Spinny Thing 'O The Week

[Jim Becker]

Pictured below is my "Spinny Thing 'O The Week"...a nice hollow vessel made from maple out of someplace in Iowa. (A friend of mine brought a bunch of stuff east when he visited earlier this year) It's about 5" in diameter and 6" tall for reference.

This piece just begged to be turned in a bulbous shape that took advantage of the bark on the top, some inclusions, worm holes and some punky wood. Although I prefer southwestern-style shapes, that just wouldn't work with this particular blank. After rounding the blank and playing with it between centers to get the right axis for what I "saw" in the wood, I turned a foot for the chuck to grab, mounted it up and worked out the basic exterior shape. Balance is an issue with any turning like this, so I had to play with the speed a bit to minimize vibration.

Hollowing was actually easier on this one since the nature of the wood allowed for a "window" into the interior as I worked my way in. One thing I did differently this time around is that I didn't bother drilling a depth hole...I just worked the wood, changing the angle of the cutter on the hollowing rig, from straight on for the center core to about 45º for smoothing the outer walls. I did refine the exterior shape once the piece was hollowed out and reversed...which brings me to that important process.

I most often use a vacuum chuck when reversing turnings to finish the bottom, etc. (Sometimes I turn the whole thing using just the vacuum chuck) In this case...well...not gonna work! What I had to do here was use a jam chuck technique to return the object between centers for final contouring the bottom and foot. For this one, I took a scrap of 2" square mahogany about 8" long, stuck it in the chuck and turned it round with a gentle, blunt tip. The vessel was slipped over that post and held in place with the tailstock. Since the dimple from the original between-center work was still on the bottom, it was relatively easy to true things up and finish the turning.

The finish on this piece is not...err...finished. It has a coat of MinWax Antigua Oil Finish on it, but needs to be buffed this weekend when the oil/varnish mixture is fully cured. Due to the nature of this vessel, I could not "push" the finish on the lathe without chancing destroying it in the process.

[Steve Inniss]

Jim,
Beautiful.
I've never used a hollowing tool, but I was just looking at one today in a catalog. Does it tend to catch and chatter, especially on pieces that are inconsistent- not really having the bulk of a scraper to absorb? I imagine it has to be sharpened with a slipstone, is it usually just a quick touch-up? The business part looks pretty small and I would think it really heats up.
Thanks -Steve

[Joe Tonich]

Jim,

Beautiful bowl. The shape is perfect for the natural edge. Well done!

Joe

[Jim Becker]

I've never used a hollowing tool, but I was just looking at one today in a catalog. Does it tend to catch and chatter, especially on pieces that are inconsistent- not really having the bulk of a scraper to absorb?

Most hollowing systems are based on scrapers, but as you noticed, the tips are quite small. If you are hand-holding them, you can definitely get chatter, especially on larger objects. But I do recommend using a hand-held tool for hollowing when you are starting out and limiting the size of your turnings so that you learn the process...then, make the move to a captive tool, such as the Lyle Jamison system that I use...and love. (I have some hand problems that cause me difficulty in holding the tools securely for long periods of time. The captive system eliminates that and also reduces catches to almost nil unless you do something stupid) The Stewart system is nice for starting out hand-held and also affords an elbow rest if you want to stay with it for larger items. Controling the tip is most important in small spaces...

I imagine it has to be sharpened with a slipstone, is it usually just a quick touch-up? The business part looks pretty small and I would think it really heats up.

Touch ups are done with a slipstone or diamond hone...you only want to hit the grinder when you really have to. "Your mileage will vary" depending on the wood you are turning...hard, spalted material will dull the tool quickly. Wet wood is more forgiving. BTW, most hollow vessels are end-grain turnings, too, and most of the tools are specifically designed for that.

[David Blangger]

Dad gummit Jim,

There ain't a southwest shop that wouln't proudly showcase that bowl nor a home that would not use it in their decor. Stunning!!

[Terry Quiram]

Wow!!! Some dramatic color and grain pattern. Thanks for the show.

Terry

[John Miliunas]

Du-u-u-u-u-de....That's truly awesome! Obviously, lots of care and patience in that piece. I just know if I were on the business end of the tools, that puppy woulda' exploded on me about 3/4 of the way through it! Very nice. Thanks for the post! Inspiring....

[Glenn Hodges]

A fine piece of wood went to the right person. Your treatment and design is an eyecatcher. Thanks for letting us view it.

[Anthony Yakonick]

Time to sell the tablesaw

[Doug Jones]

Very nice work Jim, the color in the bowl as well as the figure just stands out and begs to be noticed. How do you turn something like that without it blowing up on you? To me it seems like the gouge or which ever tool you would use, would catch on the wood and tear it up. But then again I'm just learning this "spinny thing" stuff.

[Howard Rosenberg]

You've got great taste and obvious skill. Howard

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Pretty Cool Jim. I can tell by looking at it that is was a challenge to turn. Excellent results! Thanks for sharing your work!

[Jim Becker]

Time to sell the tablesaw

I don't think so, big guy...as much as I love to turn, I also love to make furniture...some that actually includes turning, too, such as the natural edge walnut bench with three turned ash legs that I also assembled on Sunday. (Semi-neander project as the slab was processed with hand planes and sanding from rough) Besides, the table saw outfeed table is so useful for assembling the various jaw combinations on my Talon as well as a place to rest the vessels that are being buffed!

[Jim Becker]

. How do you turn something like that without it blowing up on you? To me it seems like the gouge or which ever tool you would use, would catch on the wood and tear it up.

Doug, I consider myself a relatively amateur turner, but what I accomplish is because I've invested in some training (David Ellsworth's course) and in practice with plenty of kindling being produced. But honestly, this particular piece is an example of using good tooling, too. The Jamison captive system lets me worry about guiding the tool, rather than stressing me out with having to actually hold it, too! I only need to worry where the tip is so the "art" can come first. While this object may seem like it was a bugger to turn, it actually was easy and I'm not lying that I was more relaxed doing it than I often am with a hollow vessel that my visibility is more limited at.

Below is a picture of what the Jamison system looks like on my lathe. The rear support was built from the plans on Lyle's site out of scrap oak and plywood.