Thinking out loud about 3/4" plates

[Brian Kent]

I have a 3/4" x 8" plate on the lathe, mounted to a glue block. I can go two directions from here.

I can turn a shallow recess, finish the back, then turn it around and cut the front of the plate. I'll have top be very careful about depth but it is easy to finish.

Or I could turn the front and part off the glue block. More room for error on depth but I have to add a step to turn the back.

What would you do?

[Thom Sturgill]

You only need about 1/8" for the recess. What size are your jaws? I use 4" jaws in a recess leaving a wide foot that gets thinned when I return it to remove evidence of the dovetail. With that size plate, not a lot of pressure is needed to secure it. I usually embellish the plates and the recess lets me hold it in a fixture to carve or burn if needed.

Of course I start with blanks cut from a 4/4 rough sawn board.

With all that said, the very last plate I made was held on a glue block while I turned the front. Minimal work was done to the back as it is mounted in a wall hanger for my son and D-I-L.

[Brian Kent]

It is a Nova G3 chuck with jaws that are 2-1/4" on the outside when closed.

[Thom Sturgill]

That is less than a third of the diameter of the plate. You do not want a recess or tenon much larger than the diameter of the jaws when closed to about 1/8" gap between jaws. Thats when the jaws form a full circle. As you go larger, a recess gets held only by one spot on each jaw and a tenon gets held by the corners of the jaw (8 spots).

Those jaws will work fine, I've used them for several plates. Those are the default 50mm jaws and are rated for a 12" x 4" bowl in expansion and 6" x 4" in contraction. The difference is because of the exterior dovetail. Nova only lists those data points, but in another jaw set they doubled the diameter from 6" to 12" when shortening the projection from 6" to 5". So either format should work fine.

The question then becomes which is easier, and that is something you have to decide. If you turn the front first then you need a holding method to reverse it or leave a rough back or sand it off the lathe. If you turn the back first the dovetail in the foot is not objectionable IMHO, others may disagree. That allows the back to be completed and finished prior to reversing into a recess and then held securely while the form is hollowed.

[John Keeton]

Turn the back first and disguise the recess with a bead (chuck will expand into the undercut bead) and put a nice contoured or textured medallion in the middle. I do this often and it simply looks like a nicely embellished base.

[Reed Gray]

Well, I did see Mike Mahoney turn a platter with a 1/16 inch deep recess. That being said, and possible, 3/4 inch is just too shallow for my taste. 1 inch is minimal, with 1 1/2 inch being better. I like a rim to chase my food up against so I don't have to use my fingers to get that last little bit of food on the fork. Most of the time, the bread is already gone....

robo hippy

[Thomas Canfield]

I turned a 11" diameter plate using double stick tape on the back after hearing about doing that at a club meeting, but did use the live center a lot for safety. I also have a donut chuck that will handle up to 14", but you have to turn the outer portion of the inside from the headstock end with it attached to the faceplate. A vacuum chuck is another option and to turn a 8" plate sounds like a good reason to buy one - just kidding. I did end up buying a Frugal Vac system at SWAT last year and it does a good job.

[robert baccus]

You can use a 6" padded sanding pad with 150 grit?? to drive a completed and sanded face with the tailstock on the reverse side. With a bit of pressure it will spin a fair sized piece with no damage--maybe a bit of sanding. You will end up with a small nubbin on the tail stock side to remove. Don't get aggressive naturally.

[Brian Kent]

I went with a 1/8" recess. I don't really need a lip on this one since it is to display communion bread. This also shows the chalice that goes with it.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Brian,
You are "turning" into an artist. Very nice design. I'm thinking you have a good source of inspiration.
faust

[Bill White]

Reed, didn't your Mamma tell you to keep your fingers out of your food?
Bill

[Steve Mawson]

Brian,
Are the lines on the platter inlay or all the way through and reglued? Very nice set.

[Reed Gray]

Bill, I did listen to some things my Mom said. I have never been able to figure out if pork chops are finger food or not. Fried chicken is, so, why not pork chops.....

Nice pieces Brian. they could hang on a wall.

robo hippy

[Brian Kent]

Steve, they are cut through and re-glued. Interesting glue up countering the sliding forces.