Still Trying

[BernieP]

My latest attempt at goblet 7cm high, one prior to this shot past my ear and ended up in bits on floor! As you can seee having trouble parting off from chuck and had to mend base.

Usual advice appreciated and noted please, base too thin?:confused:

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I like it. 5 more to finish the set please, I'll PM you the postal adddress. :D

Normally I'd make the foot a bit wider, but with the detail at the base of the bowl it looks balanced as it is. I won't go into the "fine details" of form, 'cos that'd be a case of the pot calling the kettle black. ;) Good effort Bernie, that one's definitely worth a greenie.

[Wild Dingo]

Still Trying

Well stop trying!! ;) Your there mate! :cool:

Flamin sodding friggin splutter spurt gargle choke :mad: "still tryin" gak choke gurgle spittin chips an all sortsa other wharfie type words :rolleyes:

If your "still tryin" mate Im still in nappies! :eek: well actually when it comes to this Im not even in nappies yet :(

Well done :cool:

[TTIT]

As you can seee having trouble parting off from chuck and had to mend base.

Good job Burnie! :DAre you steadying the top with anything while you're parting?? A cone on the live centre set into the cup will stop it getting the wobbles.:) Probably best not to part right through on a thin base but leave 10 or 12mm and saw it off with the lathe stopped.;)

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Good job Burnie! :DAre you steadying the top with anything while you're parting?? A cone on the live centre set into the cup will stop it getting the wobbles.:) Probably best not to part right through on a thin base but leave 10 or 12mm and saw it off with the lathe stopped.;)

I've learnt (the hard way) to always allow for parting... I've ruined more otherwise finished goblets than I care to admit to by not planning ahead for seperation. :o Once I've rounded the blank, the first thing I do now is use my parting tool to make a shallow double-width cut as close as possible to the chuck. This clearly marks what will be "waste material" and predefines the base of the foot.

I use a 5mm parting tool, and the double cut means that I've room to swing it slightly to form & tidy the base of the foot as I go, once it comes time to seperate. I don't like "flat" bottoms, preferring 'em slightly dished to give better stability. IMHO it also looks better. :D

Personally, I don't bother with a steady or tailstock... I find that with thin walls it doesn't take much excess tailstock pressure to cause warping, cracking or other problems, while not enough causes slippage & char marks (at best, or total annihilation at worst. :rolleyes: Instead I wait until I've seperated to stem thickness (about 1cm) then stand near the headstock with my left arm over the chuck/headstock to lightly steady the goblet stem at the base of the bowl. It only takes one hand (and a small amount of practice) to make the final seperating cuts, although there's a bit of a knack to minimising that last little "bump" in the middle.

Awkward to describe, very simple in action. :)

[BernieP]

Thanks for encouragement fellas, Skew made base same diamenter as the mouth and bowl same height as stem, my attempt at balancing it all.
TTIT steadied by taking live centre out of tailstock and using a piece of old mousepad inside bowl. My main problem was I only have a diamond parting tool (too wide & heavy) so will have to look at getting a thinner one, any clues on making one? Is it true you can use old hand saw blade???

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

My main problem was I only have a diamond parting tool (too wide & heavy) so will have to look at getting a thinner one, any clues on making one? Is it true you can use old hand saw blade???

Personally I'd stick with the diamond p/tool. As I said, I make a shallow double cut (ie. side by side) close to the chuck before starting on the rest of the goblet. It means you lose a cm of goblet height, but saves a LOT of headaches when it comes to parting off.

But yes, you can make a thin one from an old saw, or an old putty knife, or...

I don't recommend them for parting goblets because of the depth of the cut. Being only a very narrow cut, sawdust & resin tends to block the slot and the next thing you know the parting tool jams. In a best case scenario you just curse, kill the lathe, curse again, change your pants, curse, unjam the tool, curse, restart the lathe... and not necessarily in that order. ;) In a worst case scenario you may have your finger pinched under the tool when it slams on the rest. :eek: I've seen it happen and it's not a pretty sight! I'm also not a great fan of the finish it gives. [shrug]

Trust me; save those "thin" tools for seperating off 1/2" dowels, etc and stick with your diamond or a 5mm rectangular parting tool for goblets. Sacrifice that extra little bit of wood instead, it's sooo much safer. ;)

[baxter]

Skew

It wasn't that painful when it happened to me

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

It wasn't that painful when it happened to me

I'll bet youre a damned sight more careful about doing it again, though. :D

[baxter]

You can say that again...swear words repeated\.