Reversing and Tennon Question

Dan Mosley

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Palm Springs, Ca
I was reading on the AAW site about turners different styles for tennons, turning them, reversing, etc .
I was also reading on another fourm where some turners were pretty harsh in their comments about the bottoms of bowls - stating that a smooth rounded bottom shows no creativity or design thought. <----which i totally disagree

I like to make thing easy when i can so i turn mine more like the pictures below (not my pics)- dealing with tennon first and then reversing - that way when its dry i can easily deal with the bottom - after drying I may or may not use a compression jig and smooth up the tennon and deal with the marks left by the chuck or remove the tennon depending on if i did it in compression or expansion mode.
If i did the bottom in compression mode i will take off the tennon in the compression jig and sand, sometimes making the bottom round or a little dip to the middle - it all depends on my feelings at the time on how i think the bowl or vessel will look in the final design.
If i did it in expansion mode i may or may not use the compression jig - sometimes i can clean up the tennon area and level it easily and call it done and on to the finish. It all depends on what it looks like and how its going at that time. Putting the natural edge into the compression jig post drying can have its problems as you have to have it very centered and even then due to warping you may not be able to cut the ring without messing up the bottom but it gives you the ability to sand out the chuck rings etc.......

Final thought - Tennons and bottom designs are like discussing finishing - everybody has a way they like doing them and differ greatly - I like alot of designs and have no particular opinon on which is best. I like rounded bottoms or concave and other times i put other types of bottoms on.

Anybody else want to comment on how they do their tennons and bottoms ?
 

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I like to reverse and finish the bottom on all turned objects but they certainly do not all have the same shape on the bottom. Most of the time I use a friction chuck and the tailstock.
 
99% of my bottoms are concaved. Don't like tenons on mine for some reason. Only reason I would leave a tenon and finish it would be if I made a booboo and left the bottom to thin to mess with.
 
I never leave anything on the base that shows an obvious holding method.
To me it's a sign of laziness, not going that extra mile to finish an item.
If I turn a bowl up and see chucking registers it shouts out just as much as finding tool marks.
I know some people treat the spigot-tenon as a constant signature mark but I think this gets boring.
Base finishing with me is totally variable but always on a concave theme.

Attached are not the best of examples but are typical of the small stuff I do.
 

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I'm with Chas...I don't usually do anything fancy on the bottom, but if there's any sign of how it was held in the lathe, I feel I've failed. The local Rockler store has several bowls on display, and most (in not all) of them have recesses on the bottom with visible jaw marks. That's a total flunk in my book. Like Chas, I consider them to be tool marks. :rolleyes:
 
I never leave anything on the base that shows an obvious holding method.
To me it's a sign of laziness, not going that extra mile to finish an item.
If I turn a bowl up and see chucking registers it shouts out just as much as finding tool marks.
I know some people treat the spigot-tenon as a constant signature mark but I think this gets boring.
Base finishing with me is totally variable but always on a concave theme.

Attached are not the best of examples but are typical of the small stuff I do.

I'm with Chas...I don't usually do anything fancy on the bottom, but if there's any sign of how it was held in the lathe, I feel I've failed. The local Rockler store has several bowls on display, and most (in not all) of them have recesses on the bottom with visible jaw marks. That's a total flunk in my book. Like Chas, I consider them to be tool marks. :rolleyes:

I'm going to agree with Chas as well :thumb:

For "ME" I like the bottom of the bowl or whatever piece of facework I'm doing to look finished.

I generally plan to have a slightly recessed bottom, but not always, each chunk of wood is different, but a lot of it comes down to planning. I've also had people request a good stout tenon on the bottom of a bowl as they like that style, fine by me!

Do what you like, one of the many things I really enjoy about turning is that there really is not "Wrong" answer, if you like it, who is to say that is "Wrong" :dunno: I may not buy it from you, or copy your style, but that is just fine too :D
 
I agree with Stu in the fact that there really isn't a wrong way to turn. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If it looks good to you it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if it has a tenon, recess or a concave bottom just make sure it is properly finished. I also agree and failed to put it in my first post that finishing the turning is a different story in my book. Tool marks and chuck marks left on the bottoms are terrible. Every show I have been to people pick up one of my pieces and the first look is at the bottom. So if there are tool marks, chuck marks, sanding marks, etc. the piece in my mind is not finished and IMHO is a total failure.

The last show in March I went to there was gentleman there with all his turnings. His bowls in my mind were terrible. He didn't sell a single bowl even when he lowered the price to $10 per bowl the last day. I looked at some of his bowls. The bottoms were terrible with jaw marks and some still had the dimple of the tailstock. If those had been my turnings I would not have displayed them for sale.
 
I guess I go with the concensus..I make sure that all bottoms are finished in some manner... I do use the expansion method to hold bowls and have left the depression on some of the bowls, depending on the design, but I also make sure the chuck marks aren't there.
 
Dan,

I like your bottom----> :) LOL. of your bowls. Good photos also.

I try very hard to make the bottom of my bowls where people have to ask..

How you do that?

I now have a very crude homemade Vacuum Chuck and it woks wonders with bottoms....

Paul
 
reversing and tenon

I usually either jam chuck or vacuum chuck my pieces and finish the bottoms off so there are no signs of how the piece was held.
 
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