All cracked up.....

[DaveO]

This was to be a thread on the little lathe that could, but it turned into the big turner who couldn't :BangHead::BangHead:

A while back I got a big gnarly Cedar stump from Jeff, just itching to be turned into something of beauty. Today I got the gumption and the right amount of coffee in me to give it a spin. I ripped the stump up into several bowl blanks with my chainsaw, and decided to try out the most promising one.

I roughed it out on the bandsaw and mounted it on my HF lathe -

I turned it round with out too much trouble except I couldn't go above the lowest speed on my lathe without it taking a hike.

When turning a big ugly bowl blank, use a big ugly stick. Insert stealth X-Mas gloat here...a 1/2" Pro PM bowl gouge :-D:-D:-D -

I got the outer shaped turned and sanded and got ready to chuck it into a recess. I noticed this surface checking and that should have been a premonition of things to come...but I didn't listen to the wood :eusa_doh:

Flipped and chucked and ready to be gouged out :-D

Cutting out the inside was going well with my new gouge. It can handle more than my lathe can

Shortly after I took this last pic, I had a catch on a big ol' branch knot and tore the bowl off the chuck messin' up my recess. Time to part of the bad section and give it a try with a glue block in hopes to finish turning this one -

While the epoxy was curing on the glue block I decided to spin out another smaller bowl.

As I was nearing the end I heard that tell-tale "Tick Tick" and realized that it was cracking. What the heck, a little CA and I'll try to take this thing as thin as I can go.

Due to the crack, I did a half-arsed job of sanding and didn't finish it. I planned to cut it in half and see how uniform my walls were.

Before I sliced it in half I decided to show it to my wife, as it had one of the best bottoms I've ever turned. She liked and won't let me autopsy it. Now I have to finish it and give it to her. That's why I couldn't make any money in this hobby, either it ain't fit to sell or my wife likes it anyways and wants to keep it :lol::lol::lol:


Thanks for looking.
Dave

 

[Eaglesc]

Pens are a lot easier.
Thanks for the time and effort that went into this this thread. I know how time consuming it is taking pictures and writing with a key board with no "T" or apostrophe.:lol:

 

[MikeL]

Dave, good attempt at attacking that monster with the HF. I haven't tried anything that big but it looks like your new gouge (insert stealth suckage here) is up to the task. Now what other goodies are you hiding from us? :eusa_thin

 

[jeff...]

Who would have thought that stump would have been knotty, maybe it'll still make a nice bowl. But one thing I do know for sure your shop is smelling pretty good right about now. Nice maple bowl Dave, your wife is right - don;t cut it in half - to pretty to destroy...

 

[lottathought]

[MAD]Your screw ups still look better than my first rate work[/MAD]

 

[erasmussen]

Thats pretty work even with the cracks
What kind of glue did you use for the glue block, something you can part later?

 

[DaveO]

Pens are a lot easier.
:lol:

I bet you I turned both of these bowls in less time than it takes you to just make the pen blank. Easy...not your way :-D

Dave

 

[DaveO]

Thats pretty work even with the cracks
What kind of glue did you use for the glue block, something you can part later?

Earl, I used a 5 minute epoxy (that will be ready to turn in 8 hrs. :roll I plan to part off the glue block and then finish turn the bottom. That should take care of any evidence of how it was held :eusa_pray

Dave

 

[WoodWrangler]

Nice score on the gouge ... only the best! :icon_thum

I enjoyed reading this thread, though I'm sure it was frustrating ... I'm going to take my turn at bowls soon, and hope not to see too many popping off!

 

[JRD]

Dave,

You've written the woodturners saga. Everything you've written, I've been there.

Blanks coming loose, unexpected knots or voids, and those darn stress cracks developing in good dry wood. If this weren't so much fun I just might give it up.

Now on the topic of stress cracks. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop or minimize them? I'm working a bowl right now that has started developing them.

Some casual observations, they seem to get worse the thinner walled you go, and they seem to worsen from the frictional heat of sanding.

Thoughts from the gallery?

Jim

 

[DaveO]

Jim, my only thoughts on the surface checking is it is cause by heat. I was sanding pretty aggressively and generating a lot of frictional heat. That was drying the surface wood causing it to contract and crack. I didn't notice any of the cracking before I started sanding. What can be done to prevent it. I don't know. Possibly sanding at a slower speed, but I don't have the patients for that.
Dave

 

[FredP]

Jim, my only thoughts on the surface checking is it is cause by heat. I was sanding pretty aggressively and generating a lot of frictional heat. That was drying the surface wood causing it to contract and crack. I didn't notice any of the cracking before I started sanding. What can be done to prevent it. I don't know. Possibly sanding at a slower speed, but I don't have the patients for that.
Dave

akchooally sanding at slower speeds and less pressure produces a better surface and is, at the least, just as fast.it also redooses heat! you will find that the paper lasts longer too!:icon_thum slow down grasshoppah!:-D