# Lazy way to round out a bowl



## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

I ran into somewhat of a problem today while piddling out in the woodshop. After gluing up and installing an oak bowl blank onto the chuck, I tried to rough out the exterior into somewhat of a round shape but kept running into problems. 

The chisel kept following the out of round contours of the wood (moving in and out like a piston) and I was getting a smaller and smaller out of round bowl blank. Maybe I wasn't pressing down hard enough against the chisel as it rested on the tool rest to keep the chisel from oscillating in and out I dunno...... 

Anyway, I finally got frustrated to the point that I quit and started thinking of how to make this job a bit easier. 

I found a Shop Fox compound slide vice that wasn't doing anything so I attached it to the ways of the lathe and secured my chisel in the vice. 

After a few passes using the slide vice, I had a nice round bowl blank - although a bit smaller in diameter than what I had initially planned on....

Anyway, just a off-the-wall project on a lazy Sunday to satisfy my McGyver gene.


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## H. A. S. (Sep 23, 2010)

Yep, now you will be accused of being a machinist.


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

I've been called a whole lot worse. 

But I gotta tell ya, this full time hobbyist stuff can get expensive. The hours are great but the pay isn't where it should be....


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## Murphy's Law (Dec 15, 2011)

From a guy who started out with a hobby of building engines and mechanical equipment I have a difficult time in the transition to woodworking sometimes. Your use of the vice only makes sense to me. In fact I have resorted to using a metal turning lathe to turn out many wood projects. To me, sometimes a metal turning lathe is much more versatile than a typical wood lathe. In fact I have a Delta 46-715 stuffed in the corner of the shop covered with plastic and junk that I never use.


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Try working the face of the bowl first, forming your bottom shape and rounding the blank at the same time as you work from center out. This will save you the beating of trying to round a square blank.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Also,
looks like you're using a scraper. Try a bowl gouge next time. Make sure it's sharp and you shouldn't have to press hard at all. When you're pressing hard with that scraper, it will just follow the shape. A sharp tool will cut off the excess to round something out.
Mike Hawkins


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## JohnK007 (Nov 14, 2009)

RetiredLE said:


> I've been called a whole lot worse.
> 
> But I gotta tell ya, this full time hobbyist stuff can get expensive. The hours are great but the pay isn't where it should be....


I LOL'd when I read this. You and I are cut from the same tree in regards to our past lives and I finally had to pick up a PT job to help pay for these "full time hobbies". I turn the pension check over to the wife to run the house and the loot I get with the PT job pays for my fun.


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

*Lazy way to make a bowl by the Wood Machinist*

Some good points made here thank you. 



JohnK007 said:


> I LOL'd when I read this. You and I are cut from the same tree in regards to our past lives and I finally had to pick up a PT job to help pay for these "full time hobbies". I turn the pension check over to the wife to run the house and the loot I get with the PT job pays for my fun.


I have considered getting a part time job doing ........ something.. since I retired... but so far nothing has come my way. I don't think I would do well in the customer service field since the customer is not actually always right.....

But I digress. I should probably change the name of this thread to The Lazy Way To Make A Bowl by the Wood Machinist. 

Since I am already in the machinist mindset I figured what the heck I might as well continue down this path.

I re arranged the vice and am now working on hollowing out the center. So far so good. The cuts are smooth with minimum to no tearout. Might develop carpel tunnel though from turning these cranks back and forth....


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

Here is the bowl after some sanding and one or two coats of oil finish. The plan is to mate it up with a lid I made sometime back. Not the fanciest object on the planet but I had a great time making chips.


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

*Wood Machinist's next project*

And now for my next small project - an excuse to make more chips and use up the myriad small chunks of wood I have lying around.


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## robbiethewood (Jan 15, 2012)

wow i will have to get one of these yippee:gunsmilie:
just found the answer to my hand tremors :yes: i have them bad 

nice bowl :thumbsup:


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

With me it's the lower back. Stooping over for even a few mins becomes extremely painful. I love the vice gadget in that it controls the chisel without me becoming fatigued. 

Sucks getting old.....:thumbdown:


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## chefwarekits (Feb 7, 2012)

haha that is pretty cool. how much are you taking off at a time with each pass?


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

chefwarekits said:


> haha that is pretty cool. how much are you taking off at a time with each pass?


Maybe about a sixteenth or so as I am in no hurry. The sooner I finish the sooner I gotta figure out what to make next. ;p)


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