Pushing the limit - Finished

[Don Baer]

I decided I'd take a little break from the flat work project and checked up this little chunck of dono wood I picked up at the local hardwood supplier. It just under 11" dia and 3 1/4 " thick. Other then dancing around the little Rikon is having no problem with it as I rough out the shape.

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Man is this dry and hard, gonna get a lot of sharpening practice on this one.

[Lee DeRaud]

When you get within an inch of the lathe's capacity, life gets...um...interesting, doesn't it?:eek: :D

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Wow, Don, you really are maxing out your Rikon with that one. I can't wait to see the finished peice. BTW: Is your mini bolted down?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Lee you got that right. It does get interesting.

[Mike Vickery]

Looking good so far Don. I pushed my limits on my Jet mini a couple times and it can be done but I got a little more vibration than I would have liked. Bolting down made a big difference.

[Don Baer]

Wow, Don, you really are maxing out your Rikon with that one. I can't wait to see the finished peice. BTW: Is your mini bolted down?

Nope, It's just sitting on a big ole double drawer horizontal file cabinate full of hand tools.

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:eek: :D

[Don Baer]

Well the inevidable happened, I got a big catch. :eek:

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I guess that is a result of not being able to set the tool rest close enough to the work piece. I tried light cuts and sharpend frequenly buy it happens.

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I got the outside shaped and turned a tenion for the chuck. It's not quite 11" any more but still over 10". I'll do some more sanding and flip it over tomarrow to do the inside. You can't tell from the picture but there is some incredible figure in this wood.:D I'll have to go back to Chandler hardwood and find out what kind of wood this is, he's got more of these blanks there and a $10 ea not a bad buy.

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[Don Baer]

I hope I'm not boring y'all with my thread but this is the biggest piece yet for me and I am hoping that if someone sees something wrong in how I am doing the piece you will correct me. Also if there are others out there lurking on the edge of the abysse I hope that maybe a rank amature doing a fairly large bowl will get them to take the plunge. So far I haven't blown it apart and when I'm done I hope to have a respectable piece left over but if I have a piece if kindling I think that thats part of the journey.

[Andy Hoyt]

Not boring at all Don. Press on!

[Barry Stratton]

Keep it coming Don...almost like being there watching.

and I can relate to those catches........

[Don Baer]

Got the outside shaped, sanded and a coat of Oil on it. Chucked it up and started hollowing it out. Should get it finished today or tomarrow, depending on how the flat work I am doing progresses. SWMBO wants her desk finished so I am only getting to turn when my glue ups are drying.

[Brett Baldwin]

I admire your tenacity in working in this heat in an open garage. I was doing a small turning earlier today and was drenched by the time I destroyed the piece. My shop isn't conditioned either but is in the shade of a large tree and on the west side of the house. It looks like your going great with that big chunk of whatever. I hope you don't have any "radical design changes" like I did.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Don't have to worry about little "BIG GREEN." It can handle anything that still spins on it!

Bruce

[Don Baer]

I stopped by hardwood supplier and found out the wood is Cape Myrtle. I picked up another blank the same size while I was at it.;) . Now to get this one finished.

[Mike Vickery]

I stopped by hardwood supplier and found out the wood is Cape Myrtle. I picked up another blank the same size while I was at it.;) . Now to get this one finished.

Let me know how it turns I picked up a big block of it a couple weeks ago. I would bet from the same source.

[Don Baer]

Let me know how it turns I picked up a big block of it a couple weeks ago. I would bet from the same source.

Mike,
If you got it at Chandler Hardwoods then it is the same. So far it has been a real trip to turn. The wood is very dry and hard as a rock so sharp tools is the order of the day. The outside is spactacular and I can hardly wait to finish off the inside. Unfortunatly SWMBO has me working on her monster desk so my turning time is limited to when I am waiting for flatwork glue ups to dry.

[Don Baer]

I finished hollowing with the tail stock and parted off the tail piece.

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Then I faced off the part where the tail pieces was.

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Now it's a simple matter of sanding and finishing.

[Dennis Peacock]

Nice going Don.!!!! Looking good so far. Can't wait to see the finished piece. :D

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Good lookin', Don. Cape Maple, HU. I was going to saw that it looked a lot like a piece I did out of Elm. Pretty Stuff you got.

Bruce

[Richard Madison]

Didn't know they got that big. Maybe not crepe myrtle.

[Bill Boehme]

Didn't know they got that big. Maybe not crepe myrtle.

My thought also. Additionally, Crepe Myrtle splits so badly while drying that it would be hard to get any useful wood out of it. Basically, Crepe Myrtle is a bland white wood. Maybe the wood is actually Oregon Myrtlewood, a.k.a. Bay Laurel. It grows on the west coast and makes very good turning wood.

Bill

[Ernie Nyvall]

Lookin really good Don.

[Don Baer]

OK I finish turning the inside and sanded and finished it. I needed to finish the foot. My Longworth Chuck isn't big enough to hold the bowl and I don't have enough time to build another so I took a lesson from Andy Hoyt's platter making thread and made an adapter for the live center so that I could use a Jam chuck. This is the piece I took from the center while I was hollowing the bowl, I turned it down in my chuck to make a Jam Chuck.

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Here is the finished bowl. The blank was quite dry so there are a lot of cracks. I'm supprised that it held together. The finish is BLO followed by poly and carnuda was rubbed on and buffed after sanding to 1000 grit.

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This is the largest piece I have made to dat the finished bowl is 10" dia and 3 1/2" deep.
Your comment and criticisims are welcome.

[Joe Tonich]

Don,

I really like the form on your bowl, has some 'movement' to it. :D

It's great to see diff. shapes in turnings........keeps ya thinking 'outside' the box. :cool:

[Barry Stratton]

Very nice job Don! That is a "monster" bowl off a mini. I appreciate the step by step as well. I've got a "big for a mini" piece of cherry I need to turn and will refer to this thread for some tips!

Well done. You deserve a beer!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Don thanks for posting your progress. That turned out to be a beauty. Nice job for a big'un.

[Corey Hallagan]

It turned out just great Don!

corey

[Don Baer]

Thanks for the kind words guys. One of the challenges to this piece besides the size on the little Rikon was the shape. The outside conture was like a Roman Ogee and it was a challenge to get the inside to match the outside. I probubly shouldn't have tried to do so many things at one time but this contur has been in my mind for a long time so I had to try it.

The bowl will be given to my brother and his new wife tomarrow night at their wedding. It's his second marrage. He is 62 and a recovering alcholic. The Alcohol distroyed his first marrage. He has been sober for over 15 years and met his new wife through AA he too is a woodworker and I hope he will like it. LOML and I will take off tomarrow morning and drive 7 hours to the event to celebrate not only his new found love but what is a testimony of his recovery.

[Tom Sherman]

Excellent work Don and Great purpose for it. I think your brother and his new wife will love it.