Shopsmith Forums

Now that I have experience with pen and letter opener making I have moved on to larger projects. I glued some leftover wood together and was hoping to make something out of it. I think I have figured out how to turn the rough stock into a round block. Now comes the hard part. What to make with what I have so far. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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Scrap blocks glued together

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Roughed out on the bandsaw and mounted

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What I have so far.

Short vase!;)

Maybe a travel mug or flower vase with stainless steel insert:

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/4/- ... el-Mug-Kit

Or a wooden mallet,if your blank is long enough.

Gary

A really thick coaster?

I don't turn as much as I would like for much the same reason, I often can not think of something I want to make...


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You're off to a great start. That blank is a beauty.

You have a few decisions to make here.

I notice you are using a face plate to mount the blank. How long are the screws? This will determine the diameter of the bottom of the project and the bottom wall thickness and help determine the profile you can turn to. You'll have to patch the screw holes on the finished project.

Another option is to mark the the depth of the screws on the blank and consider the part with the screws as waste. (Keep the waste block for future use a glue block)

Decide on the type of form you wish to turn.

Hollow form, box (a bowl with a lid), bowl, whatever. I recommend a bowl/wide mouthed vase for your first profile. This is practice and learning the tools.

Decide on your outer profile and turn that first. The spindle tools from the standard SS lathe chisels are good tools for this. Use a live center in the tail stock to support the blank while turning the profile.

Once you have the profile turned, you can start hogging out the center. There are many approaches to this and most depend on the dimensions desired and the tooling you have on hand.

The simplest and fastest method for removing bulk material from the center is to use a forstner bit the size of the opening desired. You need a forstner bit of the desired size and a drill chuck for the tailstock to hold the bit. This is by far the fastest way to remove material from the center.

The traditional method though is to use either a round nose scraper or Bowl Gouge. NOTE: The spindle gouges in the standard SS lathe chisel set should NOT be used. The profile on these is not designed for removing material from inside bowls and are prone to catches. They are also not sturdy enough to handle the forces of turning the inside of a bowl.

Start with the live center still engaged.

Face the top of the bowl to ensure it is uniform. Then use a pencil or parting tool to mark the desired wall thickness. I assume that this is dry wood, so you should be able to go to a finished wall thickness with no issues.

Start removing the material between the wall and the tail stock, this helps resist the forces of removing the material. Unlike spindle turning, you can't keep the tool rest as close to the work this is one of the reasons spindle gouges are a bad choice for the inside of bowls. Work from the inside to the outside.

Once you've removed the material from the space between the center and the wall, you'll have to remove the live center and start removing the center material. You may have to go in stages depending on the depth of your bowl.

Watch the depth of the bowl and be mindful of the screws from the faceplate. Hitting a screw is definitely no fun and you will have to grind your tool and resharpen. Been there, done that!

Since this blank is from glued up stock pay attention to the stability of the glue joints. I have had glue joints fail and the blank explode. This is typically my fault from either an insufficient glue joint or cutting too aggressively and getting a catch.

Use a full face shield with a moderate speed when turning this blank. When in doubt, slow down. Take light cuts at first and learn how the tool reacts to different body movements. With practice and experience you can increase the rate of turning and/or take heavier cuts.

Enjoy and be safe.

Terry,

Thanks for that great reply. I need to acquire some more tools before I attempt to go any further or I risk destroying what I have so far. I believe the screws were 1/2 " long, I will check tonight when I get home. I know they didn't go too far into the block but are holding well. I did not use the live center on the tailstock while rounding the piece and it held up well.

I will be back with more questions as I progress and thank you for taking the time to provide assistance.

greitz wrote:Maybe a travel mug or flower vase with stainless steel insert:

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/4/- ... el-Mug-Kit

Or a wooden mallet,if your blank is long enough.

Gary

Gary,

Thanks for that suggestion. I have been thinking that maybe a lamp might be a possible project.

Fred

What ever it will be, it will be nice looking.

Based on the color, I'd square it up, get another wider, thinner piece of wood to make a plate, set it on the plate, and title it: "neopolitan ice cream on a plate"

Trainguy stole my thunder. I saw the blank and thought "neopolatin ice cream", as well.