Face Plates??

shoedo

Understand, I don't have a clue as to what a face plate is used for, all I know is I have four of them. Keep in mind, that I am a newbie!! I have two 6 inch face plates and two smaller face plates. What are they used for? does the steel face place offer an advantage that the aluminum face plate does not? Should I keep the steel or sell it?

reible

https://www.shopsmith.com/academy/latheturning/index.htm

If you don't have the book then reading on line will work.......

Ed

rpd

They are used to hold wood on the lathe for turning bowls.

https://www.shopsmith.com/academy/latheturning/index.htm#faceplate

wa2crk

Hi newbie and welcome aboard. Face plates are used to mount stock for lathe turning. Center the plate on the work and then use screws to secure the stock to the plates. Read up on how to use them before you make any attempts they are somewhat of a specialty item. The large ones are for bigger and the smaller ones for smaller diameter work. The steel plate may make a slight bit of difference because of the weight. Kind of acts like a flywheel and can also dampen some vibration.

Go make some nifty projects.

Bill V

overall view.jpg

shoedo

that is a beautiful bowl! Please tell me how you achieve those results, step by step!

wa2crk

That would be a VERY long post. If you research "segmented turning" on the net you will get about a 1000 results.

Bill V

shoedo

ok, where did you get the food grade safe materials to make the bowl?

RFGuy

Here are a couple of past threads to give a taste of segmented turning and what is involved. I haven't gotten to trying this yet myself, but kudos to those who do this. The segmented bowls that Bill have posted are gorgeous...

With regard to being food safe, just pick a natural (safe to eat) finish like walnut oil. You'll have to re-apply the finish periodically, but it will be safe to eat out of. Most woods are safe underneath, but keep in mind some woods, particularly exotic species, can be toxic. So, if you intend to turn a wood bowl or plate to eat out of, I wouldn't recommend using a wood whose fibers or oils that it secretes are toxic.

https://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/general-woodworking-f5/christmas-bowl-t23212.html

https://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=23226&p=266485&hilit=bowl#p266485

wa2crk

Shoedo and RF Guy

Shoedo Try to stick to the 3 main species of wood used for cutting boards if you make bowls for food. They are Maple,Walnut and Cherry. I mainly make mine for decoration and as gifts.

RF Guy Many thanks for highlighting my work!! Greatly appreciated!!! :)

Bill V