How To Use A Wood Lathe To Make A Bowl
Turning Forest Bowls is one of the virtually enjoyable artistic processes I know. Still, to get started we need to know the procedures and techniques to make a wood basin.
Aye, at that place are enough of videos and websites about turning wood bowls, just when I was learning there didn't seem to be one place with all the info I needed. Instead, I had to piece-meal techniques and concepts together from diverse sources. And many times different sources had conflicting ideas.
If you're simply getting started you may have some bones wood bowl turning questions, run into this link. You may as well want to begin to sympathise many of the details involved in making a wood bowl. When yous finish reading this article be sure to check out this page as well.
Many videos that are fun to sentinel gloss over steps that are of import and treat them like everyone knows various techniques already. Those videos are entertaining, yes, merely don't help much if you're unsure how to do something in detail.
I constitute that it was smashing seeing a fantastically finished bowl at the end of a video, merely if I was still wondering how the base of that bowl attached to the lathe, I was dislocated.
In this Turning Wood Bowls – Beginners Stride by Stride Guide , I'm going to prove y'all and explicate every step necessary to make a wood basin. I will also let you know when at that place are optional ways of doing a particular procedure.
And to be very clear, we volition exist making a traditional round rim bowl with a mortise chuck connection on the bottom. As you may know, there are many ways to make a woods bowl and whatever way works for you later is fine. But for at present, we are keeping this basin uncomplicated.
You may have seen other techniques used elsewhere for turning wood bowls. Perhaps you may accept even started turning forest bowls and been taught processes that differ from what I'm about to share with yous. This is perfectly fine. There are infinite means to get to a terminal wood turned bowl. No one manner is "right" or "wrong."
For the sake of this step-by-step beginner guide, we will all be turning the same blazon of bowl with the same gouge techniques, etc. Later when you brand a woods bowl, feel complimentary to explore my other articles and learn boosted techniques to expand your knowledge and turning skills.
Throughout this guide, I volition have links taking y'all to other articles I've written with boosted detailed information virtually specific topics. I want yous to have as much usable knowledge possible to get y'all started turning wood bowls.
My ultimate goal is for yous to share my love and joy for turning wood bowls. There is nothing more than satisfying than making a beautiful bowl from a discarded chunk of timber and sharing it with others. This joy of creating something from nothing is but part of why I dearest turning wood bowls.
Gear To Make A Forest Basin
Before we go started, in that location are a few items we volition need to brainstorm. If y'all are borrowing someone's shop to try your paw at turning wood bowls, that's fine. Cheque with them and see what tools they take bachelor on hand.
The checklist below is the essential minimum tools and equipment needed to become started. If you only want to sample turning and brand a woods bowl commencement, before making a full commitment, yous don't need anything more than than this checklist.
If, on the other paw, you know you want to start your path to make a wood bowl and start equipping your store accordingly, see my Equipment Resource Guide for a full list of gear and supplies for turning wood bowls.
Easy Wood Tools or Traditional Basin Gouge
Easy Forest Tools and traditional woodturning gouges are a topic some people contend frequently. If you lot use Easy Wood Tools, that's fine. You may follow these same steps and discard particular information about bowl gouge techniques. Or perhaps, let the bowl gouge info here inspire you to try your hand with a bowl gouge while turning wood bowls.
Accept a moment and read this commodity that thoroughly covers the details of the bowl gouge.
Lathe For Turning Woods Bowls
The checklist below does not include a lathe. I'yard assuming you own a lathe or accept access to a lathe for this project. Check your local AAW woodturning affiliate and see if a member will be then kind as to introduce you lot to turning forest bowls and perhaps let you borrow their equipment.
There are important characteristics of each lathe that you will need to know. If you are not familiar with all the lathe jargon, check out this commodity near Identifying the Lathe Parts for more than in-depth details.
The 2 most meaning factors you will need to know about the lathe you lot will exist using is the swing meridian and the headstock spindle size.
The swing height is the distance between the headstock spindle center and the lathe bed runway. And the headstock spindle size is measured in diameter and thread count. For example, a 1" x 8 TPI (Thread Per Inch) headstock spindle is very common. The four jaw wood chuck and faceplate will demand to friction match the lathe's headstock spindle dimension.
