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Thread: Beginner turner becoming frustrated by bowls

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
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    Fargo, ND
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    Beginner turner becoming frustrated by bowls

    Hey everyone, I'm new to turning and am having some trouble with bowls. I use a Oneway Talon chuck with the wormscrew to rough out the blank then continue to turn the outside of the bowl and create a recess on the bottom. I then turn the bowl around and expand the jaws into the bottom recess so as to hollow the inside and finish the bowl. However, I continue to have the bowl come off the chuck when hollowing the inside. The recess on the bottom cracks and the bowl comes a flyin'. Am I making the recess to shallow or maybe too close to "perimeter/outside" of the bottom? Am I over-tightening the jaws in the recess? I also have a set of Super Jaws so I could use those as well. I am currently turning small bowls (6"x6"x3") on a Rikon mini lathe. Any tips, advice, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I am quickly falling in love with this woodworking rabbit hole.

    Thank you,
    Matt Krusen

  2. #2
    have you tried a tenon instead of a recess? typically it is easier to grip a tenon than expand into a recess.

    what jaws are you using? If dovetailed jaws - your tenon (or recess) should be shaped to accept the dovetail.

    are you checking your chuck frequently to make sure it is not loosening?

  3. #3
    I would try using a tenon also so you can clamp down on the piece. I've never felt comfortable using the recess method for the reasons you are experiencing. It's also pretty easy to clean up the bottom when finished.
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  4. #4
    Join Date
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    So there are a million youtube videos that probably show all this better. But here is a video I made 5 years ago just to illustrate my process at the time. I DO NOT use the blue tape to take care of the tenon anymore. Shortly after I made this I adopted a process where I use the tailstock to press the bowl into the padded plate and leave a very small narrow plug that I knock off with a shallow gouge. Bottom line, like the others, I recommend you invest in a chuck and use a tenon.

    http://hughto.blogspot.com/2010/12/blog-post.html
    Last edited by Sean Hughto; 09-08-2015 at 1:47 PM.
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  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Check out Glen Lucas & Mike Mahoney's DVD's & promo clips on Youtube.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Eastaboga, Alabama
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    I use the oneway talon chuck as well. I use a recess and tenons for various reasons. I learned using a tenon though. My Talon's jaws are not tapered. If you use a tenon be sure to make the tenon is short enough to leave a small gap between the end of the tenon and the base end of the chuck. The youtube videos will shown you what I mean. You will get this right! Just keep trying. Capt Eddie and Robohippy were my main stays, there are MANY other good turners with excellent videos out there I might add. THE BEST thing I did was attend a local woodturning club's monthly event
    Not All Who Wander Are Lost

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    Think about it: A "Mortise" mount (placing the jaws in a recessed hole) pushes the wood apart, while a tenon mount (outside) compresses the wood. You're just asking for the wood to split with the inside version. Other than circumstances where you cannot grab onto a piece any other way -- roughing the outside of an irregular piece, where you'd probably engage the tailstock for security -- I'd always go with a tenon mount.

    Russell Neyman
    .


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  8. #8
    +1 on using a tenon. A recess is great for platters or similar shapes but requires quite a large bottom on a bowl.
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  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Location
    Carterville, Illinois
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    On using a recess, the ruleof thumb is to leave at least 3/4" of wood outside the recess to prevent splitting of the wood outside the tenon. Also, the diameter of the recesss should be just greater than the closed diameter of the jaws, to spread the pressure over as large an area as possible, simce more of the jaw's perimeter will contact the wood. I have used recesses often (still prefer the tenons though) and not had any trouble if I follow the above rules.
    The hurrier I goes, the behinder I gets.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Fayetteville, AR
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    Here's a vote for faceplates. Very secure hold, perhaps better for beginners. (You do have to waste the wood held by the screws, or use a glue block.)

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Fargo, ND
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    Thanks everyone. Looks like I'll be switching to tenons.

  12. #12
    +1 for a tenon. I too was in the same boat not long ago. I've watched many YouTube videos on bowl turning, read books, went to local club meetings, etc.. Then I went to SWAT last month. I learned to sharpen my tools, and that has helped immensely! I watched Stuart Batty turn a bowl and realized that I was trying to control the tool with my front hand, creating a great environment for a catch (and tossing the bowl across the garage). Since attending SWAT, I've finished two bowls, rough turned two more, and I roughed the outside of one tonight. No catches. No flying chunks of wood. Just lots of shavings and lots of fun!

    What I suggest is doing a YouTube search for Jimmy Clewes. He's done a few well-videoed demos at the mid-Maryland Woodturners club. He will explain things along the way. I'll warn that his videos are long (like my post ). Also, check out Vimeo.com/woodturning for Stuart Batty's videos.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
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    Atikokan, Rainy River district, Ontario
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Krusen View Post
    Hey everyone, I'm new to turning and am having some trouble with bowls. I use a Oneway Talon chuck with the wormscrew to rough out the blank then continue to turn the outside of the bowl and create a recess on the bottom. I then turn the bowl around and expand the jaws into the bottom recess so as to hollow the inside and finish the bowl. However, I continue to have the bowl come off the chuck when hollowing the inside. The recess on the bottom cracks and the bowl comes a flyin'. Am I making the recess to shallow or maybe too close to "perimeter/outside" of the bottom? Am I over-tightening the jaws in the recess? I also have a set of Super Jaws so I could use those as well. I am currently turning small bowls (6"x6"x3") on a Rikon mini lathe. Any tips, advice, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I am quickly falling in love with this woodworking rabbit hole.

    Thank you,
    Matt Krusen
    Matt it is NOT the problem of using a recess that you have a problem turning your bowls, and using a tenon is not going to help you with that, learning HOW TO turn the bowls is what you need to do.

    If you look at these pictures you will see a bit over a thousand bowls that I turned, pretty well everyone of them is turned with a recess, also many more bowls that are already sold were turned with a recess.

    Your recess has to be cut clean and not too deep, if you use the standard Oneway jaws the recess should be square, it is what I use, on both my Talon and Stronghold chucks.

    My recesses are a little deeper than the surrounding wood, that way you have more wood where the jaws push against.

    My suggestion is that you find a woodturners club where you can learn how to turn a bowl before you get hurt.

    a thousand bowls.jpg a thousant+ bowls.jpg some of my bowls.jpg
    Have fun and take care

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    lufkin tx
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    2,054
    Matt, there are at lest 5 ways to hold a bowl safely. They all require thinking and good workmanship. Also use a method that matches the qualities of your wood-soft-wet-brittle-strong-easy to split ect.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    Southern California
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    Whether recess or tenon you need to make sure it's flat and square. Most times the problem comes from the corner not being sharp.
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