Hey Turners - how about an article on chucking bowls?

[Todd Burch]

Could someone take the time to show this non-turner how one would go about turing a bowl - start to finish?

Here's what would help me - in outline format:

1) Options for bowl grain oprientation when sizing up a section of log nabbed from a tree cutting crew. Is this the best way?

<img src="http://www.burchwoodusa.com/miscpix/bowl_in_log.gif">

2) Options and considerations for cutting bowl blank of out a log. Chain saw, band saw? If band saw, how to hold the blank on the bevel cut, or just cut it as a cylinder?

3) Initial mounting? Turn inside first or outside first? Face plate? Screw chuck? Other chuck?

4) Roughing gouge work - how far into the process to keep using it? Withing xx inches or parts of an inch?

5) How much/how long to use the initial chucking method?

6) Which tools - only a bowl gouge? Skew? Oval skew? Parting chisel? etc? Anything special needed for hollowing a bowl?

7) When do you need to re-chuck, for the second and final (assumption here) turning? What are the options?

8) When and where in the process do you start sanding?

9) Chucking for no tool holder marks - what are options?

There are probably many options and solutions to each of these tasks (and tasks I've probably omitted too), but I need the basics, and I also need pictures when it comes to the details of chucking, especially if I need to build my own.

I would REALLY appreciate your time on effort for these responses.

Thanks a bazillion. Todd.

[Tom Sweeney]

Todd,
You get any thoughts of becoming a woodturner out of your head - get back in the shop & build some cabinets.

I think you're married right? No way is your wife going to buy:
"Honest hun I'll get back to those paying jobs as soon as I finish one more bowl".

I would never be able to forgive myself if I led a hard working cabinetmaker like you down the path to the wonderful addiction of woodturning. :D :rolleyes:

Actually I'm not really qualified to answer your questions anyway so it's a mute point- but I'll give it a shot..

Bill Grumbine has a great pictorial on his site for taking a log to a slab ready to be a bowl blank.
http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/logcutting.html

From there you find the largest diameter circle you can cut out with your bandsaw(I use a chainsaw - don't), that will work on your lathe, of the face of the slab, screw on a faceplate to the side that will be the rim or open side of the bowl.

Rough turn the outside to the shape you want. make sure you turn a tenon on the foot end of the bowl - about an inch or so long & 1/3 the diameter of the finished rim. Get that nice and even. Take the bowl off the lathe, unscrew the faceplate & chuck the foot into a self centering scroll chuck, like the talon. Start "hollowing" the inside of the bowl leave it about 10% thickness to total diameter - IE a 10" rim leave the bowl sides 1" thick. Follow the outside contour. Then take the bowl off, coat it with anchorseal & let it sit a few months. Chuck it back up to the scroll chuck & finish turning the inside to the finished thickness. Sand the inside & outside - start with about 100 or 120 & work up slowly through the grits to probably 600. wet sand with oil, like mineral oil, at least for the top few grits & sand on slowest speed you can use.
Then let it sit for a short while & it let it dry for a bit. Then coat it with some kind of finishing oil. let it dry for a bit(several coats) then take it off the scroll chuck & reverse it. Either use a round purpose made blank or even just a shop rag & put the opening of the bowl towards the chuck & bring up the tailstock to the exact center of the foot. Use this as a friction chuck. Make sure the bowl is spinning true, no wobbling, & carefully cut away the tennon & just leave a little ridge around the outside diameter. recess the middle of the foot. cut all but the last little bit of the part riding on the tailstock. take it off & cut that off with a sharp knife. You can cut it all the way off but you have to catch the bowl once it lets go. Hand sand, or use a drill sander, this bottom part & rub oil into the sanded wood.

This is one way to do it - there are others. You can turn the bowl all the way from geen blank to finish width - use vaccuum chucks, etc. Many more knowledgeable than me here but this is the basic deal.

This glossed over some important points, including safety issues & eliminating catches which can really ruin your day. Best bet - find an experienced turner or a turning club in your area & watch them & ask questions. Or fly up here & take a lesson from Bill :-)

Be carefull you are treading on thin ice here Todd :D

[mike malone]

3) Initial mounting? Screw chuck? Other chuck?


hi todd

i see you've gotten sound advice already....SO....
a little levity for the day...couldn't resist it...(devil made me do it).

cheers

[Bill Grumbine]

Hi Todd

I've been thinking of doing an article addressing this process in its complete form, and I see Tom has pointed you to my website already. I wouldn't be able to get to it for a few weeks though. There is also an article on my site that goes through the process of turning a natural edged bowl which you might find helpful in the meantime. You can go to the WWW button below, or if you click on Tom's link, just follow your nose (so to speak).

Bill

[Todd Burch]

Thanks Tom. I need some pictures!

Bill, I read the page that Tom referred me to. Good information. Your chainsaw bar is on upside down. ;)

I have some mulberry that I cut about 2½ to 3 years ago. Humm.... The dark side is calling... Perhaps just a small bowl. I can handle it. I won't get addicted... It's just once...

Top 10 reasons to start turning:

10. I can participate in more threads @ Saw Mill Creek!
9. I already have 2 lathes (a Jet midi & a Delta 12x36) and 3 sets of turning tools
8. Perhaps by adding some turnings to my cabinets, I can charge more...
7. I'll have an reason to keep hanging on to all those bowl blanks I've been moving around for 6 years, and a reason to keep collecting more
6. I know how to sharpen a bowl gouge
5. I took a class at Woodcraft several years ago
4. I have a self centering chuck, a Nova chuck and about 10 faceplates
3. No moving items around the shop to finish them - they can be finished in place on the lathe
2. I can become an expert on yet another subject :rolleyes: :D

And the #1 reason to start turning:
1) I can glue up all my MDF scraps and practice on them!

Todd.

[Julie Wright]

Bill,
I've seen your Website and think the information in wonderful for us newbies. Have a question. What do you use to wax your bowl blanks?

Thanks

:)