Faceplate question

[Steve Paxman]

Usually, I use a woodworm type screw into a bowl blank when I'm starting to turn a bowl. You know, the big one that just goes right in the center, and then gets held by the jaws of the chuck. But I have a half a log that is pretty big - maybe 10" - 12" and very dense, and I think I'd like to use a faceplate. So, my Jet 1642 came with a nice big 6" faceplate.

My question is, what type of screws to use. This has been asked a million times, and everyone says to use sheet metal screws. But aren't sheet metal screws all made with round or dome heads? My faceplate is all sort of chamfered on the screw head side, to accept heads more like wood screws - flat, countersunk heads (am I making sense here?).

Do I just basically pick the biggest diameter wood screw with a flat head that will barely fit through the holes on my faceplate, drill pilot holes just smaller than the diameter of the shaft of the screw, and use relatively long ones (like 1" into the wood, so maybe 1 1/2" screws or whatever)? And how many should I use? The faceplate has like 18 holes in it. How many of those holes do you actually use?

MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION: My half-log isn't cut completely flat. There's a bit of a step, like the chainsaw went through 2/3 of it, then stopped, and was restarted, so there is like a 1/4" (maybe a bit more) step down there. So if I put my faceplate right on the middle of the blank, there will be maybe a third of it that isn't right up against the wood. Should I just let that gap be there? Or should I get a scrap piece of wood that is about that thickness and just put it there and screw right through it to get full contact? Or does it matter?

[James Tibbetts]

There will be much more experienced answers than mine I am sure, but if the log will mount "correctly" on the woodworm I would use it and bring up the tail stock with a live center.
True up the blank and cut a tenon on the ts end; rechuck and square up the other end as needed. 2nd cut can also be done with the live center in place. Turn it down close enough to trim the last bit with a chisel. I'm chicken; the more things holding a chunk of wood at 50 mph the better.

[Thom Sturgill]

By all means use a faceplate. That is the most secure hold. Mount the blank between centers and true up the ends. Doesn't hurt to remove the bark and make it round at this stage. The end where the faceplate goes should be very slightly hollowed so that it makes even contact all the way around the edge. This is critical.

I use short deck screws with the spline head and DO NOT pre-drill. The screws have a drill built in. Pre-drilling endgrain makes for a weakened grip. Use a hammer drill if you have one. End-grain will compress around the screw without a starter hole.

I have a device to center the faceplate on the hole made by the center. It is nothing more than a pointed rod and a piece of dowel sized to fit inside the threads of the faceplate and with a centered hole for the rod. The dowel can be as short as 1". You can center failrly close by eye of course. You do not have to remove the stub where the center was and as long as it fits in the end of the spindle I would not remove it as it aids in the previous step. If you do plan on removing it draw a circle on the end just slightly larger than the faceplate. That can also aid in mounting the faceplate true.

Use the tailstock as long as you can.

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

I use either #12 or #14 wood screws about 1.5" in length - It's the largest wood screw I could find (so it fits the chamfered holes in my faceplate) without going to a 1/4" lag bolt.

[charlie knighton]

when I use a faceplate I use square drive screws from craft supplies....sold in a pack of 100 , 1 inch long or 1 1/4, I have the 1 inch
item # 104-639 faceplate as Thom says is very safe, just use a longer blank and you can turn the outside and inside without removing from faceplate
these are #10 screws

[Roger Chandler]

What ever you do ..........NO DRYWALL SCREWS!!! The are brittle and can snap off leaving you injured. I use #12 screws with pan heads and a phillips head for number 3 Phillips driver. Square drive is great as well, but use a screw that has enough diameter so that it is strong and will take the shock of a major catch........of course we all hope that never happens, but it makes sense to have more strength than the minimum........a margin of safety is always a good thing!

[Dale Miner]

Yes, use shims under the uneven surface so that the mounting is stable. Use at least six screws. The larger the diameter of the circle of holes used, the better.

I use 1.5" long underlayment screws used for screwing cement board to subflooring. Cement board is used under tile flooring and tile walls. The screws have a square drive that makes removal and reuse easier. Phillips heads seem to strip out. On your faceplates, put a small chamfer or countersink on the side that will make contact with the wood. This allows the wood displaced by the screw to have a small cavity to go into and permit the surrounding wood to make solid contact with the faceplate. Countersinks on the backside are not needed, even if a flat head screw is used.

