Thread: A Work in Progress

'Twill indeed be an interesting task!!

Some contentious looking splits to be wary of.

Good turning and good luck!!

Alister,
I hope that you will not be offended about what I am to say.
To turn a bowl of that magnitude with a scraper made of a file is dangerous.
Files are brittle and unless they have been re-tempered they can break and cause
serious injury. Given the wood shape, this is a real likelihood. I assume you will use
a faceplate and tailstock up for balance and safety. You need a 1/2" or 5/8" bowl
gouge to remove the bulk of stock and you can finish with a scraper. I
know there are all sorts of books, videos and u-tube references for bowl turning and
they will be helpful. But I suggest that you get some
local hands on advice (mens shed/woodturning group/local turner), and perhaps start on a smaller piece as a practical exercise.
A investment in a gouge will not go astray in any event. Others may also wish to express a view and help.
All the best, Drillit.

Absolutely agree with Drillit!!!

I really just skimmed the post first time round and something has been bothering me. I opened up again to find Drillit's post and then read the thread properly.

Drillit is absolutely correct. Your files will be bloody dangerous. Pleas get yourself a decent bowl gouge!!

Originally Posted by artme

Absolutely agree with Drillit!!!


Drillit is absolutely correct. Your files will be bloody dangerous. Pleas get yourself a decent bowl gouge!!

I think you will also need a sharpening jig as River Red Gum will take the edge off your gouge fairly quick I recon.

Having said that, I think RRG polishes up real nice & I am looking forward to seeing your bowl progress.

Steve

Drillit and Artme –no offence taken and thank you for your concerns re safety. I have read postings on using old files as woodturning tools and am aware of the dangers of such. The file that I am using has been in use some time and has had a pretty good workout without problems, as it was used by the previous owner of the outfit.

Although I do not have any trade qualifications, I have used all sorts of tools for most of my life so I am not new to using my hands to create things. As well, this is not the first bowl that I have produced, although it is probably the biggest and the River Red Gum is actually easier to work than the dry old Ironbark that I have done most of my work in.

I did say “Images 0832 and 0833 the block in the lathe and ready to go. I had this sucker harnessed up as well as I could using my biggest face plate with decent screws and the tailstock.”

I think I had my derriere fairly well covered in this instance. This is not to say that I will not be an idiot sometime in the future – faeces happens, but for the most part I try to minimise risk. I nearly always use the 3 point plan:
What am I about to do?
What can go wrong?
What can I do to avoid this?

The job is done and the bowl is in the hands of the recipient. The documentation is actually what is in progress.

Steve, I have a sharpening jig and it did get a workout with this job.

Alister.

My method of making a bowl is to remove all the wood that does not look like a bowl – not an original idea I know, but the point is that there was a lot of sap, some cracks and some rotten wood that I had to remove before I had the basic shape. I do not set out to make any particular shape in bowls, but the shape usually comes out in trimming the rubbish off and if the shape looks good to me, it is good enough.
Images 0834 and 0835 are roughing it down – showing the cracks, sap and off colour wood, but there is some nice colour and pattern coming out.

Sometimes the wood cuts off, sometimes it wears off and sometimes it rubs off! This Red Gum is a dense wood, more so than I thought it would be, but it works fairly easily in its present condition. Considering that I have made bowls from Ironbark stumps that have been under this house for 50 years or so, anything else works easily. The timber still has some moisture in it, so I will have to dry it somehow.

Images 0837 and 0838 Pretty much got the shape I like and cut the bottom and tenon and remounted between centres. If you look at the chuck, you will see that it is a 3 jaw machinist’s chuck modified with contraction jaws. (I also have expansion jaws for this chuck.) I use the tailstock most of the time so that I can be a bit aggressive and the dig-ins don’t launch objects as much

Image 0839 - The bit in the middle makes it harder to work in there, but worth it for the peace of mind. For some reason, I took the blank out of the chuck, maybe for the photo, but I mark the chuck and the tenon, so I can get it back in the same slot.

