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Practice bowl

Ned Bulken

Ned Bulken

Member
Messages
5,529
Location
Lakeport NY and/or the nearest hotel
I took a really small chunk of cherry from a branch to 'completion' today. It was really small, so I put a spacer between my face plate and the blank:
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it had a couple of cracks, so I just focused on the curve, doubt it will survive in the long run.

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3.5" across

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gotta love instant gratification. Yes there are a couple of tool marks. I didn't sand it, just burnished it with some shavings inside and out.
 
Noticed something in the first pic Ned...the mating surfaces look pretty rough; don't know if you glued or screwed the blank, but just a safety thing for the future...the day can get awful exciting if the blank and block decide to part ways!
 
Jim Burr said:
Noticed something in the first pic Ned...the mating surfaces look pretty rough; don't know if you glued or screwed the blank, but just a safety thing for the future...the day can get awful exciting if the blank and block decide to part ways!
Click to expand...

I'll second the suggestion to make sure the mating surfaces are truly flat and ready to become a good glue joint.
 
that spacer was not a glued joint. I only had 2" of depth, and the screws for my face plate would have reached through 80% of the bowl so I shortened the screws by putting the spacer in. I only had 1/2" Or less in the blank, but considering how tiny the blank was, I figured that was enough for shaping the outside and putting a tenon on the bowl. I'm going to be picking up a Bealle tap in the coming weeks, and I'll be using lots of wooden waste blocks. I'll be sure and have smooth mating surfaces when I do.
 
Another trick Wally taught me. Use a 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" thick round of alder. Find center, drill a pilot hole, turn in a screw center. Mount the screw center and face of the block dead flat (use a straight edge). Plane a flat spot on the turning blank. Fasten to the waste block. Now here things can get creative. Hot glue works; 3-4 small pea size blobs and press flat. Turner's double stick tape; pricey. Or his favorite, medium CA glue liberally applied and pressed flat. It turns away so no residue to deal with.

The upside is that you may already have a screw center (no cash outlay). They often are included with a chuck. Alder or poplar is cheap (at least out here it is). I got the Beal tap ($$$) and used it once. Thread integrity is important. So the waste blank must be free of defects or 'character.' Maple, cherry, etc. on hand, also works well. The beauty of the waste block is that the maximum depth of the turning blank is preserved.

Not sexy, but inexpensive and works really well. If you don't have a screw center, get a worm wood screw. Great thread penetration. Watch here: http://www.ehow.com/video_4943950_using-wood-worm-screw-mount.html.
 
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