DIY Network

Ebony-Rimmed Bowl: Hollowing the Inside and Shaping the Foot From "Wood Works" episode WWK-706

Wood Works host David Marks creates a hand-turned bowl from sycamore. In this third segment, the inside of the sycamore bowl gets hollowed out.

Materials and tools used in this episode:

Sycamore stock
Ebony stock for rim
Alder or scrap-wood for sacrificial blocks
Lathe
Turning faceplate
Turning hand-tools -- gouges, scrapers, parting tool, etc.
Jointer
Drum sander
Band saw
Pneumatic angle grinder
Disc sander
Jig saw
Cordless drill
Circle tracer
Circle template
Calipers; double-sided calipers
Epoxy glue
Cyanoacrylate glue
Clamps
Straight-edge
Compass
Carpenter's pencil
Chalk
Sandpaper, various grits
Safety glasses or goggles
Protective clothing for wood-turning
Face shield for wood-turning

Safety Alert: Wear protective clothing to protect yourself from flying chips and shavings when woodturning. Also wear a face shield to protect your face and eyes.

Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses, and follow proper safety precautions, when working with wood, power-tools, saws, drills, routers,

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Hollowing the Bowl's Inside

• Work begins on the bowl's inside using the super-flute bowl gouge. The tip of the gouge (figure A) is introduced to the stock with the flute on its side.

• You'll want to start at the center and work your way out to the edge. As the tip is fed in, it should be rotated so that the flute is at a 45-degree angle to the tool rest (figure B). This will produce a sheer cut, removing the bulk of the wood.

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  

  
  
  

• Begin by engaging the tip of the gouge with the flute on its side. When you feel that you have a positive registration, pivot the tool by pulling it toward you and rotating it slightly (figure C) so that the flute is at a 45-degree angle to the tool rest (figure D).

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  
  

• As you hollow out the bowl, the bevel of the gouge rubs as the flute faces outwards. This technique is called rubbing the bevel. Rather than force the tool into the wood, use your energy to leverage control over the tool (figure E).

• As you work, periodically take depth measurements (figure F).

• Keep extending the circle as you gouge, getting closer to the outside edge.

  Figure E

  Figure F

  
  

  ]

  
  

• As the bowl inside gets deeper, you may find that you're having to extend the tip of the tool too far beyond the tool rest. This lack of leverage could cause the tool to catch and create a tear-out. The solution is to switch out the standard tool-rest with a curved rest. This will allow the tip of the bowl gouge to cut deeper, but still be supported (figure G).
  
  
• Continue making a series of sheer cuts where the bevel of the bowl-gouge rubs while the flute is facing outwards. Follow the curve of the tool rest to hollow the inside.

• Next, use a dome scraper, which has a round nose (figure H) to start removing wood under the rim.

• Keep adjusting the position of the tool rest so that the curved portion provides as much support as possible when turning.

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  

  
  

• Use double-ended calipers to periodically check the thickness of the bowl by measuring the opposite end of the calipers (figure I).
  
  
• Reinstall the standard tool-rest, and continue using the dome scraper to get deeper into the shoulder (figure J).

  Tip: This undercut in particular requires a delicate touch. Be sure to hone the top of your dome scraper with a diamond stone to remove any burr. This will make the scraper less aggressive.

  Figure I

  Figure J

  
  

  
  

• Once you've achieved the desired wall thickness, use the curved rest again, and a radius bowl scraper to finish smoothing the inside of the bowl (figure K).

• Finalize the inside surface, sanding with the pneumatic angle-grinder (figure L).

• Using the parting tool again, carefully cut the bowl from the sacrificial block.

  Figure K

  Figure L

  
  

  
  

• To clean up the base and finish the shaping, the bowl will need to be supported from the face side on the lathe. To do that, we made a jam chuck. The jam chuck attaches using a face-plate, and the bowl fits snugly inside with the foot side exposed for final shaping.

• To make the jam chuck, trace out a circle that's slightly larger than the diameter of the bowl onto a piece of alder or scrap wood. At the band-saw, cut out the circle slightly oversized (figure M).

• Attach a sacrificial blank to the jamb-chuck blank using 5-minute epoxy, aligning it to the center lines.

• Join the faceplate with screws.

• With the jam chuck mounted to the lathe, use the parting tool ollow out a recess large enough to hold the bowl in place (figure N).

• Confirm the diameter with calipers.

  Figure M

  Figure N

  
  

  
  

• Once the fit is right, set the bowl inside the chuck (figure O). The bowl is now "mounted in reverse" with a friction-fit inside the chuck.

• Add a few pieces of tape to ensure that the bowl is secure (figure P).

  Figure O

  Figure P

  
  

  
  

• To clean up the base, begin shaping with a scraper. The objective is to achieve a shape that looks like the bottom of a saucer. Turn the foot, using the round-nose scraper.

• Refine the shape using the round point tool (figure Q).

• Finally, sand the foot smooth starting with 120-grit, and work your way up 320-grit (figure R).

• With the foot complete, do a final sanding to 320-grit.

  Figure Q

  Figure R

  
  

  
  

RESOURCES :

The Small Wood Shop (The Best of Fine Woodworking)
Author: Helen Albert (Editor)
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561580619

Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583456

David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com

Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com

Woodturning with Ray Allen : A Master's Designs & Techniques for Segmented Bowls & Vessels
Author: Dale L. Nish
Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing (2004)
ISBN: 1565232178
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

Woodturning Projects: A Workshop Guide to Shapes
Author: Mark Baker
Publisher: Guild of Master Craftsman (2004)
ISBN: 1861083912
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.