How do you ultimately treat your recess?

[Glen Blanchard]

I only recently began creating a recess rather than a tenon in some of my turnings and I am appreciating some of the benefits. I am wondering what most folks do with the recess when the piece has been completed. Do you reverse mount and alter the recess in some way or do you just leave the dovetailed recess alone?

[Brian Kent]

I leave the recess and finish it with same finish.

[Reed Gray]

Fine finish cuts on the recess before I reverse it, lemon juice to remove the iron stains, sand, sign, and finish. On 'art' pieces, I will some times turn the recess off, but most of the time it isn't worth the extra effort or time. Maybe an added point is that the signature is protected from rubbing off.

robo hippy

[Michelle Rich]

I make a disc with my name & wood info and use it to plug the hole. Makes it look finished and professional.

[Scott Hackler]

I use a recess only when I cuck up a massive blank for the purpose of coring a nested set, but after drying and finish turning...there is no trace of the recess as I finish the bowls by turning off and finishing the bottom with a flat...slightly concave surface. Of course you have to have enough meat left on the bottom to do this, but it hasn't seemed to be a problem so far.

[Michael Mills]

I finish off the recess either the way Scott described or by cutting away most and leaving a "ridge" about 1/16 as a base.
Either way the dovetail shape is removed. I do not turn massive items but still like the recess mount. By careful sizing of the recess you may use a recess for rough out and revert to a smaller chuck with tenon for finishing (or keep a recess for finishing).

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I use a recess almost always, except on very large items I use a faceplate, the recess gets returned at the end, I find a unfinished recess or tenon makes for a unfinished item.

I’ll ad a few pictures of turnings to show my usual bottom, unless I shape the bottom to the bowls contour, and there is then nothing left of the recess/tenon.

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[Thomas Canfield]

Leo said it. I heard somewhere that the final piece should not show how it was mounted for turning. Incorporate the recess into a design, feet, or just remove it.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Leo said it. I heard somewhere that the final piece should not show how it was mounted for turning. Incorporate the recess into a design, feet, or just remove it.

Agreed with that Tom, the other thing one will see when observing lookers/customers that when they do pick up a bowl/turning even when the price is to see without turning the piece over, they still will turn it over and look at the underside/bottom of the turning, and a nicely finished foot/base will certainly give a more professionally impression than a rough or not finished recess or tenon.

The impression of a higher quality piece will get you a higher price en more sales.

This piece will impress people more than this one.
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[Justin Stephen]

I finish off the recess either the way Scott described or by cutting away most and leaving a "ridge" about 1/16 as a base.
Either way the dovetail shape is removed. I do not turn massive items but still like the recess mount. By careful sizing of the recess you may use a recess for rough out and revert to a smaller chuck with tenon for finishing (or keep a recess for finishing).

Pretty much this for me as well. How much of a "ridge" I leave (if any) is a design consideration that varies by piece, but the dovetail is always removed.

[Thomas Canfield]

I was in a gallery today in Hilo, Hi and was surprised to see that the signed wood bowls and hollow forms were of such poor quality. The sanding and finish was rough, pieces were extremely thick, and bottoms had both a recess and evidence of 4 screw holes that had been filled with a light color filler. Pieces were in the $100 range, but no where in the same class as the other art work. I guess that just says you never can tell, but I would not expect that wood to sell. We all need to try to keep our quality up and improving - especially if we put our name on it.