Bowl Turning Question

[berry]

I have another little job someone asked me to do. I haven't given a commitment on it. This is for a friend. The bowls where turned by her father-in-law who is physically/mentally no longer able to work. I've seen his work for years and most is marginal - joints are off, doors that don't fit blah blah. Anyway my friend what these two bowels fixed up for a keepsake display. They are about 6" diameter and 2" deep, kind of a salad bowl.

They will require LOTS of sanding to clean up, the inside bottoms are in particularly bad shape. Can these be re-mounted on a lath or is that a really dumb idea? Maybe I can clean up the bottom with a router? Other than those ideas can anyone offer suggestions/advice?

As always thanks for reading. I can post pics if that will help anyone.

[rjent]

I am pretty green, but it seems you could do the glue a grocery bag paper trick on the bottom and mount it in the lathe and get them fixed.

It would seem worth a try ...

[masonsailor2]

It will be very difficult if not impossible to get the bowl dead center on the faceplate but you could probably get it close enough to turn it again. It might even take a couple of tries to get them centered but using the paper joint technique you should be able to get it close enough to begin turning. You will need to have a freshly sanded flat bottom on the bowls which can be done with the disc sander or belt sander.
Paul

[rjent]

It will be very difficult if not impossible to get the bowl dead center on the faceplate but you could probably get it close enough to turn it again. It might even take a couple of tries to get them centered but using the paper joint technique you should be able to get it close enough to begin turning. You will need to have a freshly sanded flat bottom on the bowls which can be done with the disc sander or belt sander.
Paul

And, if he is only needing to sand and refinish, they don't HAVE to be perfectly centered, just hand sand while it is turning. Just the way I see it in my mind anyway ...

[Mike907]

How thick are the bowls? It looks like they are going to be displayed and not used. If the bowls are thick enough, even if they are mounted slightly off center, they can be turned round again. You can turn a display bowl thinner than a working bowl.

Anyone who turns green bowls faces the remounting problem, but green bowls are turned thick enough to account for remounting.

This forum thread has some good ideas about sacrificial glue blocks -

http://www.woodturningonline.com/forum/ ... ?f=5&t=271

Mike

[jsburger]

Well, if they are for a keep sake display then they should not be changed from the way the original person made them. They are small bowls right? Then make a shadow box to mount them in with a brass plate to remember the maker. Born date, died date, etc.

This is what I did for my uncle when he died in 2003 at the age of 92. My grandfather and my uncle bought the H. F Ball planing mill in Berlin, PA around 1950. I used to spend the summers there. My grandfather took me to work every day when I was there as a kid. I used to play in the pile of chips from the 36" planer when we planed rough lumber from the farmers that brought them in. No dust collection in 1955. He made me a wood tool box and filled it with tools. One of those tools was a square with a brass and rosewood arm. It is stamped H F Ball on the brass and on the Rosewood.

I found an original advertising thermometer for the H F Ball planing Mill. The phone number on the thermometer is 4-J. It must be turn of the 20th century.

I made a shadow box with the square and the thermometer and it now hangs in the Berlin Lumber Co.

I think it is just another way to go.

[berry]

How thick are the bowls? It looks like they are going to be displayed and not used. If the bowls are thick enough, even if they are mounted slightly off center, they can be turned round again. You can turn a display bowl thinner than a working bowl.

Anyone who turns green bowls faces the remounting problem, but green bowls are turned thick enough to account for remounting.

Mike

They both are quite thick both on the sides and bottom.

My friend hasn't replied to my question about whether these will be displayed (I think yes) or put into service.

[ChrisNeilan]

jsburger is correct, don't change them if they are keepsakes. If you do, they become your work, not his. Just clean them up, and you can do that by hand sanding.
That being said, if they really need to be remounted on a lathe, use a set of cole jaws, re true the bottom and glue a waste block on. Turn a tenon and flip it around and go at it. Not hard, I occasionally do this. You need to use a slow speed...

[everettdavis]

Agree with keeping his work as is and protecting, not refinishing them. Just my opinion.

You might help her turn a replica BOWL to show how his craft inspired her.

[benush26]

I guess I would approach this from a different angle.

First and foremost What does your friend (aka the customer) want? How do they plan to use / display the bowls? If they don't know, tell them what can be done, you need to give them the whole menu.

Column A - each bowl gets a nice coating of a finish
Mineral Oil OR Polyurethane OR Epoxy
with reasons for each

Column B - Exterior gets one from column A and interior gets a nice sanding and plus one form Column A

Column C - Exterior gets one form column A while the Interior gets completely shaped plus finished

Column D - They don't look anything like the originals but are very nice looking bowls

Once that is established then you can decide whether you want to do it or not. As you say, this is a friend, but miscommunication or lack of can often cause friendships to fall apart.

Frankly, reshaping a bowl, especially one with that thickness is relatively easy with a couple pieces, but if all that is needed is a nice sanding of the outside and inside and a coat of finish, skip the lathe.

Just reshaping the inside? flapper wheels on a drill or better yet one of those microplane shapers. I'm fairly certain I saw one in the shape of a ball rather than a cylinder.

If the outside and inside is to be reshaped, consider a Longworth chuck for your lathe. You can build your own from scraps or pay a lathe vendor . Some people might suggest using a four jaw instead of a longworth and opening it wide enough to hold the inside lip of the bowl. I AM NOT ONE OF THEM!! If you like flying objects coming off your lathe with no directional guides, by all means use the 4 jaw instead of a longworth

If you have a 4 jaw, while on the Longworth, you can cut a half dovetail tenon on the bottom to fit your four jaw chuck. At that point, the world is your oyster when it comes to shaping the bowls!

Anyway, just my two cents.

Be well,
Ben