My First Attempt at Bowl Making

[fredsheldon]

Mike,

Thanks for that link. I just sent a message requesting meeting times. They meet at the local Woodcrafters store about 10 miles from my house.

Fred

[fredsheldon]

Now that's more like it. I purchased the grown up versions of the starter carbide tools at Woodcraft this afternoon. I finished up the 3 bowls that I had started yesterday this time using the new Full Size Version of the Easy Wood Tools and I must say there is a world of difference. I even gave the Bowl Gouge a shot after watching a bunch of YouTube videos all afternoon and think I finally have it figured out. I suspect I need to sharpen the gouge because the Carbide square cutter did a faster job of turning the inside of the bowls and created bigger shavings than the gouge. And I didn't have to worry about a snag. I'm going to attend the next woodworking club meeting here the third Saturday of the month and see if I can pick up some pointers on using the bowl gouge.

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Momma and Papa and the little baby Easy Wood Tools

[fredsheldon]

Once I turn bowls from green wood I pack them into paper bags with the shaving, label them with todays date and store them away for a few months. That makes 33 bowls I have turned since January, when I turned my first bowl. I have already given 2 away to wood providers and two more are going out soon to Heath and a Lady at work who also provided me with logs. The rest will be Christmas gifts for family members this year. I just might have enough to give one to each family member rather than just families as I had originally planned. I will need 38 bowls by the end of the year. I have run out of blanks and need to go on a search for a downed oak tree. Ha, that's a nice looking oak tree in the neighbors yard that just might get blown down in the next day or two That's assuming I can get my winch to work.

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Here are the bowls I turned today. And yes, I used my new Full Size Easy Wood Tools which made quick work on these bowls.

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I take a handful of shavings and fill each bowl.

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I add some shaving to the bottom of the bag, then pile some on top of the bowl once it's in the bag.

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I then date each bag, fold the bag shut and store away for a few months.

[beeg]

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I then date each bag, fold the bag shut and store away for a few months.

AH BUT do you weigh the bowls?

[fredsheldon]

The final step to turning the bowls will be to remove the tenon and clean up and polish the bottom.

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First I had to make a Jam Chuck to hold the work against the live center. I attached a 1 1/2 inch piece of red wood to a 6 inch face plate and trimmed round on the bandsaw. I then glued a 1/2 inch thick piece of foam and trimmed.

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The Jam Chuck will fit a 6 inch bowl exactly.

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For larger bowls you just center it as best as you can and apply pressure against the live center.

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Center the tenon on the live center as best as you can.

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Using your scrapers cut the tenon down to a nib, sand, apply sanding sealer, polish, remove from the lathe and sand down the remaining nib. Now I have 33 more bowls to finish up in this manner before I'm ready for Christmas.

[terrydowning]

A sharp chisel also work wonders for taking out the nib.

My Process when using a Jam Chuck
Once the remaining is down to about what Fred shows, maybe a bit more material, because this narrow can break.

First I remove the remaining nib with a razor saw
Then I use a sharp chisel to smooth the nib portion flat
Last but not least touch up the finish.

Great Job Fred, Thanks for continuing this thread. It's great to see your progress.

[fredsheldon]

I finished turning down the tenons and polishing the bottoms of the last 8 bowls in this batch. I'm finished for now and have 34 bowls available for distribution as Christmas presents this year. All I need to do is figure out how to sign and date them. Any suggestons? I have learned a lot in the 6 months since I started this hobby and some of these bowls reflect that learning curve. I have a new supply of logs coming my way next week so I will be starting on the next batch.

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[joedw00]

Wow that it a lot of bowls. Nice job on all of them. Thanks for posting.

[terrydowning]

The bowls look great Fred! Good to have Christmas out of the way??

All I need to do is figure out how to sign and date them. Any suggestons?

I can only suggest what I do for signing.

I use a fine tip sharpie to put my name, date, and any specific instructions on the bottom. I usually do this before applying the finish to the bottom so it get sealed in.

Here is my latest. A bowl from an oak board.
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I have also seen wood burning and stamps, some kind of maker's mark.

[jtevans]

Wow that it a lot of bowls. Nice job on all of them. Thanks for posting.

There is A LOT of information in this post...thanks for sharing the pictures, it answered a lot of questions I've had about turning bowls...

Now you've got me thinking of turning bowls instead of building furniture parts..."so-much-sawdust,-so-little-time"...