Turned myself into a corner.....now what?

Tom Baugues

Member
Messages
2,790
Location
Lafayette, Indiana
Well seeing Vaughn's BLUE hollow form the other day really inspired me. I built myself a hollowing rig several years ago but never got around to using it so I decided to give it a go. A few years ago I saw an ad on Craigslist that someone was giving away some wood from a tree they had cut down so I went to see what it was. Turns out it was some kind of "hedge" trees growing along a fence line. The logs were about 8-9 inches across so I grabbed a few of the logs to bring home for turning. I sealed the ends and they have been in my garage for about 3-4 years now.
So the other night I cut one up and mounted it on the lathe and started turning. Having never done any kind of hollow form I was not expecting great results but my turning rig works great and I think this project is coming along nicely so far.
Now for my problem. I'm using a Nova chuck to hold this piece with a tenon I turned at the beginning. However now I need to turn off that tenon and finish the bottom of the bowl but I don't have any way of holding this piece to do that. :eek: The only chuck I own you can see in one of the photos here. I don't have one of those plywood "donut type" chucks that I have read about but is that what I need to do?
I need some advice here.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1370 (Medium).jpg
    IMG_1370 (Medium).jpg
    49.6 KB · Views: 65
  • IMG_1377 (Medium).jpg
    IMG_1377 (Medium).jpg
    53.8 KB · Views: 63
  • IMG_1379 (Medium).jpg
    IMG_1379 (Medium).jpg
    52.8 KB · Views: 66
  • IMG_1384 (Medium).jpg
    IMG_1384 (Medium).jpg
    83.2 KB · Views: 65
I often reverse hollow forms into rough-turned bowls and use the bowl as a friction chuck. Have a look at these pics I posted a couple of months ago. For a hollow form, the scrap wood bowl would be on the outside of the hollow form, but other than that, the process would be virtually the same:

http://familywoodworking.org/forums...-Smaller-Vessels-Question&p=405955#post405955

Here's another similar example:

http://familywoodworking.org/forums...-uneven-natural-edge-bowl&p=285023#post285023

Your hollow form is looking good, by the way. Nice hollowing rig, too. :thumb:
 
Put a strip of mouse pad around your jaws and gently expand them into the opening of the piece. Bring up the tail stock to keep pressure on the piece and finish off everything except the small nub where the tail stock hits. Cut the nub off with a small Japanese pull saw and finish the small spot left by hand.
 
What type of live center do you have Tom?
If you have the Nova I can post some pics for quick frictions chucks for the headstock leaving the live center in the tailstock.
 
I like the mouse pad idea, as long as it's really thin! The shelf liner that Vaughn refers to is what I'v been using for years...or at least as long as my first trip to SoCal to get a lesson ;)
 
After I thought about it you really don't need a Nova live center. It's just nice to be able to use it in the head or tail stock thanks to the 2MT on the threaded insert. You can mount the balls on wood and hold in your chuck jaws or on a short section of PVC pipe held in the jaws. The solid balls were $1 or less and about the firmness of a tennis ball. The pics with the glass show mounting in either the tail or head stock.
Someone wanted a photo of using the headstock and I didn't have a wood vase at the time.
 

Attachments

  • Nova Live Center 5.jpg
    Nova Live Center 5.jpg
    68.7 KB · Views: 17
  • Nova Center 002.jpg
    Nova Center 002.jpg
    54.3 KB · Views: 17
  • Nova Center 003.jpg
    Nova Center 003.jpg
    67.9 KB · Views: 16
Top