# First bowl!



## ddiamondd (Apr 25, 2013)

So I recently got my first lathe. I planned on getting it to build my snare drums with, but I think my woodworking horizon will be expanded since it's so freakin fun to turn other things. I made my own lathe tools, and up until now have only turned 2 handles. The bowl came out ok, but I did learn a few things. For instance, don't use the outer holes in the faceplate...I salvaged it by putting dowels in there, but I now know for next time. I also figured out how not to shape it so I can easily access the bottom. I sanded to 1500 and used tung oil and wax. Either way, I am pleased and it will make a nice gift for my moms birthday this weekend. All comments and criticism welcome!


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## cuerodoc (Jan 27, 2012)

:thumbsup:
Nice bowl. Bigger than my first.
I'd keep it in a place where you can go back and look at it later, a gift to Mom is a good idea.
Guess you've realized there's a learning curve to negotiate.
If you don't have a chuck (--yet), you might look up turning with a waste block; that's how I did my first few. Gluing the waste block to your blank with a sheet of newspaper in between works nicely. Your faceplate is attached to the waste block and the part of your blank attached to that can be the bottom of the bowl.
I learned that technique from reading on the 'net--long forgotten those links, but wasn't hard to find.
I look forward to more!


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Nice wood , great finish , good self taught work , and self critiqued , cheers :thumbsup:

Look up Glue Chucks , it will save you doweling time :yes:


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## Priusjames (Jan 13, 2014)

Neat first bowl, makes me want to try one. Maybe tomorrow (this?) morning.

Thanks for sharing!


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## ghost5 (Aug 19, 2012)

Very pretty bowl and good save. As for not being able to reach the bottom here is a way you can. If you get a set of Cole jaws and a 4 jaw chuck of course you can place the bowl in them and finish that recessed bottom. This coming from someone that has a set of them here in an unopened package. I make the bottoms on mine flat.


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## ddiamondd (Apr 25, 2013)

ghost5 said:


> Very pretty bowl and good save. As for not being able to reach the bottom here is a way you can. If you get a set of Cole jaws and a 4 jaw chuck of course you can place the bowl in them and finish that recessed bottom. This coming from someone that has a set of them here in an unopened package. I make the bottoms on mine flat.


Yeah, I need to figure out some way to reverse mount the bowl to do the bottom. Someone on youtube used a scrap piece in the chuck, some non slip cabinet liner and the tailstock up against the piece, but your solution sounds a bit safer. 

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. I am already looking forward to the next one.

Edit: I do have a 4 jaw chuck. Not the nicest one in the world, but it works so far. Do cole jaws have a universal fit, or do I need a specific kind for my chuck? Here is the chuck I bought (for much less than they are currently asking, too)


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

Cole jaws are (in my experience) not that safe, and I have tried using them many times.

Just like a jam chuck, they require you to bring up the tailstock to keep the bowl from becoming a frisbee.

A jam chuck (as opposed to a friction drive -- which I think is what you saw on youtube) has a tapered groove that fits the rim of the bowl. This stops it wandering side-to-side and holds it all centered. If the fit is good, it allows you to take away the tailstock for the *final* touch, removing the nubbin from the center of the foot, using a very light touch.

Look for the document that John Lucas wrote on methods to reverse a bowl -- he's mentioned it several times on this forum, but you have to download it from the website of his turning club.


_edit ... of course, you need some way to hold the jam chuck on the headstock; I've used various options -- my 4-jaw chuck, a faceplate, and tapping a hole with the Beall wood tap so it screws onto the drive spindle._


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

I use large jaws (not sure if they're technically Cole jaws) for every bowl I turn practically. I've only ever had one come out and that was 100% operator error. Just remember to keep the speed down and take very light cuts with very sharp tools.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Using Cole Jaws rather depend on the available speeds on your lathe .
The bigger the piece the slower the speed . Somewhere around 600 - 800 rpm.

What lathe are you driving ?


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## ddiamondd (Apr 25, 2013)

Manuka Jock said:


> Using Cole Jaws rather depend on the available speeds on your lathe .
> The bigger the piece the slower the speed . Somewhere around 600 - 800 rpm.
> 
> What lathe are you driving ?


I have an older craftsman that goes down to 400


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

As long as the lathe's headstock is hollow , vacuum chucking is an option too


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

You can still use the big faceplate. Simply design your bowl so the screws fall in the waste area. You will have to reverse the bowl to turn a new bottom and turn away the screw holes. Here is an article I wrote years ago on methods to reverse turn a bowl. Hope you find ont that works. 
http://nebula.wsimg.com/3190ed7d358...EC0DC707F1FE36FCB&disposition=0&alloworigin=1


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

sawdustfactory said:


> I use large jaws (not sure if they're technically Cole jaws) for every bowl I turn practically. I've only ever had one come out and that was 100% operator error. Just remember to keep the speed down and take very light cuts with very sharp tools.


 If they are quarter round and have rows of threaded holes for the buttons they are Cole jaws , irrespective of the maker .


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## solidfab (Feb 5, 2013)

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who has launched a bowl with Cole jaws. Lol. 

I've learned that if I hollow my tenon off it seems to keep better pressure against the jaws. I gave up on parting it off and use this method with good success. So far...


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## gus1962 (Jan 9, 2013)

That is some wild looking bowl. Gorgeous wood and finely executed!


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## ddiamondd (Apr 25, 2013)

Second bowl!





















I tried the tape chuck method and it worked great. I just used a faceplate and some masking tape. So nice to not have that chunky tenon hanging off the bottom anymore. Still much work and improvements to be done, but I am happy with the progression so far.


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## clpead (Oct 10, 2012)

I haven't done a bowl since I saw the tape chuck but I want to try it. Nice job! What kind of tape did you use?


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

:thumbsup: Man that's the most elaborate base I've seen on a bowl for ages :yes:


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## ddiamondd (Apr 25, 2013)

clpead said:


> I haven't done a bowl since I saw the tape chuck but I want to try it. Nice job! What kind of tape did you use?


I had some 1 1/2" blue painters tape in the garage so I used that. Went around the bowl and face plate about 3 or 4 times and it held with no problems.


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## clpead (Oct 10, 2012)

Sweet! That really makes it a much more finished piece.


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## ddiamondd (Apr 25, 2013)

Okay, one more. I like the shape of this one. Still working on the bottom, but slowly improving.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

That outside shape would look good with a tenon rather than a recess for a base . That will lift the bottom of the curve , and have a pedestal effect


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