Gear Checklist to Make a Woods Bowl
Full Face up Shield
Safety Glasses
Respirator
Respirator Filters
Bowl Gouge
Parting Tool
Spindle Gouge (optional)
Skew Chisel (optional)
Sharpening Station (optional)
Easy Woods Turning Tools (alternative turning tool selection)
Wood Bowl Bare
Pencil
Directly Edge
Compass
Bandsaw (optional)
Pull Saw (if no bandsaw)
Faceplate (usually comes with the lathe)
Faceplate Screws
Impact Driver with Screw Driver Bit
Iv-Jaw Wood Chuck (with approx. 2.five" jaws)
Angled Drill Sander (optional)
Power Sanding Pad (optional)
Sanding Disks (optional)
Sandpaper (if non using in a higher place items)
Woods Cease
0000 Steel Wool (optional)
Safety
Protecting Your Confront and Optics
Safe always comes beginning. You've heard it a thousand times at least, just that'southward the case here, too. We need to protect ourselves while we make a wood basin.
The safety glasses and full face shield might seem redundant. Let me assure yous they are not redundant. I know first hand that the face shield will blot the bulk of a direct bear upon, only your optics still need additional protection.
I've taken a total-sized basin directly to the eye of my face and tin tell yous information technology'due south an eye-opening experience. I can say with certainty that my upper lip and probably teeth would have had some major work done if I hadn't been wearing my full face shield.
The purpose for sharing this story is not to frighten, simply make yous enlightened of the possibilities. I have turned hundreds of bowls with simply that one incident. However, I take had other debris, such as bawl, bounce off my face shield, too. Just wear it, please!
If you are like me and require boosted up close magnification to meet clearly, at that place are rubber glasses with congenital-in readers. See the link above. It is squeamish to exist protected and still see what you lot're doing. Go figure. Ha!
For more details about safety while turning wood bowls, see this article wood bowl turning safety.
Best Practices
There are some habits you volition want to establish when turning wood bowls at the lathe. These routines will become ingrained overtime, and that is a good thing. Always follow the instructions and safety recommendations for your particular lathe.
The first best practise, and this may seem obvious, is to always stop the lathe before making any adjustments to the tool rest, banjo, or tailstock.
Secondly, when beginning to turn, always place your bowl gouge on the tool balance offset. Practise non let the bowl gouge to touch the spinning basin blank before being properly seated. This will almost e'er effect in a catch.
Whenever possible bring the tailstock alive eye up to the bowl blank and apply it to support and residuum the rotating piece. Locking the tailstock and using it to hold the bowl outside makes for more than stable basin turning.
There are several other best practices to employ while yous brand a woods basin. Read this article for additional best wood basin turning safety practices.
Step By Step Woods Bowl Turning Guide
With the gear list checked off and safety covered, it's time to turn a bowl! Each step beneath is listed in chronological order from bowl blank and progressing to a terminal bowl. Follow each step, and you lot are on your way to making a beautiful wood bowl… perhaps your first!
I've created a linked table of contents to help yous speedily admission each stride in this guide. Click to jump to a particular pace.
Table of Contents
Step i – Centering the Bowl Blank
Pace 2 – Preparing Bowl Bare
Step 3 – Faceplate to Bowl Blank
Stride 4 – Mounting Bowl Blank
Step 5 – Truing Bowl Blank
Step 6 – Understanding Push Cuts
Footstep 7 – Square the Bowl Bottom
Step viii – Measuring for Mortise
Step 9 – Cutting the Mortise
Stride 10 – Mortise Dovetail
Step 11 – Turning The Basin Exterior
Pace 12 – Reversing the Bowl Blank
Footstep xiii – Truing the Bowl Confront
Step 14 – Shape the Rim
Footstep 15 – Articulate the Basin Interior
Pace sixteen – Sanding the Bowl
Step 17 – Utilize Woods Finish to Your Bowl
Footstep 18 – Cease the Bowl Lesser
Step 1 – Centering the Bowl Bare
We demand to find the center of the bowl blank to become started. If you lot have a square basin blank from the list above, utilise a straight edge and draw two pencil lines each from opposite corners of the blank.
The 10 in the center of the bowl should be very close, if not the exact centre of the basin. Use the compass to find out. Identify the pointed leg of the compass on the centre point and aggrandize the compass to reach one of the short sides of the bare. Now draw a circle all the way around the basin bare.
If the circle stays in and on the bare and comes right up to each short edge, this job is complete. If the circumvolve extends over the edge of one or more of the edges, contract the compass to the shortest side and redraw a new circle.
As well, if the basin bare is larger than the swing (distance from the headstock to the bed track) of your lathe, you volition need to depict a smaller circle and make the bare fit your detail lathe.
Footstep 2 – Preparing Basin Bare
We want to attach the bowl blank to the lathe needing as niggling rough turning as possible. The best way to reduce this rough turning time is to remove the excess corners from our basin bare.
