1st Platter and lessons learned

[Kathy Marshall]

This is the platter that almost wasn't :o
Ash wet sanded with BLO, 10" diameter, thinnest part of the wall is .047", yep just 1/21th of an inch. Thickness varies from about 1/16" - 1/21" except for the edge of the rim (maybe 1/8").
The pics were taken under different lights and the true color is somewhere between the dark ones on the lathe and the lighter finished pics. The 1st pic the bottom is finished (up to the tenon area) you can see I started out with plenty of thickness, the 2nd pic the inside is finished and wet sanded (except for the center portion which needs to be dry for the double sided tape to stick to on the jam chuck to turn off the tenon), 3rd pick is the bottom completely done, I couldn't turn the inside of the foot nice and even without going thru the bottom, 4th pic is the finished inside, last is a pen light shining through the bottom.
I really thought it was going to disintegrate before I got done with it, kept waiting for the sandpaper to go right through it. I'm so used to turning bowls, I guess I forgot that a platter with a flat bottom doesn't allow for much depth ::)
Hopefully the next try will be a bit more useful, about all this one is good for would be to display someone's feather collection lol.
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[Gary Max]

I have a platter on my list of things to do----it ain't going to be that thin. Looks great

[Fred Perreault]

Good experience, great control..... ash is an open grain wood and hard to keep together sometimes. I use a lot of scraps, the pith from some logs that fortunately doesn't crack (I throw the pithy slices into a random pile for drying), and other odds and ends. I make a flat spot for a glue block, then a face plate and short screws. There isn't much to work with to begin, and a lot of that disappears quickly. I do the botom first, then use the bottom tenon to turn off the glue block and finish the inside of the plate/platter. I then use my vac system or a coles jaw to hold the plate to finish the bottom. Around here, plates and platters are quite popular. I can't imagine one thin enough to read a newspaper through.... :) :)

[John Keeton]

Kathy, you have created a Feather Bowl - that would be my story and I would stick to it!! Unusual looking ash - quite different from most I have seen. Great color and figure.

[Thom Sturgill]

Cathy, I just recently posted my first and second plates. They are a different challenge, but i liked turning them. My wife wants more. Good first plate, just show off how thin you can turn!

[Michelle Rich]

:-) I think you should claim you CHOSE to do this to show terrific tool control, and as a base for piercing. Get a piercing tool and leave only 1/21th of the entire platter to hold it together!!! :-0

[David E Keller]

Congratulations... You've almost managed to turn a piece of paper on the lathe!:eek::D:D

I think it's a pretty piece, and the light weight would make it perfect for hanging if you were so inclined. Michelle is right... It would be a great piece for piercing if you are interested.

[Carol Kinney]

Hello Kathy,
Very nice looking, very thin but now it's a feather bowl LOL. I just completed my first platter also and yes it was a challenge. I did the back first and left the tenon for the front, when I went to remove the tenon it was like "now what do I do" I've never turned anything this large. None of my normal jigs would hold the platter so I had to make a doughnut chuck. It was kind of one thing after another but just like you . . . got through it with lessons learned. Thanks for posting!

[Dennis Ford]

It looks great even if you can't serve steak on it. That dark streak would have scared me off turning it so thin, but you kept it together. The piercing idea is perfect for this platter.

[Kathy Marshall]

Kathy, you have created a Feather Bowl - that would be my story and I would stick to it!! Unusual looking ash - quite different from most I have seen. Great color and figure.

John, I think the different look of the grain is due in part to how the wood was oriented. Imagine how you would normally cut the blank with the foot towards the bark and the top towards the pith, now rotate the piece 90 deg so 1 edge is at the bark end and the opposite edge is at the pith, that is how the blank was cut due to the wood being more of a narrow wedge than a half log.
I'm going to try another tonight, probably with the more traditional orientation, although I do like how the grain showed in this piece.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Kathy that is a nice looking platter. Really shows some nice control. One thing you might try is to use a recess for your chuck to hold the piece. I make my recess and finish the bottom including sanding of the recess so when the top is finished it is done. Just another choice.

[Baxter Smith]

Very nice job a pretty piece of wood. I have done a few like that, some even thinner. They kind of have the pierced look.;)