Walnut Rectangle Base Bowl

[Thomas Canfield]

Had a scrap of Walnut from lumber 3/4 x 9-1/4 W only 7" long with a knot imperfection about center one face. Added a glue block to opposite face and turned this piece. Used a washer to limit live center point penetration and jammed against open jaws of chuck to turn tenon. Point moved about 1/8 so bowl not centered as planned, but still came out pretty good for just fun. Did piece on little Nova Comet II with about 1/8" swing clearance to tips. Photo of piece sanded to 400 grit and buffed with Tripoli. Have now started final finish of home brew modified Danish oil with a little extra varnish.
Walnut rectangle bowl.JPG

[daryl moses]

I like it. I've never tried turning a bowl like that. I am now officially inspired.

[Thomas Canfield]

Daryl - I strongly advocate turning some 2x6 construction lumber to learn the technique of turning a square base bowl. The 2x6 is thick enough for a tenon and the bowl can be wings can be set at side of bowl or at rim. Little or no cost, and you are working on technique and not a finish product. You will not veel bad about throwing the piece away. Another good test is to take the prototype and cut it from corner to center and from mid-side to center to see how well you did with thickness and curves. Have fun.

[daryl moses]

Thanks Thomas. Lucky for me I have some rough cut Poplar and Red Oak 2X6's and 2X8's Poplar isn't a very "interesting" wood to turn but it is fairly soft and easy to turn. I think it would be a good candidate for my first try.
Thanks again for the tips!!

[Thomas Canfield]

Thanks Thomas. Lucky for me I have some rough cut Poplar and Red Oak 2X6's and 2X8's Poplar isn't a very "interesting" wood to turn but it is fairly soft and easy to turn. I think it would be a good candidate for my first try.
Thanks again for the tips!!

Daryl - I am suggesting even cheaper like free wood (maybe yours is there in Tennessee but not down here). The large difference in grain of the pine and fir construction lumber also allows you to learn about grain with pith rim or base side and getting your tools sharp to avoid tearout of endgrain areas of the bowls. Do have fun.

[John K Jordan]

Thanks Thomas. Lucky for me I have some rough cut Poplar and Red Oak 2X6's and 2X8's Poplar isn't a very "interesting" wood to turn but it is fairly soft and easy to turn. I think it would be a good candidate for my first try.
Thanks again for the tips!!

Nice piece, Thomas! I haven't tried one from thin stock like that but now I want to. Good idea about the glue block - these days it seems like lots of people don't use them as much as they could. (Instead of dealing with the point on the live center I jam between the open jaws and a piece of wood, either held by the live center or turned to fit my Nova live center. I think the point can be knocked out of most live centers too, leaving a cup center.)

Daryl,

I think if you first do a sketch of the piece from the side you can get the shape the way you want it with minimum grief. I've done several somewhat like what Thomas showed but from 1.5-3" thick, usually from 2" stock. Rather than straight sides, I like the sides to have a radius so I cut them on the bandsaw before turning. (I call them "squarish") With the curved sides you can actually fit a slightly larger piece on a given lathe. (I haven't yet tried one longer than it is wide.) Here's one from "somewhat figured" maple, more bowl than platter I guess:

penta_platter_bowl_IMG_7440.jpg

For me, the trick is ending up with the rim either even all the way across or with a gradual thickening in the center. I hold the top with a screw chuck and shape the bottom first, cutting a recess and sanding and sometimes finishing before I turn the top. Then I turn the top and bowl, watching the evenness of the edge while shaping the curve on the top. I found the edge was impossible to shape as I wanted unless the deepest part of the curved "trough" on the bottom was exactly at the outermost extent of the curve on the sides. If the center that trough was a little inside or outside the edge the side view of the edge was either unevenly thicker or thinner in the center of the edge. It's tricky to visualize in 3 dimensions but not actually hard to turn.

I made several demo and practice pieces from poplar recently and the neighbors loved them!

BTW, Thomas, such wood is often free around here, whether poplar, walnut, cherry, cedar, oak, osage, persimmon, and even ambrosia maple. Logs are abundant and free for the hauling and the blanks/slabs are free if you have a way to slice them up and a place to dry them. (I have a sawmill behind the barn.) Otherwise, the boards are not usually free but available and affordable. Unfortunately, it's hard for some of us to imagine life for woodturners outside the hardwood forests!

JKJ

[John Hart]

I love these kinds of pieces and so do lots of other people. One thing you might want to try along these lines is a slab of wood with the bark still on. Or natural edge under the bark. It's a wonderful transition from the rough look of nature and the smooth beauty of the turning

[John Hart]

20190107_190847.jpg
Here's an example that I did the other day

[daryl moses]

Well Thomas I finally got around to trying my hand at turning a rectangular bowl.
I'll have to say it was a lot of fun and i'll be doing it again some day.
Thanks for the incentive!!
Mulberry approximately 8x5 finished with WOP.

[Thomas Canfield]

Daryl, Nicely done. Now you need to work on about 5 other variations of square edge bowls. Let your imagination go wild. Again, construction lumber good to practice and try cutting a section out from corner and mid side to center to show wall thickness and how uniform thickness.

[Eugene Dixon]

I find construction cut offs by 'dumpster' diving at residential build sites. I've been able to harvest 2x12. Not much to find when the builders use engineered timbers.

[Thomas Canfield]

I plan to go dumpster diving this weekend where they are cutting rafters for house in neighborhood. Have missed out on several but my supply for 2x construction lumber is down. The rafters have been pretty good quality 2x6 with some larger yellow pine.