Platter advice please

[Robert Hayward]

I watched an online video describing the process to turn an ogee shaped platter. Very informative with dimensions for each of the various curves and so on. Was most likely by one of the well known turners. I glued up this blank for the sole purpose of trying to duplicate what I watched online. Now for the life of me I cannot find the video to watch it again.

So how do I turn an ogee shaped platter from this blank?

[Edward Weber]

Robert, you may be over thinking it.
What exactly are you stuck on?
Turning a platter is no different from turning a bowl or anything else in that orientation.
I would mount it to a faceplate or your choice of method and turn the outside and foot to mount it with. Then reverse and turn the inside.

[Robert Hayward]

The Ogee shape and proportions Ed. Of course I can turn a platter. It is the ogee shape I am looking for with this blank.

[Dave Mount]

You might have seen a Youtube vid by Jimmy Clewes, he has one where he talks about proportioning an ogee. Searching Clewes on Youtube should turn it up.

In brief, it's done by establishing the rim diameter and the foot, then making a line 2/3 of the way from the rim to the foot. Turn a cove between these two lines. Then make a mark halfway between the foot and the rim, and create a convex curve with the same shape to connect the foot to the halfway point. The cove and convex curve run into one another at the halfway point.

Nice looking blank.

Best,

Dave

[Edward Weber]

I agree with Dave.
One you true it up and establish what size the foot will be, it's pretty straight forward, at least to me. I do the ogee shaping part by eye, so I can't really help you there.

[Brice Rogers]

Robert Hayward, I'm curious what the thickness is of your platter?

[Lawrence Duckworth]

The blank looks really cool... is what youre looking for anything like the Golden Ratio formula? those proportions have always worked for me when I get stumped on stuff like this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio

[Phil Rose]

When I think of platters, I think of Tom Wirsing. A Google search yields a bunch of hits with pictures, dimensions, etc.

[Walter Mooney]

[QUOTE=Dave Mount;[URL="tel:3228349"]3228349[/URL]]You might have seen a Youtube vid by Jimmy Clewes, he has one where he talks about proportioning an ogee. Searching Clewes on Youtube should turn it up.

In brief, it's done by establishing the rim diameter and the foot, then making a line 2/3 of the way from the rim to the foot. Turn a cove between these two lines. Then make a mark halfway between the foot and the rim, and create a convex curve with the same shape to connect the foot to the halfway point. The cove and convex curve run into one another at the halfway point.

Nice looking blank.

Best,

Dave

Here’s my copy of my photo of Mr. Cleve’s’ drawing of what Dave has described quite well.

[Robert Hayward]

Thank you everyone for the help so far. Have not had time to search Clewes as yet but I think he is the one that did the video I first watched. I will also check out Wirsing to see what he has to offer.

Brice the blank is 1 1/2" thick. Maybe too thin for what I want to do. If so I will glue up a piece to thicken the center portion of the bottom. Make it out of wedges to add a little flair to the bottom.

Wood used is ash, white oak in the star, yellow heart for the center button and cherry.

[Dave Mount]

Brice the blank is 1 1/2" thick. Maybe too thin for what I want to do.

Robert, your blank may be too thin for the outcome you have in your head, but it's not too thin to execute an ogee form. Below is a 12" plate made from a 1" thick blank with an ogee underside. The ogee does become more subtle with a thinner blank, but you can certainly still do it. Looking at the pic my ogee looks a little blocky and angular -- didn't look like that when I had it on the lathe, maybe it's a distortion from photography. . .let's hope.

If anyone has an idea what wood this is I'd love to hear it. I bought it at wood fabrication shop that also sells hardwood; they had it as "oticica", but the only tree from that genus I can find mention of as a source of lumber doesn't match the description. It's quite hard and dense, and has a lot of silica in it (I think I sharpened about 15 times turning this one plate). Raw it is a modest pink-brown but gets very red under oil (last pic). With oil it looks superficially like padauk but is most definitely not padauk. Wasn't very expensive, circa $7.50/bf. I've been thinking of sending a chunk to the USFS lab for ID.

