Turning platters A-Z

[jefferson]

has helped me turn (or turned himself) I think 3 redgum platters. Works of art, with beads on top and the base. 400mm diameter the biggest probably, one that went to the charity cause. Another I have in storage here - been offerred $100 for it!

I've tried to be attentive and would probably pester for some clarification, but enough is enough. What I need is a step-by-step on turning one, as I have some nice lumps of fiddleback redgum to play with that I don't want to destroy them!

I am concerned firstly about which side to make the base / top. Do I mount on the core of the plank and then turn a base? Or the other way around, allowing for some inevitable wood movement? I've read up on it somewhere and can't figure it out.

Then, do I use a faceplate as large as possible? ( did his will a tiny screw chuck, but that will surely test me). The planks are around 50mm thick but if put thru the thicknesser would come down to 42-45mm. So I am worried about screw holes. Likely final thickness will be around 20-25mm, going on what has done in the past.

The 3 pieces of wood, as I said, are fiddleback. sheer-cut and sheer scraped to get a decent off-the-tool finish before sanding. I'm not up to sheer cutting just yet, so any advice would be appreciated.

I'm thinking that I should pick some high spots first for the beads. Turn them, then level the face. Or should I level the face first? As I said, thickness is an issue.

So, for all the pros out there, I'd appreciate some feedback. (I can't keep ringing all the time!).

thanks in advance Jeff

[Calm]

One good idea would be to put the figured redgum under the bench and get some free cypress (from me) or some free hardwood and practice on them then throw them away.

When you work it out to the point that you are comfortable to do the figured stuff go for it.

As for a blow by blow story - that would be in Erns field of expertise i reckon.

Cheers

[Calm]

Get hold of a cheap slab (with no cracks) form someone up there and cut it up for practice. I could give you a Blackwood one if i'm coming up.

Cheers

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

If you haven't got much thickness to play with, you can always mount between centres to turn a flat area that you can then hot-melt glue a small sacrificial disk onto... to use as a chuck stub or screwing a faceplate into.

I'd turn the bead first, so you can use the bead as a reference in finishing, then flatten the inner surface to roughly about the same height as the bead.

Before turning the middle to final height I'd finish turning the outer rim, to reduce the risk of injuries from knocked knuckles, etc. and to leave what little support the middle provides to reduce the amount of flex while turning.

Lastly, you can lay a straight edge on the bead at each side to use as a guide to get the middle beautifully flattened. :) (Preferably with the lathe switched off. :-)

[tea lady]

:Shrug: I always turn the back first. So the chuck has something to hold on to. :hmm: I think its kinda like skinning a cat, as in there are lots of different ways. (As for the fiddle back red gum, I'd practice on something else first. I found fiddle back VERY hard to turn without lots of chattering. Although I haven't had a go for a while. It was way back when I just started. :p )

[jchappo]

Here is #1 of 7 videos showing in great detail how to turn a square edged plate.
Your project will be similar in approach, but much easier because you are turning a round plate.:)

YouTube - Square Plate Segment 1 - Working the bottom

[Manuka Jock]

I am concerned firstly about which side to make the base / top. Do I mount on the core of the plank and then turn a base? Or the other way around, allowing for some inevitable wood movement? I've read up on it somewhere and can't figure it out.

Jeff

Jeff , generally wood cups away from the heart of the tree. To turn the base first , I mount the faceplate on the 'outer edge of the tree' side of the plank.
That may not be the best side tho.
Perhaps the panel has other ideas .

Seems that even well seasoned timber can move . I have been turning large platters out of a kauri plank , 450 x 50 , that was found in the ceiling of an old Govt. building .
Brand new , never been used , lay up there for over a 100 years.
It still moved , just a slight cupping . As long as the base stays flat , I'm not
bothered .

The advice given , re. banging out a few , out of more available timber first , before starting in on the rare stuff is good advice .

have fun , keep the speed down a tad ,
cheers ,
Jock

[tea lady]

have fun , keep the speed down a tad ,
cheers ,
Jock
:secret:Turn the speed down while 's not looking.:D

[Manuka Jock]

The planks are around 50mm thick but if put thru the thicknesser would come down to 42-45mm. So I am worried about screw holes.
Jeff ,
I missed this bit .
If you use screws that go about 10 -15 mm into the wood , or what ever keeps them shallow enough to keep clear of the finished surface , the holes will be turned out when scooping out the platter.
By using a glued-on waste block on the base , turned tidy as you work on the bottom , no screw holes there either .

The trick is to get the glue block off afterwards .
A hot glue gun helps here , the waste block usually pops off with a clout from a sharp chisel .


