Adding to the list of Things....

[Steve Russell tucker]

Well I have been busy in the "vortex" lately This332268332269 332270was 6 walnut boards I stacked on top of each other and turned down,then rubbed a couple coats of high gloss Tung oil on .I'm happy enough with the outside but not so much with the inside I've decided I'm not very good with the rounded carbide tool so I ordered a 3/8 bowl gouge and I'm gonna try that and see how it does .Again thank you all so very much for all your tips and advice It has been a pleasure learning new things from all of you.
Thank you all,
S.

[Allan Ferguson]

Looking at the item turned, I do not think a bowl gouge would be appropriate for working the inside. Glue up a 2" thick disk and make a shallow bowl with your bowl gouge when it arrives. Get some mentoring, might save an injury.

[Thom Sturgill]

For finishing deep straight sided vessels I prefer a box scraper shaped along the lines of Jimmy Clewes' version. 3/4" or wider heavy scraper. Grind the left edge back at an angle and then grind the end 90 or slightly less to that face. Leave about 1/8" and grind the rest of the end back in a radius.

The straight side can be used to scrape the inside wall and remove ridges. The corner lets you cut into the inner corner to produce a sharp corner while the swept back part helps prevent catches.

[Steve Russell tucker]

That is a great idea sirs! thank you i will try that asap!

[Aaron Craven]

To be sure, hollowing a box like this is not as easy as it seems it would be for a beginner... as the tool gets further and further out from the tool rest, the vibration gets worse and tool control gets harder. I agree that a bowl gouge wouldn't be the best choice for this one (especially on the inside). Depending on what you want to make (if you're like me, you're happy to be making just about anything!), turn spindles and shallow bowls until you get comfortable with technique. Lidded boxes like this are good too, but you may want to keep them a bit shorter for the moment.

Also, even though I didn't, I do recommend looking for a club and (if possible a mentor). You'll progress faster and safer. If nothing else, watch TONS of youtube videos on the basics. For example, Mike Waldt has some great videos for the beginner (I re-watch the one on catches from time to time to refresh my memory).

All that said, this is a very nice lidded box!

[Thom Sturgill]

...All that said, this is a very nice lidded box!

LOL, I take this to be a pencil cup, with the first picture showing the bottom. That brings up the point that the bottom appears flat. With dry wood that is probably not a problem, but with wet wood it is. The bottom should be slightly dished so that if it bells or cups, it will still sit flat.

But I do agree, a very good first attempt and I also agree - find a club and a mentor! There are a lot of good you tube videos out there but also some very bad ones!

[Aaron Craven]

LOL, I take this to be a pencil cup, with the first picture showing the bottom...

So it is... I stand corrected.

[john snowdon]

Hey Steve.

Looks like you have been practicing. Compared to thingy #1, I think you have quickly come a long way! Congrats! I'm glad you are enjoying your lathe.

[Steve Russell tucker]

Thank you Very Much Sir !! it does seem like I have only stepped away to eat and sleep :) I do love it !! Hope your well and thank you all again !
S.

[John K Jordan]

A good box scraper is helpful for straight sides inside something like this, but I always use it on pieces with the grain running up and down, not from side to side as it would be from a stack of boards. A heavy, curved negative-rake scraper should work well to smooth the inside after the hollowing.

One thing Harvey Meyer showed in one of his videos was an easier way to hollow a deep form made from a stack of thick boards. I did this recently with three pieces of wood 2" to 2-1/2" thick. It wouldn't work so well for thin boards. Don't glue them up first, but mount each one on the lathe and true both sides. (I use a screw chuck, true one side, then cut a recess to expand chuck jaws into, then reverse and true the other side.) While on the lathe partially hollow each board. (When hollowing the bottom board, go ahead and cut and smooth it in the center since that is the hardest thing to reach later.) When each side is done, flatten it with coarse sandpaper glued to a flat board. Then glue the boards together. This makes it a lot easier to do the inside since about half the wood is already gone. I generally use a heavy Hunter tool like the Hercules for taking out the wood in the middle.

If you want to see him do this, check YouTube for "harvey meyer beads of courage". Easier to understand if you watch him. There are three videos in this series. Worth watching.

JKJ

[Steve Peterson]

Since it is pencil cup sized, I would have just drilled out the inside with a forstner bit.

I can't seem to get anything done with my round carbide tool. It catches every time I use it. One of these days I will figure out how to hold it, but for now it just sits on the shelf.

Steve

[John K Jordan]

I can't seem to get anything done with my round carbide tool.

Is it a Hunter tool with a sharp edge, a round carbide with a flat top, or....??? The Hunter tools have to be held at an angle for inside use. I use them for most hollowing and cleaning up.

JKJ