I can turn more than pens...I think

[DaveO]

I have had this blank of curly sycamore that I got from Jeff for quite a while. Never really got the nerve to chuck it up. Well today either stupidity or machismo got the best of me and I decided to turn it. This is the largest piece of wood that I have turned on my lathe, and I don't recommend you try this at home. I square danced with it until I got it round and then really couldn't go over 1000rpm with out my lathe taking a hike. I decided to take a few WIP pics in case it blowed up on me. I could at least prove I tried :lol: :lol:

Here is the blank mounted and rough turned round. It's about 10" in dia. and 5" thick at this point.

Here it is turned to the final outside shape and a BLO added to POP the curl.

After finishing the outside, I re-chucked with a tenon (in a recess, I don't know why it's called that) and got prepared to hollow her out 8-O

Hollowing it out took forever. That' s a lot of wood to remove. I had to stop and sharpen twice during the process, and still had some tear out. I don't think that I have large enough chisels for a bowl this deep :eusa_doh:

Turning bowls makes a huge mess, that's why I really like it. You ain't turnin' unless you end up taller than when you start. Anybody need some Sycamore curlies?

Well here is final product, it started to warp on me so I couldn't get it as thin as I would have liked to. But the curl and slight spalting is really nice. Jeff, you need a lathe, you're sitting on a gold mine of beautiful wood :icon_thum

And a inside shot, I think I got it down to a 1/2" uniform thickness throughout. I was scared to go smaller. I finished it with BLO, that was burnished at high speed and then a coat of paste wax. It will do what it will do...that's art, right??

Thanks for looking, any critiques, advice or sales welcome :-D :-D

Dave

 

[jtdums]

That is a beautiful bowl and you are right about that wood. great curl and I like what you did with it.

 

[nelsone]

Wow Dave, for a first bowl you done good!

 

[cskipper]

:eusa_clap Cool!

 

[woodArtz]

Great first bowl! Did you start off with a round blank from the band saw? I was wondering why it was jumping so bad. Once you get used to bowls, it's hard to keep doing pens... .

 

[DaveO]

Actually this is my fourth or fifth bowl, not to mention the platters I have made :eusa_doh: I did round it out on the bandsaw first, but it was just a huge mass of wood to mount on my fairly lightweight lathe. I did turn the tool rest to the inside of the bowl once I got the clearance for it, and that did help with the chatter some. I was turning with a 1/2" bowl gouge, and think that if I was using a 5/8" or greater gouge I wouldn't get so much noise. Curly grain doesn't like to be cut well, and that was the biggest part of my issues, on top of the fact that the blank was still pretty wet and I wanted to turn it to finish in one setting.
Mike, I would love to get a S shaped tool rest, I think that would be a huge help in deep turnings. I've got a 1" post on my toolrest now, do you know of any that won't break the bank and will fit my lathe???

Dave

 

[jeff...]

Dave, I'm glad that blank "turned" out for you. It makes running the sawmill worth while when I see things like this that you guys make out of the wood I cut. I hope that one holds soup because that's one sharp looking bowl. :icon_thum

Thanks

 

[MikeL]

Excellent job Dave and what a great looking blank to work with. Now you have something to keep your pens in!

 

[Wildwood]

Dave have you ever been to NC Woodturners Symposiums?

Think you would appreciate the "Instant Gallery," and Vendor Area," both free to the public. May find good prices on wood and tools there.

Next one will be at Greensboro Colliseum Conplex Oct. 5th - 7th, 2007.

Anyone selling wood might do some business there too!

http://www.northcarolinawoodturning.com/index.html

 

[JRD]

Dave,

I never had a doubt that you could do it!

I need to talk with you about some boxes I'm thinking about.

Again, Way to GO!

Jim

 

[skeeter]

Great job on your first bowl. The figure in the Sycamore is really nice.

 

[BumoutBob]

Great bowl, :eusa_danccurly wood like that is what it's all about. If you would add a sand bag or two the the bottom shelf of the lathe it would make it more stable. I have a roll around cart to store my tools. Chips fill up my shelf during turning and I can't find anything.

 

[DaveO]

Dave have you ever been to NC Woodturners Symposiums?

Think you would appreciate the "Instant Gallery," and Vendor Area," both free to the public. May find good prices on wood and tools there.

Next one will be at Greensboro Colliseum Conplex Oct. 5th - 7th, 2007.

Anyone selling wood might do some business there too!

http://www.northcarolinawoodturning.com/index.html

I am really looking forward to going to that. I hope to see a bunch of NCww'ers there.
Dave

 

[Gary G]

Beautiful looking. I've yet to make anything large like that. Gotta give it a go. That's inspiring.

 

[FredP]

I am really looking forward to going to that. I hope to see a bunch of North Carolina Woodworker'ers there.
Dave

me too me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:icon_thum remind us when it gets closer dave. looks like i might be able to learn sumpin there!8-O i like turning but aint real good at it yet. nice lookin bowl BTW.

fred p

 

[jeff...]

Maybe I should just focus in on figured hardwood and move to the beach :icon_thum

 

[ChrisMathes]

that is a pretty bowl...you must be a pretty good dancer. I've never 'square danced' with a bowl blank, but I bet the do-see-do part gets pretty exciting!!!

I can't wait 'till I can turn bigger stuff...someday

Nice work!!
Chris

 

[NZAPP1]

:icon_thum Great work Dave :eusa_clap :eusa_clap The figure is wild. I can not wait to turn the blanks I have from Jeff I think I have 5 or 6 from that log :eusa_danc :eusa_danc

 

[lottathought]

Very nice Dave.
I need to come by and watch a bowl being turned sometime.
Seeing it done once helps me figure a lot of things out before I try it.

 

[DavidF]

Nice looking bowl there Dave. I didn't have time to try out the GW on a large blank, but the Rikon certainly feels as though it could handle it.