Around the Woods

Finish Turning the Bowl

"Finally the bowl comes to a photo finish."

Once the bowl is dried, in about 3 to six months, or when I get around to it, I will finish turn the bowl. To do so I mount block of scrap wood to a face plate, round it off and flatten the face to make a glue block. Hot glue from a glue gun is applied to the block and it is pressed to the base of the bowl, centering it as well as possible. Then it is mounted to the lathe, finish turned, sanded and finished.
Here is an ash bowl about 12 inches in diameter, dried for about a year and remounted. This is a face plate a friend made for me and a spacer is needed to allow me to put it solidly on the lathe.
These are the inside and outside of the bowl turned and ready for sanding. (opens in new page) I was able to easily turn the bowl at 800 rpm.
The inside sanded and ready for a finish. I have decided to use linseed oil on this one because I like the color of it with ash. I put it on with a brush and pad dry with paper towel, then turn on the lathe and partially dry it with the lathe running.
The finish is applied and the bowl ready to be parted from the lathe. Here you can see where I have cut in part way with a parting tool right along the glue line.
I continued the cut leaving about a 1" stub. Then, holding the bowl with my right hand, I tapped it with my left and the bowl popped off the glue block.
Now all that is left is to finish the bottom.

Quick tip

I keep a screw the length of the one I am using attached to the lathe with a rare earth magnet. Here it is lying on the top of the glue block so I can determine if there is enough wood left to face off the block and use it again.

If you make one please let me know how it turned out.

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© 2015 copyright Darrell Feltmate, Around the Woods

"doing you a good turn today"