First Bowl Rough out

[James Williams 007]

I finally dug into my first bowl after watching a few videos and learning to sharpen. I hit a few snags and I really need to work on my technique but I managed to get this far and I will be practicing in the months while this one dries. I have a couple of questions though, how do you control the tear out that I got on this one? Is poplar to soft to make good bowls (this is rainbow poplar)? Can wood be too green to turn? Thanks for all your help this far!

[Jeff Nicol]

James, On the bowl the portion that is tearing out it the end grain, if the blank is still pretty wet most softer woods will do thid and many of the harder woods also. When you go to finish the bowl after it dries, taking very light cuts with a very sharp tool will produce a better cut. I have taken a page from Jimmy Clewes and use some thinned down shellac and put a coat of that on and let it dry and that will stiffen up the end grain and any punky or figured areas and make them easier to cut. I use a shear scrape cut or a 1/4" standard grind bowl gouge for my final cuts. These cuts will take off very small amounts of wood to give you a good finish.

Have fun,

Jeff

[Donny Lawson]

James,I think your bowl looks good and I too hope to turn my first bowl soon.I'm still deciding on a chuck right now.What kind of chuck do you use and what size was the bowl blank when you started?I will be looking foward to seeing the bowl when you get it finished.I think poplar has some good color to it.I pick up wood at work all the time and I have some great pieces to work on as soon as I decide on a chuck.
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By the way James, I don't live very far from you if you would like to share bowl talents sometime.I'm less than an hour north of you in Chatsworth GA.
Donny

[John Keeton]

James, I think it looks fine, and what one would expect from wet poplar. That is a beautiful piece of wood, and it will finish out great in a few months.

FWIW, in flatwork even dry poplar can sometimes be difficult with tearout and crushing grain.

[MIKE E BEE]

Nice first bowl. I am new to this also but I can tell you this, I tried to turn a piece that I found out in the woods that I thought was dry but when I got into it, it clearly was not. I could not get it smooth either and the finish looked much like yours so I would suspect that is the main issue. Also, as jeff said, the end grain would be another issue and short passes with a very sharp tool is great advice. You could also turn up your speed a bit. I actually just learned what a difference that makes. I turned my first couple of bowls on the slowest speed from roughing all the way to sanding but learned once the rough is done, crank it up a bit for smoother cuts and smoother sanding.

You are also going to find this site very helpful. These guys are FANTASTIC and always willing to help!!

[Steve Schlumpf]

James - nice work on the rough-out! Good form and the thickness seems about right for the size.

You picked a very soft wood to work with and tearout is always a problem with soft woods. Sharp tools and light cuts are usually the best way to fight the problem.

Question for you - in the photos of the inside of the bowl - it looks like the bottom of the bowl is cracked. Is it? Asking because if it is cracked - the crack will only get worse as it dries. Just something to be aware of.

Roughing something out in green wood can be a lot of fun - and done right you can create a huge mess! Have fun with it! Looking forward to seeing your next bowl!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Congrats on your first bowl. Looks pretty good and pretty much what I would expect to see. Wood is never to green to turn. You might take a bath if it is pretty wet when it slings water off. I have had it green enough I had a strip right down the middle of me from my face shield right down the apron I wear.
Jeff and Steve are right. The wood you picked is a soft wood. When it dries and you return it to the lathe to finish the final few cuts need to be with a freshly sharpened bowl gouge. I have spritzed the tearout with water or rubbed on some mineral oil or shellac. I like mineral oil the best. Like Jeff I take a final couple of cuts with a freshly sharpened 3/8" conventional bowl gouge, a little more speed and it does leave a pretty good surface. One other thing that can be done is while the lathe is off you can power sand those spots before you turn on the lathe to finish power sanding. Mike Mahoney's DVD "From the Tree to the Table" shows how to do that. Have fun, experiment and practice.

[steven carter]

James,

When I first started out roughing bowls I also did like you and started working on the outside profile of the lip of the bowl. I soon discovered that after the bowl dried and warped, by the time I got it back into round, most of the profile work I did was gone. Now I make the outside profile a continuous curve from top to bottom. The only thing I do is blunt the sharp edges on the inside and outside of the rim of the bowl. I think this makes it a lot easier to get the walls a consistent thickness which gives a better of letting the bowl warp without cracking. Something to think about.

Steve

[Jarrod McGehee]

make sure you keep your tools sharp!

[James Williams 007]

I turned my second bowl tonight out of a beautiful piece of walnut and there was no tear out and I am really getting the hang of "riding the bevel". This blank was every bit as wet, green as the poplar but the end grain stayed put much nicer than the poplar. I am going to soak both bowls in alcohol tonight because I really want to speed up the drying process and that method sounds like a good option. Thanks for all the comments and help.

[James Williams 007]

Donny,
No chuck I used a glue block and turned most of it between centers but I am going to pick up the Talon or Supernova 2 when the budget allows. The bowl blank was 8x3 when I started thats about the biggest blank this lathe can handle comfortably. I go through Chatsworth all the time good little town!

[Thomas Canfield]

James,

You did not mention lathe speed, but higher speed along with a sharp tool can help reduce the tearout.

I have also found it necessary to either seal the rough turned bowls immediately or at least put them in a plastic bag for a few hours (or day) until they would be sealed to prevent cracking. I can't speak to time before soaking in DNA but expect that would be similar.