platter from the faceplate board without breaking it (or you lol) is an issue.

Jim