First attempt at a Vase

[Tim Brooks]

I just bought a piece of Canary wood from Woodcraft with the intent of turning my first vase on my jet mini. With no experience in doing so, I was wondering if there was any advice from any of you before I start.

I do not have a chuck. I plan on using the faceplate that came with the lathe. Another concern I have is the finish. What type of finish shall I use to keep it waterproof on the inside and give it a nice sheen on the outside?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Tim

[Steve Schlumpf]

Tim, curious as to what style/size of vase you are going to make. If you are turning a bud vase or something not to large you could just use a glass insert - like a test tube - to keep everything waterproof. As far as finishes that are truely waterproof - not sure I actually know of any unless you start getting into epoxy compounds or something.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Tim if you are making a vase with the thought of real flowers and water there is not much you can use to waterproof it. I even tried to finish the inside with a epoxy mix but it didn't last long. I use glass inserts in mine if they want to use it for real flowers. If I use a glass tube I don't finish the inside because I use silicon seal to hold the tube in place. The outside I use Minwax Antique oil or Watco Danish oil. Two coats and Beall buff for a nice shine. You can also use gloss lacquer like I didn on my walnut HF I just posted.