My attempt at turning a bowl

Rich Soby

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Cape Cod, Ma.
Well this one stretched out my tooling.... I now know that if I am going to start doing this for fun and maybe sell a few. I am going to have to upgrade my chisels, gouges and scrapers. As well as tool rests. This piece has some heavy checking on the side but I got a lot of tear out from over reaching as my tool rest wouldn't fit inside at the angles I needed to make the cuts.
I need to work on my proportions as well. I think the neck is a bit too long for the base.
2 coats of tung oil spun on and I will put a couple more on before parting it off.

practicebowl004.jpg


practicebowl005.jpg
 
Hahaha it does doesnt it! I was trying to roll the top so it flared back on itself. The gouges and scrapers I have arent small enough to get in and roll the lip the way I wanted to........
 
Pieces like this are a good way to discover the limitations of your tools (and your experience). I agree with you about the proportions, but until you turn a few that are off, it's hard to know when one is right. You seem to have a good eye and an honest approach to critiquing your own work, so I suspect your forms will improve quickly. :thumb:

You picked a challenging form, too. For some reason, a lot of beginning bowl turners start off trying to make bowls flare out inside somewhere after the rim. I know I did. :D
 
With gluing it on the faceplate. How do you finish the bottom? Do you cut it off of the face plate using a parting tool??

Yes I will turn a small base then part it off and hand sand and finish.
I learned it watching a guy turn on youtube. Check out haydenhd on youtube he has quite a few turning videos and that is how he attaches a lot of his work. I was a little skeptical till I tried to pull the piece off of the waste block.

Thanks Vaughn, yeah I do tend to want to run before I can walk. Well the "list" is growing for new tools. My wife wants me to make her a big bowl like a salad bowl. I already told her I'm gonna need a bigger lathe!:rofl::rofl::rofl: She said "you have no more room in there" :rofl: I said:rolleyes: I already have the shop rearranged and know exactly where it will fit!:D So now the uphill battle begins (aka begging and doing lots of chores I wouldnt normally do......:rofl:)
There were a couple of times when I was hollowing out that I was one of the scrapers and the small bowl gouge flex to the point I thought the were going to snap. That is why the interior isnt as refined as it should be. I reached the end of what my tools and tool rest will do.:eek:
 
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