If y'all have a bandsaw, follow all the appropriate safety procedures and use the compass circle as your guide to turn away the excess fabric, and then proceed to step three. Hither is a guide to Bandsaw Basics
If yous don't have a bandsaw, not to worry, you lot tin can trim away a bulk of the backlog textile with a manus pull saw. Instead of trying to follow the curve, which a pull saw is not capable of doing, nosotros will lop off the large corners. This volition leave an octagonally shaped bowl blank.
For the sake of this step by step guide about turning wood bowls, I will apply the handsaw option.
Footstep three – Faceplate to Bowl Bare
There are a number of means to mount a basin blank to the lathe. Check out this article about three ways to attach a basin blank to the lathe, if y'all're interested. For our project, we will use a faceplate.
The faceplate is probably the most secure manner I know to mountain basin blanks. I have never… I'g non going to complete that judgement. I don't want to jinx myself. Let me merely say faceplates do a swell job holding the bowl blank, just there are some things y'all never want to do with a faceplate.
Most lathes come with a faceplate. Brand certain the flat surface of the faceplate is polish and free from any blemishes. Also, make sure the expanse around the marked center of the bowl blank is smooth and complimentary of debris.
Using advisable faceplate screws is critical. Never utilize drywall screws as they are not designed to handle the torque of a lathe. Use only loftier-quality woods or sheet metal screws.
The diameter of the screws should fit snug without much play in the faceplate holes. The length of the screws should permit between five to seven threads remaining under the faceplate and attaching into the blank.
Center the faceplate over the center mark of the basin bare. This doesn't need to be super precise, just eyeballing the middle over the x-marking made earlier volition work fine.
Using the drill equipped with a driver head to match the screws you lot are using, start one screw, but don't fully tighten the screw. Become to the reverse side of the faceplate and insert and tighten the second screw. Work your way around the faceplate moving back and forth on opposite sides to assure a relatively level connexion. Finally tighten the first screw completely.
Step 4 – Mounting Bowl Blank
With the faceplate firmly attached to the bowl blank, we can at present move to the lathe.
The following step is done with the lathe off. Loosen and slide the tool balance, banjo, and tailstock out of the manner, if necessary.
Concord the bowl bare in your right mitt and, with your left paw, turn the headstock hand bike. Thread the faceplate onto the headstock spindle until it seats firmly and securely to the base of the headstock spindle post.
However, with the lathe off, move the banjo and tool residue in toward the bowl blank. If you have plenty room under the bowl blank, place the banjo at a 90-degree angle to the lathe and in line with the bowl blank. If this isn't possible, position the banjo to the side of the bowl blank.
Now position the tool rest then information technology is parallel to the outside edge of the basin blank. Move the tool rest shut, but not too close. Past manus, rotate the bowl bare and make sure nothing touches the tool rest. And so motility the tool remainder in until information technology is about a half inch from the part of the bowl blank that sticks out the nigh.
With your safety gear on and the lathe set to a slow speed, plow on the lathe. The bowl blank should be turning free and articulate of the tool rest.
Bring the tailstock live center up and lock the tailstock base.
Advance the tailstock live center until information technology contacts the rotating bowl blank. By setting the tailstock with the lathe on, the true eye is bodacious. Tighten and lock the tailstock.
Step 5 – Truing Bowl Blank
The objective of this pace is to make the exterior of the bowl blank cylinder smooth and completely round. Once the bare is trued and perfectly round it volition turn more smoothly and be easier to work with as we continue.
You volition need to use a precipitous bowl gouge for the following steps. If y'all do not have a sharpening system yet, an option is to discover a woodturner or turning lodge that can help with this pace. If you are turning with an Easy Forest Tool, this footstep is not needed.
I use the Oneway Sharpening System with a deadening speed grinder. I've detailed all the equipment needed to acuminate a bowl gouge in my Sharpening Equipment Resources Guide.
The tool rest is now parallel to the side of the blank, and we volition use the tool rest as our visual guide for making smooth straight cuts. Place the bowl gouge on the tool rest and adjust the tool residual meridian, so the cutting edge of the gouge is at the center of the bowl bare.
Position your trunk to the left of the bowl blank. If your lathe has a movable control box, motion it to the left with you lot. You always want the controls within accomplish and when possible shut, so y'all don't have to reach beyond the turning bowl path to plow off the lathe.
Turn the lathe on and slowly increase the lathe speed. Bring the lathe to the bespeak where a minor amount of vibration is noticeable and so back the lathe speed downwards a bear on. If your lathe has an RPM readout, do non exceed 800 RPMs.
It'south important to notation that turning woods bowls is done at slower speeds than other turnings, peculiarly spindle work. Because of the larger bore, bowls, in general, should not be turned faster than 1,000 RPMs. Learn all near lathe speed, read this article next.
