Bowl bottom finishing rigs

[Alex Cam]

What's the consensus on the best way to tackle bowl bottoms? It seems like the options are: Cole jaws, vacuum chuck, friction chuck, and homeade "sandwich" rig. Can anyone offer up some suggestions on this?

[Mark Pruitt]

Alex, it depends on what I'm turning. If it's a NE, then I use a friction "chuck" and hold between centers, and sand off the little nib that I can't get with the gouge. If it's a "normal" bowl I use a homemade "donut" chuck, more accurately a compression chuck, which sounds like what you are calling a "sandwich." I don't have any cole jaws; I may buy a set someday soon but I've never used them.

[Frank Kobilsek]

Alex

It's a personal preference. I started out as a Cole Jaw guy and got tired of changing jaws all the time so now I'm a jam chuck guy. I've been using a tenon vs. a recess. Dreaming of being a vac chuck guy.

Frank

[Sparky Paessler]

For a bowl I like the cole jaws. I have a set I made out of some 1/4" aluminum that I had. For hollow forms a vacuum chuck works well but I need to work on mine to get it working right!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Alex....I use my donut chuck for both bowls and NEs. When I turn off the bottom of NEs I take several layers 2" rigid foam insulation taped together with doublesided tape. I attach it to the base plate of my donut chuck with doublesided tape and turn it to a cone that will fit into the NE. Position the cone inside the NE and trap it with the other piece of the donut chuck and turn off the bottom.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I use a donut chuck and cole jaws. I bought the $99 Grizzly chuck to stay dedicated to the Vicmarc cole jaws. On NE's I use a donut chuck like Ken with styrofoam so the edge doesn't get damaged.

[Jim Becker]

Sometimes I use a vacuum chuck. Sometimes I use a jam chuck, finishing the bottom on the lathe except for a very small nib which is removed with a chisel. Sometimes for small turnings I do a "no reverse" turning using a glue block and parting the piece off with a slight undercut that "automagically" finishes the bottom.

There is no "one best way" to accomplish this task... ;)

[Patrick Taylor]

Just a jamb for me. In fact, the other night I used an abandoned bowl blank that was slightly smaller than the one I was finishing, so it fit nicely inside. (It even had the tenon still for easy mounting in my chuck.) I find that the wider the jamb, the better. I use a bowl gouge,then a skew to get the smallest nub possible and then hand-sand.

I looked at cole jaws and vacuum systems, but I'm trying to keep it simple.

You can add the Longworth chuck to your list. I'm not sure about posting the link here, but an article on how to build one is available on woodcentral.

[Keith Burns]

All that you have mentioned have their advantages and disadvantages. Probably the cole jaws have the most limitations as you can only do flat rimed bowls and then you have the size limitation. They work great for their purpose. I think the one that is the most versatile is the vacuum chuck as it will work on virtually any project, bowls, natural edge bowls, hollow forms, big pieces, small pieces, etc.

[Patrick Taylor]

All that you have mentioned have their advantages and disadvantages. Probably the cole jaws have the most limitations as you can only do flat rimed bowls and then you have the size limitation. They work great for their purpose. I think the one that is the most versatile is the vacuum chuck as it will work on virtually any project, bowls, natural edge bowls, hollow forms, big pieces, small pieces, etc.

The complaints I've heard about getting good suction on a piece that lets too much air through, as well as the cost of a vacuum system, has steered me away from a vacuum chucking setup.

IMHO, I think that a jamb chuck with the tailstock in place is the most versatile, since it can do almost any vessel including some that a vacuum chuck can't. (think ambrosia maple...)

[Keith Burns]

Patrick, I never said it was cheap ! I said it was versatile. I have never had a piece that it won't hold. If the wood has a hole, a little painters tape will take care of it. Both of these pieces were completed using a vacuum chuck.

[Patrick Taylor]

Patrick, I never said it was cheap ! I said it was versatile. I have never had a piece that it won't hold. If the wood has a hole, a little painters tape will take care of it. Both of these pieces were completed using a vacuum chuck.


Wow, those are gorgeous. touché!

[Paul Engle]

Ya know , All my bowls started on the screw ( Technatool screw), I turn the bottom , make the recess and finish it while on the screw never had one come off.I use a recess and this is why it is easier than a tennon. but ..... I could not afford fancy stuff like some of the guys so I make this work for me, my biggest bowl was the spalted birch 5 x 12 and it started on the screw. So you may want to investagate further . Good luck.

[Alex Cam]

Patrick, I never said it was cheap ! I said it was versatile. I have never had a piece that it won't hold. If the wood has a hole, a little painters tape will take care of it. Both of these pieces were completed using a vacuum chuck.

Wow, Kieth! Hold on while I go sit in the corner and hang my head in shame over everything I've ever turned :D!

[Ken LaSota]

Alex I use the vic marc chuck and just purchased the $99 chuck from grizzly so I can use the setup from vic marc without changeing all the time and it works fine.
Ken