My first try at a bowl

[Band Saw Box]

Good Evening All
I spent a few hours in the shop this afternoon and evening working on a bowl. I made the pattern my self and with a bit of help from Carole Via E-mail I think I have a fairlt nice looking bowl. I used 3/4" pine and 3/4" poplar for the base ring to get he feel of it and to see how things fit. I did'nt use all the rings I cut in this case only the top 4 are being use for the bowl and one for the base. I also use one soild piece for the base cut stright (Thanks for the tips Carole) I user a #5 FDUR I set the scroll saw table to 28 dig. right side down. I was a bit surprise to find that it was not all that hard cutting at that angle. This basket is more or less a proto type. I still need to glue it up, sand it down a put a coat or two of finish on it. As always any and all comments are welcome.

[Sally]

Looks great!

[wood-n-things]

You just keep trying new things and you will find your niche' yet...You are doing awesome expanding your horizons....Thanks for sharing with us.

looks really nice so far...

[Haggard3230]

Nice work so far Dan. Are you using the pine before you try some other hardwood.

[saw dust]

Looking good Dan looking forward to see the finished project. saw dust

[lucky788scroller]

Great start. Whats the reason for such a thick bottom? Am I correct in assuming the bottom is 1 1/2 inches thick? 3/4 " maple + 3/4" pine? To me is seems like it would look nicer with a bottom the same thickness as the walls of the bowl is?

[handibunny]

Way to go Dan! I told you that it would look good with fewer rings, so I'm glad that's the way you went. Glue up the rings first, without any of the base pieces. That way you can get the inside of the lowest ring nice and round. Once that's done, you can glue on the base and complete the sanding. Just be careful not to get that lower edge too thin.

Dale, from what Dan wrote to me when planning the bowl, I think he's going to use the extra thickness to form a pedestal. Since the wood is nice and thick, you can turn the piece on its side and sand in a curve with a spindle sander. If you check out my blog, or the inside view of my book on the FCP website, you'll see a footed candy dish that uses an approach like the one Dan is using. It is absolutely amazing what effects you can get just with sanders.

Dan, just take your time sanding. Remember, you have two sides now, not just one like when you do a vase, so watch that you keep your sanding even. With 3/8" rings, you should enough wood to correct any errors.

Looking forward to seeing your progress!

[KtownScroller]

Looks like a good start Dan. Too bad you don't have a lathe to spin the bowl on to make the sanding easier.

[handibunny]

Rick, think of it as practice so when Dan starts trying the lobed vessels, square-sided bowls and other irregular shapes that you can't touch with a lathe, he'll be an expert!

Seriously, I've found several older lathe books that discuss the stacked ring method as a way of making a turning blank economically, and there is even a tool called a Ring Master that cranks out rings automatically for that use. I use lathe books on segmented turnings to get ideas for my bowls. The nice part is that since sanding doesn't exert centrifugal forces on the glue-up, there's less danger of your project exploding and ending up in pieces, so glue-ups that are less then perfect can still work well.

Question--if Dan did have a lathe, what kind of chuck would let him sand it, without having to add extra wood at the bottom of his bowl?

[Arcy]

Originally Posted by handibunny

Question--if Dan did have a lathe, what kind of chuck would let him sand it, without having to add extra wood at the bottom of his bowl?

He's probably want extra wood at the bottom for turning the bowl itself. This could be glued on scrap and then removed at the end.

He could clean up the bottom afterwards with a chuck like this: Nova Cole Jaw Set - Woodcraft.com

The Ring Master isn't necessary to do this directly on the lathe. Skilled turners (which I don't claim to be) just need a parting tool and a steady hand. The lathe ensures a perfect circle. The turner just needs to get the angle right.

--Rob