Bowl Turning , Turning a green Pecan wood bowl

BOWL TURNING BASICS

This morning I rough turned a bowl from a green pecan bowl blank. This is how I turn a bowl blank. This blank is made of Pecan, it is green and waxed sealed. I mount the bowl using 1" screws.

This bowl blank is 8"X 3"

The bowl blank is then mounted to the lathe. I used a 3/8" bowl gouge to turn the bowl to a true round.

Once the bowl is round, I then square up the face. I have more pictures on my web site that also shows how I hold a bowl gouge.

Once everything is square. I use my Teknatool dovetail scraper to cut a dovetail recess in the bottom of the blank. This will be used to hold the blank using my Nova dovetail chuck. The recess is cut to about 2 1/2" circle. At this point I switch and mount my bowl on the Nova expanding dovetail chuck.

This picture show how I have used my bowl gouge to cut away the inside of the bowl. The lathe speed I used during this entire process was 684 RPM's. Now that the bowl has been roughed out to about a 3/4-1" thickness, I will date it and write pecan on the bottom. The bowl will be set aside for 4-6 months or until dry. Once it is dry, I will finish turn the bowl.

You can find more pictures and more information on my web site.

http://nokeswoodworks.com/

Basic Wood Turning Tools for Spindles and Bowls

I have been asked a couple of times what tools should I buy. The answer depends on what you want to turn. I have put together a list for bowls, spindle turning, pens turns and a couple of extras.

The picture to the right are my basic tools for bowl turning.
I use a 3/8" Deep fluted bowl gouge, a 3/4" Bowl scraper and a 1/16" parting tool. These are the basic tools I use to turn bowls.
Some people use a 1/2 bowl gouge but I find the a 3/8" gouge is easier to control and works better in tight places.

Spindle turning and pen turning almost the same. I use spindle gouges in the 1/4" and 3/8" size.

These are the main tools used in spindle turning, also in pen turning. Spindle gouges can be used on the outside of bowls but not on the inside. I also have a 3/4" roughing gouge use to rough pieces to the round. Another good tool to have is the skew chisel , I use a 1/2" chisel the most but also have a 1"chisel I have the oval design, I get better control with it. Last but not least is the 1/8" diamond parting tool. I use the 1/4" gouge and the skew for pen making and sometimes I need the parting tool.

I also have two other tools I want to mention. One is the spindlemaster, it is a cross between a skew and a spindle gouge. I love this tool and use it alot. The other tool is a dovetail tool used to make the recess in the bottom of bowls, so they can be held in the chuck properly.

One last note on tools, Make sure you buy tools that are made of HSS high speed steel or better. Anything less will not hold an edge. In wood turning you will need sharp tools and tools which hold there edge longer wont have to be sharpened as much.

Please visit my web site for more information on turning and woodworking.
http://nokeswoodworks.com

Nova 1624 Lathe from Woodcraft

I got a new Nova 1624 Lathe from Woodcraft about a month ago. I have nothing but good things to say about this lathe. The 1 1/2 hp motor has more than enough power for this weekend woodworker. It came with steel legs which I am currently using. They seem to keep the lathe very stable. The motor is smooth and powerful. Belt changing is easy, which is a plus. I have already turned several projects on the lathe. I will be sharing some of these projects, here on my blog as well as my web site. The woodcraft people were very helpful went I went to the store to pick it up. I also have the Nova G3 chuck, which I used on my Jet mini lathe. I may want to pick up a bigger chuck in the future but for right now, this chuck has worked well.
This lathe is great for wooden bowls, Pens, spindles, small table parts and anything you can turn in the 16" round by 24" inches in length. You can see a picture to the right, click on the picture for more infromation.
Please visit my website http://nokeswoodworks.com