you dont have to be a wood turner to enjoy a lathe

allen levine

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Location
new york city burbs
I don't watch internet videos much on wood turning.
Im not really a wood turner, I make a few pens for gifts.
Ive been doing some laquer spraying in the garage, and wont start any projects until Im finished and the weather cooperates again.
I took out some left over pieces of 10/4, maybe 12/4 Spanish cedar I have laying around waiting to be tossed if nothing else.

while I have no bowl turning skills, playing around with my baby lathe is both relaxing and nothing but fun.

I might even try sharpening my 2 dollars bowl gauges this weekend.

I dug out my super nova chuck(I coudnt find it), and it took me an hour to find the face plate that came with the jet.
(I found the hf one I never returned),and I know Spanish cedar is probably not a good turning material.
but I decided to make a covered bowl, like a candy dish? don't know what to call it.
This is my first attempt, and I had fun, so I don't care who laughs, and I really don't have any shame in showing it in a woodturning forum.
I will eventually purchase a larger lathe because turning even small bowls on the jet 1220 is a bit shaky.

This is what I got, I had no clue how to turn a lidded bowl and how to make a top, so I turned a tenon first, then the lip to fit into the bowl sizing it as I went along.
turned the top, put some rubber matting to prevent the chuck from digging in too deep to the top part, then parted off the tenon. Im sure this is totally incorrect, but I can only do things the way I think about it in my head until Im taught the correct way.
important thing is that Im having fun.
that's 2 heavy coats of wipe on poly, it will soak it quickly, then Ill sand it out and add more coats. Looks wet and sloppy, it will look better.
And a selfie for anyone that misses my ugly face.
I miss flatwork, but this stuff is just so much fun. IM thinking about actually investing in bowl gauges.
 

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Very decent result, Allen. I am glad to see you graduate to making bowls.

I have turned almost 10" diameter x 10" long items on my Jet mini. I did have to clamp it down to the table though.
 
Not half bad for a flatworker. :D Looks pretty nice from here.

As for your tenon/chucking sequence...you ended up with the desired result, so I'd say however you did it was the right way. :thumb:
 
As for your tenon/chucking sequence...you ended up with the desired result, so I'd say however you did it was the right way. :thumb:

+1 to that. If it works it works :thumb:

That's quite a nice looking little dish, don't really think you could ask for it to be done nicer personally.

I think the main thing that's seductive about turning for me is how quickly you can noodle something out and the real freedom from constraint of dimensions.
 
Great bowl...I'm fond of the selfie, keeps me from getting all RT on you!! Look into Thompson gouges. Just about anything you may want to do can be done with a 3/8 U gouge.
 
first I have to learn how to sharpen correctly.
then I need to get me one of those supercharged double hemi power house lathes.
Im thinking novadvr 2024. Maybe next year when I finish up a lot of my flat projects and can figure out where to put it.
Id keep the jet but probably put it away as long as I can turn small items on the big lathe also.
 
Nice job, and yes, the lathe is a great tool. I would hate to be without one. I love to figure out what I can do on the lathe for every project I work on. That is primarily why I turned 48 little spokes for my Speedster build as opposed to using dowels. Well, plus they don't make dowels out of White Guyana Rose Wood. The lathe and the scroll saw are where I go to relax during a build.
 
Way to go, Allen! Keep up the good work. :thumb:

I'm venturing back into spinny land, but I think I need to find someone in my neck of the woods to show me the way again!
 
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