Osage Orange

[Deane Allinson]

I screwed up. I was trying to turn a small piece of Osage Orange with a thin wall. Everything went OK except that I forgot how deep my dead center went into the wood. I turned down to it. I got the wall a little less than 1/8" and it looked better with the thin wall on something so small. ( I keep telling my self that it kind of looks like a knot?)5" dia. 2" tall. #18.

Question, I am having a problem with wood spinning between the centers, I keep showering down on the tail stock and it creates a deep hole from the dead center. I hate to create a tall foot. Should I look at another dead or live center? I just have the old stock Delta's from the 40's.
Deane

[Eric Gourieux]

Wow, that's beautiful wood, Deane. I really like the shape of the bowl. What are you using in the headstock? Chuck?

Eric

[Bill Bolen]

Great looking piece Deane. I've done that a time or two myself and now when in doubt I use my 60* center (usually used on pens).

[David DeCristoforo]

Well it does look like a knot and since there is another one anyway, you might as well call it one! I have never successfully turned a bowl between centers. I have had the same issue with the drive center drilling into the wood. that's why I bought a chuck! If you don't have one and don't want to buy one, the next best thing would to be to glue a waste block of very hard wood on the bottom of the blank.

Even with the "extra knot", it's beautiful bowl!

[Jim Burr]

Great looking bowl Duane! Try boring a 1/2" deep or so hole with a bit slightly larger that the dead center on the bowl side of the blank. I still use the one provided with my Jet. Use a rubber mallet to pound it in. Install and turn. On a smaller lathe with low torque, you may have to bump up the speed to over come the friction/bite of a gouge and lighter cuts on wet wood do not always work...it happens on all mini's with larger blanks...smaller factory motors produce less torque.

[David E Keller]

It's gorgeous wood, and I like the form. It does look like a knot hole but probably not from the foot side, huh?

Perhaps I'm a bit dense, but I'm not sure I understand how you're mounting the piece... Are you turning the entire time between centers? A photo or two of the setup might help those of us who are a bit slow understand where the trouble lies.

[Steve Schlumpf]

A photo or two of your setup might help with suggestions.

Sure is some pretty wood! Seems you figured out how to turn good-looking bowls! Keep it up!

[Deane Allinson]

I am turning the outside and a tenon on the tailstock side. While I am roughing out the shape, my drive center starts spinning. I tighten up the tail and the dead center gets hot and sometimes starts to smoke and bore into the tenon. I then mount a block with a mortise to a face plate and turn the inside. I saw Bob Hamilton's Utube video on turning a bowl without a chuck. It works pretty well except when I have heavy roughing or soft wood.
Deane

[David E Keller]

If you're using a dead center on the tailstock side, that's likely where your trouble arises. Either swapping it for a live center or applying a waste block to the piece may solve your problems.

If your drive center(headstock) is spinning, using a mallet to seat it into the wood prior to mounting will help some... Alternatively, I often tighten things up between centers then 'encourage' the piece onto the drive spur with a wooden mallet while snugging up the tailstock.

Whatever you're doing, you're sure turning out some nice looking bowls.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Do I understand correctly that you're using a dead center on the tailstock end? If so, you need to replace it with a live center. A large 2 wing rather than 4 wing drive in the headstock spindle will have less tendancy to drill, and a chuck to hold the tenon is a must for almost everything I turn.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Wow Deane that is some pretty wood and I like the simple form of the bowl. Deane I use a large 2 spur drive in the headstock.

[Baxter Smith]

Pretty wood and bowl Deane!

[Michael James]

Looks pretty good from here, Deane!

[Dan Forman]

The bowl looks great, beautiful wood, and it now has a beauty mark! Any reason why you don't mount the blank on to the faceplate when you first start turning the outside shape? That would solve your drive spur slipping problem. A live center would help out on the tailstock end, some have a cup that the point fits into, so that the point won't penetrate too far into the piece.

Dan

[John Keeton]

Deane, your bowls have really come along! This one is very nice - even with the "knot!"