If yous cut off the corners by hand, in that location are points of wood sticking out a bit still. Between these points there is nothing, this is called "turning air." A portion of these initial cuts will be voids between woods cloth. Because of these voids and "turning air," these kickoff cuts can be a bit bumpy.
With the bowl gouge pointing to the right, away from you lot, place the gouge on the tool rest without touching the spinning timber. Now you have the bowl gouge anchored on the tool remainder.
The side by side of import affair to do is line upwardly the bowl gouge bevel and make information technology parallel to the side of the basin blank. The bowl gouge bevel is what controls the accuracy and quality of each cut. The term "riding the bevel" is a ubiquitous term used while turning wood bowls. Here is an article that goes into detail and more than completely explains riding the bevel.
With the bevel pointing abroad and parallel to the turning basin blank, make a light pass along the top edge of the tool residuum. You may or may not cut whatever woods on this first pass, and that is fine. Return to the left side, move the bowl gouge inward just a touch, and make another laissez passer.
Yous should kickoff to hear the clicking of the protruding forest portions being cut every bit y'all progress. If you turned your basin blank on a bandsaw, you will only demand to make a few passes earlier the side of the blank is perfectly round.
Keep progressing with each pass removing a small corporeality of wood until the entire side of the basin blank is polish and 90 degrees to the bowl blank surface.
Step half dozen – Understanding Push Cuts
The best fashion to make smooth straight cuts is to use your trunk and non your hands or arms.
Position your left hand behind the tool rest with your thumb over the top of the gouge, and your other fingers act equally a guide when you motion forwards. The left hand only guides the tool in position on the tool rest; information technology should never be steering or pushing into the wood.
Your correct hand, back on the wood handle of the bowl gouge, is keeping the bevel parallel to the desired cutting path, in this case, parallel with the basin blank side. When yous brand a wood bowl, your correct paw is the driving strength behind all turning cuts.
Think of the right hand and the bowl gouge handle as the till on a boat. You steer and create the course with your right hand, not your left.
In the case of direct lines, in that location is little steering or motion needed with the right hand. Because of this, y'all can constrict your right arm into your side for added stability.
At the showtime of each cut position your left guide manus, use your right hand to accommodate and make the gouge bevel parallel to the intended cut, then lock that position.
Try non to move your hands or artillery once they are in position when making a straight cut. Instead of pushing forward with your artillery, lean. Yes, lean and shift your body weight forward beyond the cutting path. Go on your hands and artillery locked and steady and gently lean your body equally the gouge glides across the tool balance.
That is the essence of a push cut. If you want to larn more than about other bowl gouge cutting techniques, including the push button cut, click hither to read the full article.
Footstep seven – Square the Bowl Bottom
Now that you lot've had some practise making straight pushing gouge cuts, we will try some more.
Plough the lathe off and position the banjo and tool rest at the right side of the basin blank. If the tailstock is too difficult to maneuver around, you may remove information technology.
Make the banjo parallel under the correct edge of the bowl blank and position the tool rest parallel with the blank bottom from the left side to the center surface area.
Using the aforementioned techniques from step five, we will now shine the surface of the bowl bottom. There is a good chance the bottom is already pretty smooth, only we will make a few low-cal passes to truthful up the surface.
Once again, position the left hand to guide and the right hand to line upwardly the away-pointing gouge with the bevel parallel with the bowl blank lesser. Brand several low-cal passes until the blank is completely flat and smoothen.
Step 8 – Measuring for Mortise
It'southward time to make preparations for when we will later flip the bowl over and work on the bowl interior. This is where the four jaw forest chuck comes into play. To learn all about the iv jaw wood chuck, see this commodity.
Take the wood chuck and contract or shut the jaws completely. We will exist making a mortise joint that the chuck will later grip. Because the jaws need to expand inside this joint, we volition use the starting measurement of the airtight jaws.
Measure out the distance across the outside of the airtight jaws and add a small amount, perhaps an eighth of an inch to that measurement. Now using the tape measure or compass, transfer that measurement to the centre bottom of the bowl bare.
Using a pencil supported on the tool rest, rotate the bowl blank by manus and make a circle to point the location of the bowl's mortise. Remeasure the marked circle to ostend it is wide enough to have the iv jaw chuck.
Footstep nine – Cutting the Mortise
The mortise is an indented or recessed area in the bottom of the bowl. Here is a detailed commodity all about making a mortise.
We will begin cut the mortise using a parting tool. In this instance, we will be using the departing tool more as a scraper than usual.
Position the tool rest parallel to bowl bottom about a one-half inch away and conform the height, and so the cut edge of the parting tool is on the heart line.