Another good option is the screw used for attaching metal siding to pole barns. These screws have a hex head and are galvanized. They do have a washer and rubber gasket under the head that is intended to seal water out. I've used them as is without any concern for the rubber washer without issue. The hex head with suitable driver makes for positive installation and removal. The galvanized surface doesn't rust or stain the wood.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

It may seem like overkill, but I've been using the same set of #12 square drive 1-1/2" stainless sheetmetal screws for the last 8 years now. Leftovers from a boat restoration...I'm thinking they're going to last forever. Great hold, no staining and the square drive doesn't tear out.

[Justin Stephen]

Oddly enough, I tend to use Kreg pocket hole screws. I was hunting around in my gigantic cabinet o' screws for something square drive several years ago and grabbed a few of these since they were all I could easily find and they worked well so I have been using them ever since. Like Jeffrey Smith, it seems like I have been using the same screws forever and they show no signs of failure.

I'll also echo what Roger Chandler said. Avoid drywall screws, most especially for any larger/heavier blank.

[Pat Scott]

Certainly go with a faceplate if you would feel safer, but personally I wouldn't have any reservations about using a woodworm screw on a 10"-12" blank. Keep the tailstock in place to get it round and cut a tenon, and it's perfectly safe.

The majority of bowls that I make are 10"-12" bowls, and the only time I might use a faceplate for them is if the wood is soft where the woodworm screw goes. I regularly turned 15" and bigger on just a woodworm with two plywood spacers, so the net is 1/2" of screw protruding. If it slips I remove a 1/4" spacer. If it slips again then I remove the 2nd 1/2" spacer. If it still slips then I go to a faceplate. As long as the wood is solid, a woodworm screw protruding 1/2" into the blank is more than enough to allow me to take heavy 3/4" roughing cuts. With the tailstock in place it's perfectly safe.

[robert baccus]

For light woods the epoxy coated square drive screws do well.. For heavier woods and tools real grunt try the epoxy blue concrete screws.. Various sizes buy all very macho.

[Paul Gilbert]

[QUOTE=Thom Sturgill;2299641]The end where the faceplate goes should be very slightly hollowed so that it makes even contact all the way around the edge. This is critical.

+1 for Tom's reply. Use an impact driver with no pilot holes. It is the outer perimeter of the face plate that supports the blank. 1" screws that just fit through the faceplate holes are more than ample.

[Reed Gray]

Well, a few things here. You say the log is pretty big at 10 to 12 inches. Is that thickness, or diameter? That would be a pretty thick slab at that dimension, but not a big diameter. If you are using a face plate, it does hold best if the surface is flat. If you have a slab with a fairly flat bottom and top, You can take it to the drill press, chuck up a forstner bit, set the depth stop, and use that to plane the top down flat for your face plate. Drill the center hole first, so you have a centering mark for your face plate, then drill out the rest around it. If you have a hand held electric planer, that can work too. Having one corner up in the air a bit isn't a huge deal, but still be cautious. I would set 3/4 of the face plate down tight first, than set the screws in the 'air gap' side. Go around with the drill twice. The face plate will 'drive' the wood while it is spinning, so you can cut, but you do need the tailstock up against the blank for security reasons. when you have done finishing or roughing cuts, then turn the speed down, back the tailstock off and do finish cuts on the bottom before you reverse. Depending on how hard the wood is, you may want to drill pilot holes. Main thing here is to use small tapered bits. If you predrill in soft wood, and use a same size bit for the pilot hole, you can easily strip out the hole and have no secure grip with the screws. I use 1 1/4 by 8 decking screws to attach through a 1/2 inch face plate when I use one, which is seldom. Most of the time I just drill a recess the size of my chuck jaws and expand into that. I want the jaws to bottom out in the recess, but don't want the shoulders of the chuck to sit on the wood. This provides plenty of drive for the spinning wood. If you are going end grain orientation, the face plate and screws don't hold as well. The wood tends to split rather than grab when you put the screws in. If you angle/toenail the screws, you get a better grip. I prefer to start between centers, and turn a tenon, then reverse and finish turn.

robo hippy