How would you chuck this up?

[joseph moses]

This is my first attempt at a natural edge hollow vessel on my new Revo 1836. I started with a piece of burl that was 16 inches square. The Revo handled it easy.

I didn't think this through very well and ended up finishing the bottom with a jam chuck made from a dowel and a pool noodle. I would like to hear some suggestions on how to chuck something like this up.

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[Scott Hackler]

I would have likely turned a 2-3" diameter dowel, clamped in the chuck that was just small enough to fit into the opening and tape a couple thicknesses of paper towels on the end before inserting into the vessel. Then tailstock up to the bottom to turn and sand everything but the last little nub.

[joseph moses]

Thanks for the tip Scott. I will give that a try. I need to do some cleanup on the base.

[Neal DaMommio]

I will throw this out there but it is a bid odd and of course might not have worked on this vessel because the strength of the walls might have been an issue.

I have a cone that I turned that fits into one of my chucks. It is covered with closed cell foam and has a hole drilled through the center with a piece of 1/4" all thread running through the hole and out the tip of the cone. At the tip of the cone I slide on a piece of hardwood that has a slot in the center 1/4" wide and long enough so the piece of hardwood can be turned so that it is at a less than 90 degree angle to the piece of all thread. I then add a washer and nut to hold the hardwood on the all thread. This allows me to insert the piece of hardwood on the all thread into the vessel. I then hold the vessel upright which turns the hardwood to 90 degree angle compared to the all thread and with another nut and washer that is located at the other end of (behind) the cone I tighten things up until I have pressure on the hardwood that is now seated against the inside walls of the vessel. This pressure snugs the vessel to the cone.

I have several pieces of hardwood of different lengths for different vessels. I use the tailstock until I get to the last nub and then add my steady rest and remove the tailstock, finish the turn and then sand. I could probably just add the steady rest and never use the tailstock. Sometimes you have to fiddle with things to get the vessel lined up perfectly but I have an adapter that allows me to put my chuck on my tailstock so that helps a bit.

I have been meaning to get back to this and replace the piece of all-thread with a piece of lamp rod so I can use vacuum on any vessel that is air tight enough for vacuum to work.