With the lathe on and up to speed (not more than nearly 800 RPMs) position the departing tool on the tool rest first. Slowly insert the parting tool at the within of the mortise measurement.
The depth of each cut should exist but slightly more than than half the acme of the 4 jaw chuck jaws. If necessary, turn the lathe off and confirm that the jaw only goes into the newly formed space approximately half way. The iv jaw chuck grip will not function properly if the mortise is made too deep.
With the depth established, go on using the parting tool to remove the material inside the mortise surface area. Make the within bottom of the mortise as polish and level as possible.
Step 10 – Mortise Dovetail
The mortise only works well if at that place is an undercut dovetail bending to pair up with the iv jaw chuck dovetailed jaws. With a properly cut dovetail, the four jaw chuck will agree incredibly secure.
In that location are a number of means to make this undercut dovetail bending. Equally a beginner just starting out, I advise using a scraping method. The skew chisel angle works well for scraping away this undercut area.
With the lathe, off, position the tool rest and then that the skew chisel cutting border, laying flat on its side, is at the centerline bespeak of the bowl.
Turn the lathe on and make slow passes removing minimal amounts of material at a fourth dimension. The angle is consummate when the bottom portion of the mortise cylinder wall is undercut at about a 10-degree bending.
To cheque your work and the fit of the mortise, turn off the lathe and insert the chuck into the mortise. Expand the chuck jaws until they grip the mortise sides.
Does the four jaw chuck dovetail side match well with the mortise? If so, you are done with this pace. If there is a bit of tweaking to do, remove the chuck and continue shaping the mortise until all fits well.
Step 11 – Turning The Bowl Exterior
Pat yourself on the dorsum, yous're doing great. Y'all now take a well-squared bowl bare with a prepared mortise!
On this step, we volition be shaping the bowl exterior. This is where all the creativity and adroitness come into play. I have an entire article just about turning the wood basin outside… check it out.
For our purposes, nosotros will make a simple and elegant curved bottom bowl. Just know that after, when yous get pro turning woods bowls, this is the stage where all the magic happens. The woods bowl outside dictates the overall look and feel of any basin.
Recall how upward until this signal we've been positioning the tool residual parallel to the bowl surfaces? In this case, nosotros will position the tool rest to exist parallel with the shape that will be created, not a current existing surface.
Move the tool rest to the front, right, outside edge of the bowl bare and angle information technology to match the shape of the bowl bottom to come.
Working from correct to left, nosotros volition make push cuts to clear abroad waste cloth and reveal the cute basin underneath. Position yourself most in the middle of the tool rest and get your left guide hand and right steering hand in identify.
The position of the basin gouge needs to be pointing away from y'all, and the flute should be tilted away as well, at almost the 10 o'clock position. Never accept the flute facing upwards or effectually the 12 o'clock position or you volition probably get a nice catch or two. To acquire what create catches while you lot make a forest bowl, read this commodity.
Initially, we will only remove pocket-sized bits with each pass, and those passes can exist relatively straight at first. Every bit we become farther down and approach the curve of the bowl exterior, we will need to make the cuts more curved.
All of these cuts are made the same way, by leaning and shifting your body weight forrard along the cutting path. Go along your hands and arms snug and don't move them much.
The simply exception to this is your correct hand. Your right manus, running the till, volition steer the bevel and cutting edge in a prissy arc through the cuts.
Make tiresome, straight cuts until you lot are comfortable. Finish the lathe occasionally to reposition the tool rest closer to the turning bowl blank. Y'all volition lose bowl gouge control if the gouge tip extends too far over the tool rest.
The bowl exterior curve should extend from the mortise opening to the top outer rim. It's important to leave material beside the mortise opening to handle the pressure level of the four jaw chuck later. If the sides around the mortise opening go as well thin, the pressure level from the chuck tin hands suspension through.
With each pass brainstorm adding a little arc past steering the gouge cutting tip with your right hand. If the gouge comes off the bowl, reposition yourself and continue the cut.
When you get close to making the final passes of the outside of the basin, information technology is a good thought to resharpen your finishing bowl gouge. This will make the last surface that much smoother.
Desire to know all the details most making finishing cuts? Add the article to your reading listing.
I typically use ii bowl gouges. Here are my bowl gouges. I use the larger 3/4" gouge to apace remove waste textile from both the outside and inside of a bowl, and I use the small 1/two" gouge for the fine detail finishing cuts. If you'd like to only use one bowl gouge for the whole procedure, I recommend using the i/two″ bowl gouge.
When the outside of the basin is curved from but exterior the mortise opening to the top outer rim, this footstep is complete.
