Natural edged bowls (how to hold)

[srs]

I got some natural edged banks at the week end at a good price so I've stuck them under the bench till I can work out how to hold them on the lathe, with a normal bowl you would use a face plate so that you can cut the base then use a set of dove tail jaws but with the top of the blank being curved how do you mount it on to a lathe so that you can cut the base? woodscrew chuck???

Many thanks

Simon

 

[Duiker]

Hi Simon,

I'll look forward to the other replies on this as I have trouble too. In the meantime I'll try and explain what I did recently.

On the natural edge side (side to be hollowed) I drilled a 15mm hole with a forstner bit. I then held the work with the chuck using a jaw set which would go into this in expansion mode. Then I used this in conjunction with the tail stock to cut a protruding dove tail on the bottom for the bigger jaw set in compression (also allows me to cut it off later for final finish).

Hope this is of some use?

Cheers,

Mick

 

[Cutting Crew]

Hello Simon,

There are a number of ways to hold timber with a natural edge, the piece in the photo shown was turned from a half section of an ash branch roughly 8" in diameter and about 10" long.

With the centre section (bottom edge in the photo) laying on a drill table I drilled into the bark edge (top edge in the photo) of the branch with a 3" forstner bit just enough to make a flat section to take a 3" faceplate. With the faceplace screwed in the timber was mounted on the lathe and the base section (foot) was turned.

The piece was then taken from the faceplate and the newly formed foot was gripped in a chuck to turn the inside (2mm wall). It's much easier to turn the piece than try to explain how it was turned.

Hope this helps.

Regards....CC

 

[Taffy Turner]

The other way of doing it is to use a pin chuck: -

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=23009

You bore a hole in the face to be hollowed, mount the blank on the pin chuck and form the spigot in the usual way. Obviously the hole is lost when you hollow out the bowl.

Regards

Gary

 

[Anonymous]

Presuming that your chuck has the capability of expanding into a 50mm hole:

A couple of quid will buy you a cheap and cheerful sawtooth Forstener bit... imperial size 2 1/8"

Simply bore a hole al least 6mmm deep... making sure that the log is secured to enable safe boring :!:

Expand your chuck securely into the bored hole

Use the tailstock to support the log :!: Speed = Sloooooowly :!: :!:

I use this method on 99% of blanks... Round, square, logs ... whatever: screwing in face plates is time consuming and tedious :lol:
Pin chucks are a PITA as far as I'm concerned.

One of the turning mags produced a booklet with tips for turners; one tip showed a half log marked out into the round using a drill press and a simple jig.
The jig enabled the drilling of holes around the desired circumference at intervals; the blank could then be placed face down on a bandsaw... simple to saw round... bit like dot to dot :wink: