Introduction...and Newbie question(s)

[Phillip H Smith]

G'day everybody....

Although I've been "working" with flat stock for quite some time, I'm new to turning and have lots of questions.

Just as a quick aside, my wife was admiring a wooden pen owned by a friend, and asked if I could make her one. Not willing to admit that I "had no clue," and/or "accepting the challenge," I invested in a Rikon 70-100 (on sale through Woodcraft) and some basic turning tools. So now I've got a couple of "$100 each pens"...that - surprisingly - didn't turn out all that badly. Problem though...I've been seriously bitten by the "Turney Bug!"

I'd like to turn some bowls, and have bought some blanks through Ebay. My basic questions (for now) are these:

If the wood has been treated with "sealing wax" (unspecified by the seller). Can I glue the blanks to a sacrificial block mounted on my face-plate? I don't yet have a chuck that would hold a tenon. Would epoxy work?

My intent would be to turn the blank(s) between centers initially shaping the outside of the bowl and to form a flat/true surface on the intended foot. Then, I'd glue to a face-plate mounted block to do the hollowing.

Thereafter, I'd construct a jam-chuck to hold the concave bowl surface while completing the foot area.

So...is this a reasonable way of proceeding, if the gluing will work in the first place? Or...should I "mortgage my wife's good will" and pony up for a chuck? If the latter, what's the best one to purchase on a cost/benefit basis?

TIA for your advice...and patience!

Phil
Manlius, NY

[Mark Pruitt]

If the wood has been treated with "sealing wax" (unspecified by the seller). Can I glue the blanks to a sacrificial block mounted on my face-plate? I don't yet have a chuck that would hold a tenon. Would epoxy work?

My intent would be to turn the blank(s) between centers initially shaping the outside of the bowl and to form a flat/true surface on the intended foot. Then, I'd glue to a face-plate mounted block to do the hollowing.

Thereafter, I'd construct a jam-chuck to hold the concave bowl surface while completing the foot area.

Phil, welcome! Yes, that method would work. Instead of epoxy, use CA glue since it sets much more quickly. The wax you mention would be cut away during the process of forming the flat surface on the foot, so that would not be a concern.

If you're going to hold the bowl in a jam chuck while turning off the sacrificial block and completing the foot, I suggest you start off using the tailstock for additional support, and remove as much as possible with the tailstock in place. An even better method for dealing with the foot, though, is a homemade compression or "donut" chuck. Read more about it at Bill Grumbine's webiste; (http://www.wonderfulwood.com/) click For Turners and then Bowl Turning Jig.

I would suggest a decent chuck as your next major purchase. They definitely make life easier. I have two OneWay Talon chucks and am extremely happy with them.

[Don Orr]

Phillip, Good to have another Upstate NY'er here on the creek. Mark has given very good advice on all points. Another suggestion is to seek out the Central NY Woodturners. They meet at the DEC building at the State Fair Gounds. Good bunch of folks.

Have fun,

[Phillip H Smith]

Mark/Don...

Thanks for the advice and the welcoming words.

Mark...you gave me a good "push" on which end to start with. Although you didn't say it specifically, in thinking about it, I'd be better off using the face-plate directly on the "inside part" of the bowl blank to start with...and then use the sacrificial block on the "outside part" later. I guess, based on your comment, the wax doesn't penetrate all that far into the wood.

Unless someone chases me away from it, I plan on ordering a Pinnacle chuck from Woodcraft in the next couple of days. Although that unit uses Tommy bars vs. a more direct drive, its price is a bit more favorable...especially, if I also order the large flat jaws. The large jaws from the "other guys" seems to be extremely pricey!

Don...I plan on going to the next CNY Woodturners meeting at the Log Cabin. I've been a part of the SWWA for a while, so we've probably crossed paths. Going to tonight's meeting and swap meet?

Thanks...

Phil

[David Little]

I have the Pinnacle chuck from Woodcraft and for the price I think it does a very good job on the smaller bowls I do on my Jet mini. If you plan to do bowls larger than about 8 inches in diameter, you might want to look at one of the more expensive chucks.

I also started out a couple of months ago using a face plate and sacrificial block. While it works, you quickly get spoiled once you have a chuck.

Have fun.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Welcome Phillip. Lots of good people here and lots of knowledge. You have gotten a lot of good info. You might check but I thought Woodcraft had a Super Nova 2 chuck on sale for like $169. Pretty good chuck. Grizzly also has a chuck for $99 of which I have 2 and they are excellent for the money. Vicmarc chuck jaws will also fit this Grizzly so you can have a variety of jaws. I have held a heavy 16" bowl blank with it so not bad.

[Dennis Peacock]

Welcome to The Creek Phil!!!!! Nice place here with some of the best folks around.

[Mark Pruitt]

Unless someone chases me away from it, I plan on ordering a Pinnacle chuck from Woodcraft in the next couple of days. Although that unit uses Tommy bars vs. a more direct drive, its price is a bit more favorable...
Also consider the Barracuda chucks, they get good reviews. I've never used one myself, but have heard good things said about them. Like the Pinnacle, they too are not very pricey.

[Tom Sherman]

Welcome to the Creek Philip, you've got some good advise look forward to seeing some of your work.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Phillip - Welcome to the Creek!! Looking forward to seeing some of your turnings! Remember - lots and lots of pictures!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Welcome to the Creek Phil! Wade right in the water's fine!