newbie question

[Dahl Troy Perry]

Some more questions when you rough out a bowl you screw it to a faceplate and turn the outsite and the part you put in the chuck to turn the inside. Ok is this the way to do this? How much (dia and length) do you leave to put in the chuck I know it's the size of the bowl that determand this . Lets say I'm turning a 6" bowl 3 thick. Also do you chuck on a OD. our ID.When you finish the bowl you cut off the foot you had in the chuck how do you hold the bowl to put the finish on and sand with mico mesh sand paper? It would be nice to know step by step how others do this since I have never done a bowl? What I have is a record lathe with bowl attachment arm ,barracuda4 chuck face ,plates,collet chuck holds 1",and drill chuck with #1 morse taper. I bought a peice of osayorange at rockler last night sealed in wax do I still rough and put in DNA and let dry before I finish? When I do the DNA and rap in paper do I store in a heated place or can it be left in the shop that is not heated all the time? Please get me started

[Dennis Ford]

Dahl;
You seem to know more than you realize.
One of many ways to rough out a bowl.

* Plan to compress a tenon, not expand in a recess
* Mount between centers and shape the outside, then turn a tenon on tailstock end. Make the tenon large enough that you can trim it after the bowl dries and it will still fit your chuck. Leave a shoulder for the chuck to register on.
* Mount the bowl in chuck and trim the outside to round, then turn the inside. Leave the thickness ~ 10% of the bowl diameter. Do not make the bottom thicker than the sides, slightly thinner is better.
* Wrap the bowl in brown paper and store in an unheated building for a while. Everyone wants to know how long "a while" is but that varies a lot. I would say 2 months to one year depending on the wood, climate etc.

Any of the following is reason to use a more controlled drying method;
# crack prone wood - fruitwood, cedar etc
# visible defects
# blank contains pith or wood near the pith
# you are in a hurry

Not every blank will turn into a successful bowl, especially when you are first getting started.

[curtis rosche]

lots of questions, youve come to the right place, but i dont know where to start.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Dahl I will try to give you a answer and basically this is how I do it. I find the center of the blank and screw a faceplate on, mount it on the headstock and bring up the tailstock for support. This is important because when you remount it you want that tailstock mark because it will always be centered. I rough the outside and make a tenon. Don't make the tenon to long. If it bottoms out in the chuck that is no good. I make my tenons about 3/8" to 1/4" long and about 2 1/2" in diameter. Don't make the diameter to large because the wider the jaws have to open the less holding power they have. I mount the blank in the chuck and finish the outside then hog out the inside. I leave about 10% wall thickness. If I have a 10" or less bowl I leave the walls about 3/4" or so thick. I soak in DNA for 48 hrs or so. Let flash dry when you take it out. What I mean is let the surface dry and then wrap in a brown grocery sack or two layers of newpaper like you are wrapping a gift except not as pretty.:D I cut a opening in the bowl part to get some air in. I lay the blank on the bowl side or opening down on a cooling rack used for cooling cakes, etc. that you get from Wally World for a couple of buck. I place mine where there is little air flow and the temp stays around 65 to 70 degrees. When dry in about a month I return it to the lathe. I put the bowl opening against the chuck and bring up the tailstock to the mark you made in the tenon and give it some pressure so it tightens down on the chuck. Not real tight. Then I true up the tenon. Don't worry about the chuck marking up the inside of the bowl because you will fix that when you do the inside. I then turn it around and chuck it. I clean up the outside and make it round then go to the inside and make it round. Wall thickness is up to you. I leave mine around 1/4" or less. I sand the outside and inside from 80 grit up to 400 grit. I use a 90 degree drill and power sand. Don't skip grits and blow it off before going to the next grit. I don't go much higher than 400 grit and have never micro meshed a bowl. Once you are satisfied you can use a jam chuck with the tailstock against the tenon, a chuck with cole jaws, a donut chuck (which is what I used), vacuum chuck (which I use now) to finish the bottom. Google donut chucks and you should get plenty of plans to make your own. They are easy. I don't finish bowls on the lathe. Friction polishes and waxes don't hold up well in bowls used for food or handled a lot for show. I finish my bowls with General Finishes Seal-A-Cell followed by Arm-R-Seal or my favorite is Minwax Antique Oil then buffed with a Beall Buff system after is has cured for a week or so. There are lots of DVD's and books out there that will help you a lot. I had to learn that way. If you have access to a turning club or woodcraft that is the way I would go. You will get more ways of doing bowls but this is the way I do it. Hope this helps.

[ROY DICK]

Good question. I would entertain a book or video and maybe both.
It can get confusing to say the least. You can google woodturning bowls, check for catalogs.
Be sure to understand all safety instructions. and enjoy.

Roy