Pace 12 – Reversing the Bowl Blank
All the hard work is now consummate. Only the bowl interior remains, and that's coming upwardly shortly. Now we need to flip the bowl blank over and go it prepare for the side by side steps.
Most lathes have a headstock spindle lock. Go ahead and lock the headstock and remove the bowl blank by firmly gripping and rotating towards yous to remove the bowl.
Information technology's a good idea to go far the habit of unlocking the headstock immediately after use. That way, when yous later flip the lathe on it doesn't squeal with excitement.
Remove the faceplate screws and store the faceplate. The faceplate's job is complete.
Thread the four jaw chuck on the headstock spindle and make sure it seats up against the base of the headstock spindle post.
Position the bowl with your right hand over the closed jaws of the four jaw chuck. With your left mitt use the chuck tool and expand the chuck jaws until the jaws brand contact with the inside walls of the cutting mortise.
Apply house force per unit area at the center of the outside of the bowl blank with your correct hand. Tighten the jaws of the chuck completely, rotating from one side of the chuck to the other to make the fit evenly snug. Exercise not over tighten the blank too much.
With the tool residue out of the way, plow the lathe on slow and see if the bowl bare turns true. At that place should be no wobble in the bottom or curved sides. The face may wobble a bit, but we will be addressing that next.
If there is a fleck of a wobble in the bowl'southward rotation, loosen the chuck and slightly rotate the basin blank on the chuck, then it seats in a slightly different expanse of the chuck. Retighten the chuck and cheque until the basin blank turns smoothly.
Step 13 – Truing the Bowl Face
Just like in step seven, we will now smooth and flatten the face of the basin blank.
Position the tool residue parallel to the front outside border up to the bowl'southward middle. Make the tool rest height, so the basin gouge is on the bowl centerline.
Keeping your hands and arms steady, gently shift your weight and brand light push cuts over the bowl confront until the bowl blank is smooth and true. Line the bevel edge upward with the eventual direct line being cutting by adjusting your right hand.
Also, plough the flute over at a 90-degree angle or in the 3 o'clock position when making these forwards-moving push cuts.
Afterwards a few passes, the bowl should now be true and turn very smoothly.
Even though the lathe may turn the bowl faster, for safety, effort not to exceed 1,000 RPMs with any basin. The larger the bowl, the slower the lathe speed needs to be.
Footstep 14 – Shape the Rim
Now is the time in the procedure of turning woods bowls when I like to shape the bowl's rim.
The rim tin can be turned whatsoever way you'd like. I adopt to have the rim slightly sloped into the bowl, just a flake.
If you prefer having a nice foursquare ninety-degree rim, you can skip frontwards to step 15 and begin clearing out the interior. The last step has already formed a nice affluent meridian rim edge.
To make an inward sloping angle for the basin rim, start with the woods bowl gouge on its side at xc-degrees or 3 o'clock. This is of import. Any other angle can result in the gouge skipping across the bowl's surface.
With the gouge on information technology's iii o'clock side, at present line the bevel up to where the cut volition be. This means the tip of the gouge and the bevel should be pointing at an inward angle.
With the lathe running, bring the very edge of the cutting tip upwards to the outer basin corner and wait. Wait for a small fine groove to form. That groove is the open door for the bevel to ride along. If you lot continue too fast, the gouge may skip or grab the woods.
Make pocket-size passes until the bowl's rim is shaped the mode y'all prefer. Brand the bowl rim at to the lowest degree a half-inch wide. We volition be making this bowl nigh 1/2" to 3/4" thick throughout, so the rim needs to be broad enough to accommodate that concluding wall thickness.
Step 15 – Clear the Basin Interior
At present that we have established the bowl rim, nosotros can brainstorm immigration the material from the inside of the bowl.
Still, with the tool rest parallel to the front of the bowl and the height gear up to the tool center, nosotros will brand small arcing passes to remove textile.
Rotate the bowl gouge flute to the right, somewhere effectually 2 and 3 o'clock. Position your left manus to proceed the gouge on the tool rest. Your left hand'southward role now is to maintain the basin gouge on the middle pivoting bespeak of each cut.
Using your correct steering manus, make arcing passes from left to right, scooping out small bits of wood at a time. Don't overdo it and dig in besides deep or you lot might get a grab.
Clear out a small trough forth the top border inside the rim by scooping out several passes. When the trough or space opens upwards virtually the rim, nosotros can then start cutting the inside bowl wall to the final thickness.
For now, leave the center of the bowl solid. The material in the middle of the bowl anchors the bowl'south weight and keeps it turning smoothly.
