Which shape for bowls/ plates?

[Chris152]

I cut this bit of cedar to round and starting roughing it this morning.

I'm going to persevere with it as it's a challenge for me (I've been avoiding anything remotely deep, and it's the heaviest bit of wood I've turned so far), but in truth I already don't like it and can't see any options that'll make it into something I'll like. I love low bowls/ platters as I see them as being like canvases that I can work on, something I used to do with clay when I was younger.
On the other hand I want to make some things that are 'useful', to sell (once I can make them well enough), and some that are just decorative (also to sell) - and the low bowls I've been making are hardly useful (wide rim, small hollow).

Do you have a favourite shape of bowl/ plate and if so, can you say why? Or do you negotiate that with each piece of wood you use? And if you do sell your work, which shapes/ sizes tend to sell well?

(Maybe this is a stupid question but it's on my mind so thought I'd ask...)

 

[JWD]

i really like the continuous 'off-spherical' shape, they dont really suit anything but a dining table centre-piece or a flower pot but they are really attractive and i love it when turned things don't have ridges - good practice for your scraper control too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlMroyUUMfY

 

[Chris152]

That's a lovely bowl he makes in the video, I think. And walnut oil is nice - I tried it recently, £2 from the supermarket and works a treat (assuming that's the same thing he's using).
And I agree about the spherical/ off-spherical shape being nice. I saw clearly on my piece of cedar that bringing the rim in is an option but the thought of trying to hollow and undercut the rim with a bowl gouge fills me with horror at this stage, lots of scope for nasty catches?!
We'll see... :?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A good point made by our club pro was that bowls designed to hold nuts, sweets, anything small should have an undercut inward turned edge so your fingers have something to grab against.

 

[ED65]

And walnut oil is nice - I tried it recently, £2 from the supermarket and works a treat (assuming that's the same thing he's using).

The basic oil could be the same, although the oil chosen for commercial finishing oils may be a high-linoleic type which has better drying properties. But some walnut oils sold for finishing are heat treated which depending on how far they go can change the oil significantly.

Standard walnut oil sold for consumption is a perfectly acceptable substitute for raw linseed oil, where you don't need much protection or is just being used to pop the grain, but it cures oh so slowly. You have to modify it if you want anything like a decent curing time. You can experiment with heating it but it's more straightforward to let it oxidise, forming walnut stand oil, or by adding metallic driers to turn it into the walnut equivalent of BLO.

 

[Chris152]

Thanks both - the lip shape for small things makes perfect sense Phil, I'd never have thought of that, I guess it's the kind of detail that makes a good maker. I tried the walnut a bout 5 weeks ago ED and it has cured now, I think - quite a matt finish, but I plan to try polishing it later today onto see what happens once the lathe's free. Meanwhile...

I didn't mean to turn this into a 'Help!' thread, but here goes. I've hollowed the form out to about 20mm thickness with a carbide tool, which seems fine. The mc is 25% which is obviously wet, and I want to finish it to about 15 mm. Do I wait for it to dry in a paper bag etc, or is 15mm thin enough to just go ahead and complete it? That said, in the second photo you can see cracks that appeared at the rim. Do I just fill with glue now, or again wait til it's more dry and then glue?

 

[Chris152]

Well, I got on with it this morning and turned it to 10 mm thickness. I'm really pleased with the result, though I removed the bulk with the carbide toll, tried my bowl gouge and discovered that about 2 inches in from the rim I couldn't rub the bevel any more, so went back to lighter passes with the carbide and finished with a bowl scraper. Once it's dry I'll send again.

A few things occurred to me:
My dislike for the shape it was becoming took no account of use - an ice bucket looks like nothing more than a bucket til it has a bottle in it, when it becomes more elegant. I tried some fruit in the bowl and it looked much better than I'd thought on the lathe. So eventual use will change the feel of the bowl (I know this is obvious, but it just came clear to me this morning.)
Also, handling the bowl I really like its tactile quality, it feels good in my hands. So it's not just how it looks, but how it feels. And how it sounds when I tap it, generally handle it (i'm surprised it's now so light, it was such a big heavy lump to start).
All obvious I guess, but I'm just discovering these things!

 

[CHJ]

........I've hollowed the form out to about 20mm thickness with a carbide tool, which seems fine. The mc is 25% which is obviously wet, and I want to finish it to about 15 mm. Do I wait for it to dry in a paper bag etc, ........

For future reference be aware that Green Turning wet wood with the intention of leaving it to dry will invariably result in the item distorting. You need to leave the wall thickness about one tenth of the intended finished diameter to allow you to recover it to round. Your 20mm thickness may not have been enough to achieve your 10mm finished wall thickness.

 

[Robbo3]

Well, I got on with it this morning and turned it to 10 mm thickness. I'm really pleased with the result, though I removed the bulk with the carbide toll, tried my bowl gouge and discovered that about 2 inches in from the rim I couldn't rub the bevel any more, so went back to lighter passes with the carbide and finished with a bowl scraper.

When this happens you either need a gouge with a short steeper bevel or you shorten your original bevel by grinding away the heel. This gives the clearance to get round a tight curve.
Nick Agar has just posted a video on how to grind a secondary bevel
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVX6kCEUNIU

 

[Chris152]

That's really helpful Chas - noted for the future.

When this happens you either need a gouge with a short steeper bevel or you shorten your original bevel by grinding away the heel. This gives the clearance to get round a tight curve.

I didn't even get to the round shoulder, Robbo - I was heading down the vertical side from the rim when I ran out of room for the bevel to make contact, so guess I'd need a more acute grind? That said, the carbide tool did a good job (by my standards) followed by the scraper. It needs a bit of sanding but not a lot, I think.