Thoughts on Oneway Bowl Steady for larger thin-walled bowls

[Dave Mount]

I searched the archives and didn't turn up much. Up until now I've used my left hand with a leather glove on it if I need to back up the rim of larger (e.g., 12"+), dry, thin-walled bowls. This isn't something I need every day, but it just seems like for some bowls sharp tools, light cuts, light pressure, etc. just aren't enough to keep the bowl from "singing" (flexing) when the walls are thin. I turn a lot of sugar maple and it seems particularly bad about this, as do deeper bowls (I assume because the rim is less restrained by the wall). I haven't had a bad catch in a long time (shouldn't say that out loud) but lately I've been thinking more about the potential consequences if I were to have something of large diameter blow up while backing up the cut with my fingers. I've been looking at the Oneway Bowl Steady, it seems like a good option for a reasonable price (about $120). Have never turned with a steady rest, so don't really know if my expectations of damping vibration are reasonable. Wondering if others have insights. I turn on a PM 3520B if that matters.

I know you can make them, but for me the messing around and trial and error just isn't worth the $120 the Oneway would cost (assuming the Oneway is designed well).

TIA for any advice.

Best,

Dave

[John Keeton]

Dave, I have the Oneway bowl steady and use it mostly for larger platters. I have used it for closed lidded bowls as well and it does what it is designed for very well. I also bought the spindle steady, which mounts on the same base and shaft. It is very useful for turning furniture legs.

[Richard Coers]

I've turned 18" diameter by 6" deep soft maple and oak bowls and don't use a bowl steady. I always keep a keen edge on the gouge, but sharpen again once I get to 3/8" wall thickness. Then take that last light cut very slowly just making whiskers.
18%22maple.jpg

[Dave Fritz]

If you do it don't put it too tight to the bowl. I did and actually burnished a ring in the wood which was really hard to get out. Maybe no one else has done it but I wanted to warn you just in case there are two of us. LOL

[Reed Gray]

What do you consider thin? For me and my once turned bowls, I generally go to 1/4 inch, or slightly less. I have turned 22 inch as my biggest, but most are in the 14 inch range and down. If you are going to 1/8 inch or less, then a bowl steady may be a good addition to your tool kit.

If you are in the 1/4 inch range, then you shouldn't need a bowl steady. If you are thicker than that, then it is a problem of too much pressure on the bevel when turning out the inside of a bowl. On bowls in the 12 inch range, you have to turn it down to final thickness in stages of 1 to 1 1/2 inch steps. RPMs probably contribute to the bowl walls starting to flex because of grain orientation. End grain pieces would not flex as much. This is more of a problem the thinner you go, and the higher your rpms are. The other common problem is too much pressure on the bevel. Lots of terms to describe it: floating, rubbing, gliding, and probably others. Best description I have heard was "the bevel should rub the wood, but the wood shouldn't know it'. There is a 1 handed push cut that you see a lot of people do, and I think every bowl turner needs to learn it. I know I mention it in some of my bowl turning videos. The hand on the handle does all the work. The hand on the gouge shaft does NOTHING other than rest on the tool shaft. This can be complicated if you have the white knuckle grip on your tool handle. "Hold the sword (or in our case gouge or scraper, or skew) as you would a bird. Too tight and you kill it. Too loose and it flies away." Same applies to turning the outside of a bowl. The handle hand does all the work, the other hand just rests on top of the tool shaft. This is a good way to try the one handed push cut at first, just lightly resting your hand on the tool shaft. Side note here, I always have my flutes rolled over on the side rather than up.

Oh, if you use your fingers for a steady rest, which I do, hand pressure = bevel pressure. If your hand/fingers are getting hot, you are using too much pressure, probably on both hand and tool.

robo hippy

[Thomas Canfield]

If you do it don't put it too tight to the bowl. I did and actually burnished a ring in the wood which was really hard to get out. Maybe no one else has done it but I wanted to warn you just in case there are two of us. LOL

I will usually put a ring of blue painters tape for the wheels to run over to help prevent getting a ring. Just a suggestion.

[Dave Fritz]

I will usually put a ring of blue painters tape for the wheels to run over to help prevent getting a ring. Just a suggestion.

And a darned good one too. Thanks.

[Dave Mount]

Thanks all for the input. Re: Reed's questions, relative to the steady rest, I'm calling 1/4" thin for a 12+" bowl, but these are twice turned so dry wood, and as I said sugar maple (pretty hard) is the primary offender. I do natural edge bowls (green) down to 1/8" and don't have problems. On the other hand, a natural edge bowl pretty much forces you to have a light touch on the bevel since it's an interrupted cut near the rim.

I do the "one hand" cut as a demonstration for those I'm teaching (I do it, not them), not to illustrate light grip, but to illustrate how the bevel guides the cut.

Best,

Dave