Thread: Bowl

Yes, very nice Master Fredo. The recent Sydney WWS has awakened me to the possibilities of combining the router with lathe work. Fascinating finishes & configurations available.

As the others have said a few WIP shots would be great, and some more info or pics of your jig setup would be much appreciated. Great stuff!

Now look here, young Fred - I thought we'd already had a little chat about showing off and making the other kiddies in the Shed feel inadequate .....

Excellent work!
Nice detail and selection of wood.

Harvey Fein does this type of turning.
Here is a link to his website: http://www.harveyfein.net/
His turning technique in pictures:
http://www.harveyfein.net/fein_woods...x.html#photo12

Thanks everyone for your kind comments.............with the possible exception of Rod (tornatus)!

Sorry...no I don't have WIP pics (didn't think of it at the time)

For Joe and anyone else interested, here's a run through

1. The blank needs to be roughed out and well seasoned, to avoid, as much as possible, distortion from the drying process and stress movement.

2. Mount the blank in a scroll chuck using the tenon on the outside left from the rough out. True up the inside of the bowl to roughly the desired curve, then turn a 40ml diameter tenon in the centre of the bowl so you can re-chuck.

3. Remount blank holding the tenon inside and turn the outside of the bowl to final shape and refine foot, finish sand outside to 320 grit.

4. Re-chuck holding outside of bowl by the foot, undercut the rim and refine the internal curve, using care to maintain an even wall thickness of about 8ml to the outside and sand to 320 grit (Do not remove internal tenon yet). Using a router jig and lathe indexing follow the internal curve and cut 24 flutes to a depth of 4ml and stop just short of the internal tenon.

5. Re-chuck again holding the inside tenon, mark out and cut external grooves using a router jig and 6ml cutter, while watching for the cutter to break through on the inside, try not to over cut as it will weaken the bowl. Cut sun motif on outside of foot using router jig. Sand - the outside is now finished.

6. Re-chuck yet again, using external foot, remove internal tenon, sand inside and add sun motif using router jig, final sand inside and finish with Danish Oil.....(sigh)

Sorry guys I don't have pictures of the router jig...I'll have to try and take some on the weekend and add them later.

There is a fair amount of guestamating, depth of cut, length of flutes, dimension of cutters, position of router etc etc etc ...you just have to live with that on this type of work.

Hope the above makes sense.

Thanks Mark...great site. Harvey Fein just blows me away, his work is truly fantastic. I just don't think I would have the time or skill to go that far.

Fredo

Thanks for the sequence, Fredo. I reckon the outside could also be done with an Oland tool, by lathe alone without the router. The piece is evocative of Hans Weissflog's work. IIRC, most of his pieces seem to be done by compound turning.

Joe

Joe, I have tried a parting tool to cut the outside grooves. IMO it does not compare to the crisp, clean cut of a high speed rotating cutter. The router is locked into position and is stable and rigid, could be there is no bounce as it cuts through to the flutes on the inside.

Fredo

Roger that, Fredo. I turned a chain idler pulley (with trenches for alternate links) before I'd made an Oland tool, and used a Dremel with a router bit in an x-y vise. My excuse at the time was that it would've been too scary even if I had the "right" tool. Just as well, because the finish with the router was superb.

Joe