Image 0841 - The jaws will grab a 60mm tenon, but that one is more like 70 which means I have 6 point contact. I know it is ideal to have full contact, but if you take a bee’s too much off, there is no contact, right?

That's enough for now.
Alister.

Gotta hand it to you Big A!!

Getting thus far, and very successfully, is a credit to your skill!!

That will polish up beautifully but I'm wondering about the moisture content.

Artme,

Thanks.

Yes it did have moisture - that gets a mention in the next episode. Hold ya horses!

Alister.

Save the bit in the middle, you might be able to make a Top out of it.

Steve

I will pull up a chair as well.

Hi big a,
Hurry up and finish this bowl, something about
that blank just doesn, t seem right, hope it doesn, t
crack up or worse!, finish it and seal it and it might be ok!
Can, t wait to see the results

Originally Posted by Big A

My method of making a bowl is to remove all the wood that does not look like a bowl – not an original idea I know, but the point is that there was a lot of sap, some cracks and some rotten wood that I had to remove before I had the basic shape. I do not set out to make any particular shape in bowls, but the shape usually comes out in trimming the rubbish off and if the shape looks good to me, it is good enough.
Images 0834 and 0835 are roughing it down – showing the cracks, sap and off colour wood, but there is some nice colour and pattern coming out.

Sometimes the wood cuts off, sometimes it wears off and sometimes it rubs off! This Red Gum is a dense wood, more so than I thought it would be, but it works fairly easily in its present condition. Considering that I have made bowls from Ironbark stumps that have been under this house for 50 years or so, anything else works easily. The timber still has some moisture in it, so I will have to dry it somehow.

Images 0837 and 0838 Pretty much got the shape I like and cut the bottom and tenon and remounted between centres. If you look at the chuck, you will see that it is a 3 jaw machinist’s chuck modified with contraction jaws. (I also have expansion jaws for this chuck.) I use the tailstock most of the time so that I can be a bit aggressive and the dig-ins don’t launch objects as much

Image 0839 - The bit in the middle makes it harder to work in there, but worth it for the peace of mind. For some reason, I took the blank out of the chuck, maybe for the photo, but I mark the chuck and the tenon, so I can get it back in the same slot.

Image 0841 - The jaws will grab a 60mm tenon, but that one is more like 70 which means I have 6 point contact. I know it is ideal to have full contact, but if you take a bee’s too much off, there is no contact, right?

That's enough for now.
Alister.

Alister, I not only don't like your shape (brake drum Joe) but the size of your holding tenon.

You have been lucky thus far with Euc. Cam. RRG, as it is so short in the grain. I know it well and turn it all the time.

I hope not to be offensive, but you seriously need some safety instruction.

Do you honestly have no "departures" from the lathe?

If not, you have been lucky thus far. Talk with the pros, there's plenty out there.

Images 0842 and 0843 show it is roughed out and ready for the dryer, which just happens to be the caravan microwave. Dimensions are now 260mm X 90mm and it weighs about 2.6 kg. I did not count the number of times I “cooked” it, but I did not heat it up too much each and kept going until the weight stabilised. (Unlike a piece of Sally Wattle that I charred more recently!)

Images 0844 and 0846. During the drying process, it got so out of shape that towards the end that I put it back on the lathe to see if I had enough to work on. Image 0853 shows that there is a fair cut of about 10mm on the outside and much the same on the inside, but there was enough meat to carry on.

After drying it went back on the lathe for the final trim. As I indicated, it was a bit wobbly for a start but it came into shape fairly easily. This is when I started to get nervous, because I was worried about how thin to go, and about a dig in at this critical stage. I opted to go thick, rather than thin, but no so thick that it was chunky. Got that? End grain tear out gets me a bit at this stage, but I am learning to deal with it by using a sealer and a sharpener oftener! (And of course 120 grit and elbow grease.)

Nearly there!
Alister.

Jefferson,

Thank you for your concerns, but did you read my Post #6?

Actually, my shape is pretty good for a bloke my age! With regard to the shape of the bowl, it does resemble a brake drum, but looks OK in the wood and you are the first person to make a comment. The recipients are extremely happy with it and that is what counts with me.

Alister.