NE Bowl

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have a question on a NE bowl. I just finished a mesquite (yea I know no pix didn't happen) that I have the first coat of Antique Oil on. My question is the lower edges of the bowl are thinner the the higher edges. Is this due to tool presentation or something else? The first couple I did were good but this one I am a little disappointed in. The walls are very uniform at 1/4" except right up to 1/4 to 3/8" from the lower edge it starts getting thinner. Any help would be appreciated.

[Robert McGowen]

Just a thought Bernie, which might get shot down pretty quick by those that know more. The natural edge bowls are usually longer than they are wide. Therefore the "high" ends are actually moving faster than the "short" middle part. The high ends will tend to stretch out from the centrifugal forces applied to them. This will cause them to be further away from your tool than the short middle part of the bowl as it passes by. In order to take wood off of the high end, it would stand to reason that your tool would dig deeper into the short middle section that is closer to your tool, making it thinner. The thinner you get and the higher the speed is that you are turning at, the worse the problem will be. While none of this may be visible to the naked eye when turning, it is noticeable when measuring or looking at the piece later on.
Just my opiniion and I am sticking to it until someone starts laughing. :D

[Mark Cothren]

Hey Bernie, I've been there and done that... really no different than a regular rimmed bowl that is thinner at the rim than it is further down the walls. It is just a matter of making the inside wall follow the contour of the outside wall. Its harder to do since you're following a ghost line on the wings, but if you position yourself just right you can watch the outside wall while you are also watching the gouge make the cut on the inside. Anyway, that helps me.

[Allen Neighbors]

Bernie, is it from sanding the ghosting edges of the bowl? Or is it farther down inside, that you're talking about.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Bernie, is it from sanding the ghosting edges of the bowl? Or is it farther down inside, that you're talking about.

Allen it is right up on the bark edge. The bark is thicker on the high side than the low sides.

[Allen Neighbors]

I probably don't even understand what you're talking about, but , I'm going to write something that you already know, that I have a hard time trying to explain in writing, ... When you sand an uneven edge on a rotating piece, you're sanding wood, then air, then wood, then air, and so on. The wood passes by, and your hand falls off the wood, into the air space, then the wood comes up again, and slaps your paper and hand pretty hard which sands harder on that leading edge of the wood. You already know this, right?
And it's the opposite on this NE bowl you're talking about now?
If that is the case, ignore me, and lean toward Robert's or Mark's suggestions. :)

[Don Eddard]

Is it possible that you're backing off on the cut a little as you cut the high wings of the rim? I know it's pretty nerve racking to try to ride the bevel on air, and some people tend to pull the chisel away just a little when they're on the very edge like that.

[Rob Leslie]

Bernie,

I'm a beginner, so take this with a grain of salt. If I understand your situation, I believe Bill specifically discusses how to deal with it in his second DVD. He was making a NE bowl and the top edge had two thick sides and two thin sides. He noted it was common and many folks try to "fix" it by continuing with the normal outside/in pivoting motion often used on the inside of a box. His solution was to plush the gouge down the inside edge and concentrate on going deeper on the sides with less of an emphasis on the way to the center of the bowl. If you have his 2nd DVD, you might want to check it out.

Good Luck,

Rob

[Bob Hallowell]

Bernie,
I have a ne walnut I will be posting tommorow. It is the same as yours with the lower egde thinner And yes it was from sanding as it was fine before I started sanding.

Bob

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have Bills DVD so will get it out and give it a look see. Bob H. I guess I did not look real well before I started sanding. I did not give it a thought to pay attention. Anyway it still looks pretty good and as the LOML said I am the only one that will know so don't worry about it.:D

[Tom Sherman]

Bernie, I was thinking the same as Rob, sounds like he has the right angle.