Best,

Dave

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[Earl McLain]

Robert, your blank may be too thin for the outcome you have in your head, but it's not too thin to execute an ogee form. Below is a 12" plate made from a 1" thick blank with an ogee underside. The ogee does become more subtle with a thinner blank, but you can certainly still do it. Looking at the pic my ogee looks a little blocky and angular -- didn't look like that when I had it on the lathe, maybe it's a distortion from photography. . .let's hope.

If anyone has an idea what wood this is I'd love to hear it. I bought it at wood fabrication shop that also sells hardwood; they had it as "oticica", but the only tree from that genus I can find mention of as a source of lumber doesn't match the description. It's quite hard and dense, and has a lot of silica in it (I think I sharpened about 15 times turning this one plate). Raw it is a modest pink-brown but gets very red under oil (last pic). With oil it looks superficially like padauk but is most definitely not padauk. Wasn't very expensive, circa $7.50/bf. I've been thinking of sending a chunk to the USFS lab for ID.

Best,

Dave

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Nice. with the oil, it reminds me of ribbon mahogany or sapele.
@Robert--good looking segmenting on that blank--can't wait to see the finished version.

[Robert Hayward]

Robert, your blank may be too thin for the outcome you have in your head, but it's not too thin to execute an ogee form. Below is a 12" plate made from a 1" thick blank with an ogee underside. The ogee does become more subtle with a thinner blank, but you can certainly still do it. Looking at the pic my ogee looks a little blocky and angular -- didn't look like that when I had it on the lathe, maybe it's a distortion from photography. . .let's hope.

Thank you for that information. Mahogany or Sapele was also my first guess for the wood in your platter. You say hard and dense though so that rules out my guesses.

[John K Jordan]

Robert, Sorry if this is obvious but one variable you might be able to play with is the diameter of the foot/base. For a given rim diameter and thickness the ogee can look more “pronounced” as the base diameter increases. I’ve done this a time or two. Or move the inflection point a little closer to the rim leaving a bit wider flatter area outside the foot. Don’t know if it would permit the shape you have in mind.

Dave, That’s beautiful wood, looks like it might have interlocked grain and maybe nice chatoyance. Reminds me a little of some wood I used but can't remember what. Maybe it was this one, marked Jatoba, although hard to tell how much is the lighting (or the finish, this was "danish" oil:
penta_jatoba_IMG_7636 - Copy.jpg
Also not far off from a platter marked Sapele but it's not as deep a color, different finish on that one though.

JKJ

Robert, your blank may be too thin for the outcome you have in your head, but it's not too thin to execute an ogee form. Below is a 12" plate made from a 1" thick blank with an ogee underside. The ogee does become more subtle with a thinner blank, but you can certainly still do it. Looking at the pic my ogee looks a little blocky and angular -- didn't look like that when I had it on the lathe, maybe it's a distortion from photography. . .let's hope.

If anyone has an idea what wood this is I'd love to hear it. I bought it at wood fabrication shop that also sells hardwood; they had it as "oticica", but the only tree from that genus I can find mention of as a source of lumber doesn't match the description. It's quite hard and dense, and has a lot of silica in it (I think I sharpened about 15 times turning this one plate). Raw it is a modest pink-brown but gets very red under oil (last pic). With oil it looks superficially like padauk but is most definitely not padauk. Wasn't very expensive, circa $7.50/bf. I've been thinking of sending a chunk to the USFS lab for ID.

Best,

Dave

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[Dave Mount]

Also not far off from a platter marked Sapele but it's not as deep a color, different finish on that one though.

JKJ

Hey John -- agree completely that the chatoyance of the mystery wood is much like QS sapele, which I often use in platters using your pattern (per below). Sapele is a much more compliant turning wood.

Best,

Dave

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