Your platter should end up around 40 + mm thick .

Hope this helps .

Jock

[RETIRED]

:secret:Turn the speed down while 's not looking.:D:p

[nine fingers]

, could you answer this, a piece of camphor laurel ,no flaws 410 mm diam x 45mm thick, turned for a platter,what would be the normal finished thickness,:? and what would be the minimum thickness it could be turned to.:oo:
regards John.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

If you glue on sacrificial blocks for mounting, you can keep almost all the thickness, less only what's needed for flattening the faces of the blank in the first place.

I reckon it could be turned down to 5mm thick... but then it'd be almost purely ornamental. :rolleyes: Mind you, I don't know that I'd want to attempt it myself. Not unless I didn't mind losing the blank. :-

[RETIRED]

, could you answer this, a piece of camphor laurel ,no flaws 410 mm diam x 45mm thick, turned for a platter,what would be the normal finished thickness,:? and what would be the minimum thickness it could be turned to.:oo:
regards John.I would try to retain the full 40-45 high when sitting on a flat surface but about 20mm thick overall. Like a big shallow bowl.

Skew is right, you can take it down as thin as you want or game too.:D

[jefferson]

After blowing two smallish bowls out of the chuck this morning, I've decided to put the platter project on the back burner.

The first one (and I add, the second time for this particular tiny bowl) blew out after a catch with the gouge. The second one.... same story. Nerves shot for the day!

Nothing like poor tool technique to bring you back to reality.

Jeff

[Texian]

Jeff,
Some good suggestions (practice first, etc.). If your blank has a smooth, flat surface, I like the waste block idea, at least 25 and better 50mm thick. Not a fan of hot melt though, and would use regular wood glue (do you have Titebond II there?). Can screw the waste block to a faceplate or turn (between centers) a tenon to fit your chuck. Just some thoughts for when you get a round tuit.

[rsser]

Or faceplate ring and square drive screws. You get about 6 in and they're shorter than a woodworm. Minor changes to screw tension can cancel out likely wobbles.

[Manuka Jock]

After blowing two smallish bowls out of the chuck this morning, I've decided to put the platter project on the back burner.

The first one (and I add, the second time for this particular tiny bowl) blew out after a catch with the gouge. The second one.... same story. Nerves shot for the day!

Nothing like poor tool technique to bring you back to reality.

Jeff
Jeff ,
did the dovetail of the tenon match the one on the chuck jaw ,
were the dia. of both compatible ? ie a snug , tight fit ,
and was the speed right for the task ?

although sometimes , a catch is just a catch eh .

[jefferson]

The reasons for my problems today were many. (I preface all of this by saying that I got back on the horse this arvo and turned a neat little redgum bowl, some lessons learnt.)

Main problems with the pieces flying out of the chuck were:

- poor tool control, trying to hog out waste too quickly and not levelling the inside of the base as I turned, thus under-cutting and resulting in a catch
- perhaps the grind on the gouge; big wings thus big hog outs
- noise, couldn't hear much over the dust collector that might have warned me earlier
- speed, now set somewhere between what I consider safe and what insists on (which is near the max)
- fiddleback redgum, very tight in the grain. Gently, gently.
- depth of the fixing rim. i've been going more and more shallow, only to learn (albiet slowly) that expansion mode on the jaws isn't fail-safe.

What else did I miss? I've been tutored to learn from mistakes and I think I am slowly learning. I examined the pieces and did the diagnosis. Simple stuff really once you put the dummy back in the mouth.

And no real damage done this week. A dent in the roof insulation a few weeks back, but no broken teeth (face shield on), only a dent in the over-confidence.

Who said this turning stuff was easy?

Jeff

[powderpost]

I regularly turn functional plates/platters out of 19mm thick radiata pine for market customers, as well as a few laminated platters. I use two 100mm face plates, one has a waste disc of 19mm pine about 200mm diameter. This one is turned something like a saucer, upside down, with a "foot" 10mm wide, and with a diameter about half the diameter of the finished platter.
The platter blank is fixed to the face plate, top face to the face plate with short screws, short enough for the holes to be turned off. I then turn the back face of the platter making the foot of the platter match the rim on the waste piece on the face plate. Then glue the two together with pva, and no paper in the joint.
Now I turn the top of the platter, and sand etc. I then cut the two apart with a hand saw and clean up the platter foot on a sanding board. That could be better done on a Longworth chuck.
There are some photos in the thread I did for the biscuit barrell.
Hope that helps. Would a wip help?
Jim