Footing on bowls when using a chuck

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I've turned about 10 or 20 bowls so far and am considering getting a chuck. So far, I've just used plates with a scrap piece of wood glued to the bottom of the bowl for finishing (see attached pic).

If I start using a chuck, do I always need to turn some sort of footing on the bowl? My process so far has used a small curve in to avoid wobbling, but no largely noticeable footing (see pic). I've also seen people selling bowls that do have a noticeable footing ... are these people all using faceplates?

Also, how do I "clean up" the footing when finishing the bowl? Do I need to reverse the bowl and use some sort of vacuum chuck?

Thanks,
Dawson
 

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If glue chucks are working...go get 'em. You can use a jamb chuck or flat jaw chuck to finish the foot. I'm really new at bowls and am very fond of my flat jaw. It has limitations...but what doesn't. I originally learned to turn the outside first...foot included and then glue on a sacrificial blank. After the outside is re-trued and the inside done, just part off the foot from the blank and your done. Some very good videos on the subject on Youtube, Bill Grumbine or Craft Supply USA. As always...loads of great advice and examples here. Good Luck and post some pic's!!! :wave:
 
I've turned about 10 or 20 bowls so far and am considering getting a chuck. So far, I've just used plates with a scrap piece of wood glued to the bottom of the bowl for finishing (see attached pic).

If I start using a chuck, do I always need to turn some sort of footing on the bowl? My process so far has used a small curve in to avoid wobbling, but no largely noticeable footing (see pic). I've also seen people selling bowls that do have a noticeable footing ... are these people all using faceplates?

Also, how do I "clean up" the footing when finishing the bowl? Do I need to reverse the bowl and use some sort of vacuum chuck?

Thanks,
Dawson
Dawson, I use a chuck on virtually all of my bowls, and the foot on most of my bowls ends up looking similar to the one in your pic. (No real foot, just a depression.) As the last step of turning the bowl, I reverse it and turn the tenon off the bottom and dress up the foot. I use either a vacuum chuck or a donut chuck. Other folks use a Longworth chuck or Cole jaws on their scroll chuck. Here are links for articles on Donut chucks and Longworth chucks:

http://azwoodturners.org/DoughnutChuck.pdf

http://www.morewoodturning.net/Longworth Chuck.pdf
 
What is the main advantage of using a chuck as opposed the "scrap glue piece method" that I've used so far?

Does it make the process a lot faster? Or easier?
 
IMHO...chucks are faster; no waiting for glue to dry, don't require a lot of re-squaring and many times can be used for an inside bite on smaller projects, use a rubber band on the teeth and chuck marks aren't a problem. You can also use a varity of jaws...large(inside/outside), small(inside/outside), spigot, mandrel and several others for different application...I sound like a commerical. The Lidded box I posted today used both inside and outside jaw applications. There are a lot of good post very recently about favored chucks.
Knowing this board just a little bit, you wont have a problem getting people to post pic's of jaw applications. :lurk:
 
I've turned about 10 or 20 bowls so far and am considering getting a chuck. So far, I've just used plates with a scrap piece of wood glued to the bottom of the bowl for finishing (see attached pic).

If I start using a chuck, do I always need to turn some sort of footing on the bowl? My process so far has used a small curve in to avoid wobbling, but no largely noticeable footing (see pic). I've also seen people selling bowls that do have a noticeable footing ... are these people all using faceplates?

Also, how do I "clean up" the footing when finishing the bowl? Do I need to reverse the bowl and use some sort of vacuum chuck?

Thanks,
Dawson

Dawson,
Like Vaughn, I prefer a chuck on most of my bowls... I do start most of them with a face plate on the side that will be hollowed away and turn either a tenon for external hold, or if the bowl will be flatter, maybe a recessed footing for an internal hold... either way, I generally try to concave the bottom slightly so the bowl will sit without rocking... (I don't have a lot of luck having a perfectly flat base, hence the concave)

When I get the bowl hollowed and shaped inside, I reverse it either in a do-nut chuck or a cole chuck... I prefer the cole when possible since it usually will turn smoother for cleaning the bottom... if you're off center ever so slightly with the donut, you'll get enough wobble to make the clean up harder.
 
I find a chuck much faster and more versatile to use. I use one on all my bowls and then either vaccum chuck or use a donut chuck to turn the foot off with a concave bottom like you have. Either one works well I just don't like the glue.
 
I use a supernova with spigot jaws because i find they grip well for longer projects as well as i simply didnt like the expansion ones that came with the Nova when i bought it.
I use a face plate and turn a tenon on the wood, reverse it and make the bowl. Then use a doughnut chuck to finish the bottom. I have also used a jamb chuck to finish off the bottom and then with my drill press and a sanding disk i can make a flat bottom if thats what im after.
I mix things up a bit and use alot of the methods mentioned and then figure out depending on what im doing what will work best for me........my advice is to try the different ways and see what works best for you.
Bill Grumbines Vides, Richard Raffan and Dale Tibbs are good videos to learn from as well and show you different techniques.......Dan
 
Thanks guys, these comments have been very useful. Can anyone describe the donut chuck or vacuum chuck for me? Or point me to some resources that describe it? I've never seen these, but it sounds like it's time for me to start looking into them.

Thanks.
 
Dawson, there's a link to info on donut chucks in my first post in this thread. Google will likely have a bunch of other links.

Steve Schlumpf did a nice write-up on Sawmill Creek on how he built his vacuum chuck. (I found this one with Google, too.) Maybe we can talk him into posting it here, for those of us who can't see the pics on Sawmill Creek. ;)
 
I just started turning bowls earlier this summer. I use a face plate/scrap wood for the the majority of the turning. For the bottom, I use a set of cole jaws I made for my scroll chuck.
 
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