Stand to the right side of the bowl on the lathe and position yourself to a higher place the bowl'due south edge. Look down on the bowl and position your bowl gouge bevel and then that it is within the bowl where the next cut will be made, approximately 1/2" to three/four" abroad from the outside wall to institute the bowl'south wall thickness.
Well-nigh chiefly, make sure the bowl gouge bevel is parallel to the outside bowl wall.
The goal is to match the bowl interior to the shape of the bowl exterior. By matching the inside to the outside, the walls ideally will be parallel and take a compatible wall thickness.
To begin cutting the within wall, take the bowl gouge and lay it over at a 90-degree bending or 3 o'clock and slowly begin a push cutting that volition match the bowl's interior to the outside shape.
Stop only before the bowl gouge reaches the bottom of the formed trough. If you hitting the bottom of the trough, that will most likely exist as well much forest for the gouge to remove at once and cause a catch. If you lot oasis't already, check out this article most how catches happen and ways to avoid them.
One time the inside edge is about a half-inch deep, smooth and parallel with the exterior wall, begin removing the center area to nearly the same depth.
This is all waste product textile in the center of the basin and a great fourth dimension to practice. Make larger sweeping bend cuts from left to correct steering with your right hand and pivoting on your left guide hand.
Think, don't push button or drive the bowl gouge with your left paw. Your body is the commuter, by leaning or shifting forwards and merely your right-manus steers.
Work your way inward by removing an area along the side wall, making incremental stop cuts on the inside wall, and so clearing the center of the bowl bit past bit until you accomplish the bowl bottom. Echo this process until yous attain the bowl bottom.
Utilise your fingers, with the lathe off, to pinch the wall thickness and determine if more material needs to be removed in a given area.
With your right steering hand, drive the cut edge of the bowl gouge to match the outside basin curve, along the basin within. Each cut moves from left to right and stops at the basin center.
Be careful non to remove too much lesser material. Nosotros want the bowl sides and bottom to be the same thickness as the side wall. End often and feel the bowl thickness.
Getting the wall thickness correct on your wood turned basin is important. See this article next to learn all the details.
When the inside of the bowl evenly matches the basin exterior in shape, and the wall thickness is fifty-fifty throughout, sharpen your bowl gouge and make one (or possibly a couple) finishing passes to smooth the inside wall.
Be sure to ride the bevel which means keep the bevel parallel and flush with the intended cut surface. If the bevel tip digs in, the cutting will dive into the side wall. If the bevel border points out away from the cut, the gouge will popular up and come out of the cut. See the article virtually Riding the Bevel for more details.
Finishing the inside of a wood bowl is probably the most exciting point in although the process as you make a woods bowl considering you're so close to existence done. However, information technology is of import to pay attention to all the details when completing the within basin lesser. I take a detailed article explicitly addressing issues to be aware of while turning a woods bowl interior, click hither to read that commodity.
Step xvi – Sanding the Bowl
Sanding a wood turned basin is an art form all by itself. Don't worry; nosotros won't spend forever sanding your basin.
Before you go any further, put on your respirator. Dust particles in the air are many times more unsafe than anything hitting you in the face. Dust in the lungs is a cumulative thing, and only prevention will terminate it.
Equally a affair of fact, if I'm turning a piece of wood that is peculiarly dry out and makes more dust than curly shavings, I volition article of clothing my respirator while turning.
Also, at the sharpening station, it is a good thought to wear your respirator as the metal dust from the sharpening process is also very nasty for us to inhale.
Plenty well-nigh condom. I'k sure yous do all these things already. Well done!
While sanding my wood bowls, I utilize a power drill with a 3" cream pad mandrel to sand my bowls. The technique I employ has two components:
First, I use a l pct up sanding grit procedure. This means I will progress through sanding grits in incremental increases of 50 percent of the current sanding grit. For example, I will start with 80 grit and proceed to 120, 180, 220, 320, 400 and 600.
The other process I utilise when turning wood bowls and sanding them for a final terminate is stopping and working with the grain. First I will sand with the lathe at a irksome speed. Then, using the same grit, I volition stop the lathe and employ the edge of the sanding pad to clean up scratch marks.
Scratch marks grade when the sandpaper cuts against the grain. Since this is a side-grain mounted blank, one-half of the bowl is end grain, and the other half is side grain. I use the edge of the sanding pads and align it with the grain to remove scratches as I work around the basin.
When I'm confident nigh of the scratches are out, I will proceed to the next sanding dust upwardly. With the lathe on, I sanding universally. With the lathe off I sand locally in the areas that need attention.
I have created a detailed commodity that explains this sanding process, consummate with illustrations. Click here to learn more than about how I finish sanding my wood bowls.
I typically work up to 320 grit sandpaper. I've plant that 320 grit is ideal for my favorite food-condom wood terminate, which we will utilize next.
