Vacuum Chucks

[dougturner]

Natural-edge bowls?

In my case, I can't get Cole jaws to go on my little 50mm generic scroll chuck, either. I'm planning on buying a Longworth chuck when I can, but a vacuum chuck covers both bases.
Eventually, I'll buy a bigger better scroll chuck that will take Cole jaws, but not just yet. $ are pretty tight right now.

Edit: On the subject of air filtration, I just bought one the same as TTIT's on eBay - $11.51 delivered.
The link: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Auto-...#ht_1671wt_926

Nice try, Hermit! Yes, you can refinish the bottom of a natural edged bowl without a vacuum chuck. I make up a circular disc of form ply of a size suited to the bowl diameter I am finishing, mount it on a face plate and trim the outside on the lathe, pad the outside circumference of the ply with a suitable medium (felt, rubber tubing, plastic tubing), cut a piece of router mat bigger than the diameter of the ply disc, drape the router mat over the ply disc. Carefully fit the reversed natural edged bowl over the router mat making sure that the router mat is in contact with the complete outside diameter of the padded disc and bowl, and bring up the tailstock to the original centre of the bottom of the bowl. "Tighten tailstock to taste", and redo the bowl bottom to remove the chuck marks, leaving about a one eighth nib at the centre. This is then taken off with the Dremel, and the refinished by hand. I also have a Longworth Chuck which I made about 20 years ago, and I use regularly. It was made as a stop gap measure, and with full intention of building a really nice one later, but I just haven't got around to that one yet, as the original does the job even though it wouldn't win any beauty contests. Doug.

[Hermit]

Nice try, Hermit! Yes, you can refinish the bottom of a natural edged bowl without a vacuum chuck. I make up a circular disc of form ply of a size suited to the bowl diameter I am finishing, mount it on a face plate and trim the outside on the lathe, pad the outside circumference of the ply with a suitable medium (felt, rubber tubing, plastic tubing), cut a piece of router mat bigger than the diameter of the ply disc, drape the router mat over the ply disc. Carefully fit the reversed natural edged bowl over the router mat making sure that the router mat is in contact with the complete outside diameter of the padded disc and bowl, and bring up the tailstock to the original centre of the bottom of the bowl. "Tighten tailstock to taste", and redo the bowl bottom to remove the chuck marks, leaving about a one eighth nib at the centre. This is then taken off with the Dremel, and the refinished by hand. I also have a Longworth Chuck which I made about 20 years ago, and I use regularly. It was made as a stop gap measure, and with full intention of building a really nice one later, but I just haven't got around to that one yet, as the original does the job even though it wouldn't win any beauty contests. Doug.

I know that you can using a jam chuck, Doug, but it's much more messing around and costlier than using a vacuum chuck. Thanks for the tips on your method, though. Filed away for future reference.
I'll still use jam chucks to finish the bottom of my lidded boxes.

Personally, I'm getting really sick of continually making up plywood discs to suit the bottom of each new (non natural-edge) bowl that I make as well. They're piling up but now I'll turn the old ones into various-sized vacuum chucks/cups.
Just did it again this afternoon, but not for too much longer I hope.

I'll get a Longworth chuck soon as mentioned, for the normal edged ones, but decided on a vac chuck first because it covers both types. I was going to make my own Longworth chuck, but Gary Pye sells a nice one to suit a 10" swing mini-lathe for about $100, so I'll take the lazy option there.