If you'd rather not invest in a power sanding set-up withal, you can use traditional sandpaper and sand the bowl with the lathe on slow. Use a small piece and lightly hold the paper to the bottom portion of the rotating basin. Never wrap the paper around your finger.
Of grade, you may mitt sand the bowl with the lathe stopped until y'all are happy with the terminal shine results. Personally, I don't have the patience to hand sand, but I adore those that practise. 🙂
Step 17 – Apply Wood Finish to Your Bowl
In example y'all're new to the world of wood basin turning and maybe woodworking in full general, at that place seem to exist space ways to finish a forest surface. I'm going to share one mode I've discovered that works very well for me.
I enjoy turning, and that's what I adopt doing instead of sanding and finishing. Of class, I want my woods bowls to look great; I only don't desire to spend a ton of times fussing over finish work.
When I explored means to finish a woods turned bowl, I went through a variety of oils that piece of work well, just they needed coat after coat to be applied, and they weren't very water-resistant.
Because I desire to make bowls that are usable with food, I want to use a food-safe finish. Be conscientious when you read product names like "Salad Bowl Finish," they are non all created equal. Be certain to read this article to sort out what finishes are really food safe.
Then I came across Tried and True Original. This is a polymerized linseed oil and beeswax blend. I wrote a whole article only nigh this finishing product, that's how much I like it. Take a minute and read this commodity to learn more well-nigh this finish.
To go along from accidentally spilling stop from the original can, I transfer a smaller amount to a recycled wide-rima oris jar. I apply a modest square of cotton fiber cloth from an old t-shirt as the applicator.
This stop should not exist applied thick. A sparse layer is all that is needed. Pull the material out of the cease and squeegee off the backlog end with your other hand.
Workaround the entire bowl, outside and interior applying a thin coat. Let this glaze sit for an hour and use a paper towel to wipe off whatsoever areas where the cease might be a bit thicker. Then let the bowl sit for 24 hours.
Subsequently 24 hours, apply 0000 steel wool and vitrify the surface of the bowl. I put the piece back on the lathe and do this buffing at a wearisome RPM with the lathe running. A low-luster sheen will develop, and the wood grain and bowl will sing with dazzler.
Pace 18 – Finish the Bowl Lesser
Your basin is now 99 pct consummate. All that is left is to sign the bottom and permit everyone know y'all brand this creation.
Traditionally, information technology is nice to sign your name and include the blazon of wood and appointment. A lilliputian drawing or logo mark you like to use tin can be added there too.
The best manner to be sure your signature is permanent is to burn it in. I use a wood burner and a pen tip to do my signatures. At that place are many expert quality permanent ink pens on the market besides that will do the chore. Try to leave the signature surface area free from oil finish until you sign and let the ink dry.
If yous wanted to get a bit more fancy, at the end of step nine, you could add a couple of ringed lines in the mortise cavity by gently touching the corner of the departing tool to the bowl lesser inside the mortise. Some turners will turn two rings with a space between and utilise that surface area to write the forest blazon and date.
No thing how simple or ornate your basin is, everyone, especially other turners, volition take i initial question when they see your bowl: "What kinda forest is that?" I'yard non sure why, just we humans seem to be obsessed with knowing how to label and categorize things. LOL
Read this article to learn all nearly what to do and not to do when signing your bowls.
Congratulations! You now know how to make a wooden basin!
In one case once again, delight realize the steps and techniques I shared here are only one way to learn how to make a wood bowl. You lot will run into many other techniques and points of view as y'all continue to learn more almost how to make a wood bowl. Incorporate what works best for you. There is no "one manner" to plough a wood bowl.
The cloak-and-dagger to improving when turning forest bowls is repetition. This is true of almost everything, and repetition is vital to excelling at turning wood bowls. Make a wood bowl so some other. With each new forest bowl, question what you might do differently to alter or amend the next one.
I hope this footstep by step guide has helped you meet that turning wood bowls is not too complicated and hopefully a gratifying and rewarding process.
Please leave a annotate below; I'd beloved to hear about your experience.
If you lot're new to turning wood bowls, check out these articles also:
• BOWL GOUGE Basics – BEGINNER GUIDE
• NO CATCHES-USING A BOWL GOUGE WITH CONFIDENCE
• Basin GOUGE TECHNIQUE – 4 TURNING CUTS TO MASTER
Cheers and equally ever,
Happy Turning,
Kent
How To Use A Wood Lathe To Make A Bowl,
Source: https://turnawoodbowl.com/make-a-wood-bowl-turning-wood-bowls/
Posted by: flowersarkly1973.blogspot.com
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