| Cutting the Bottom of the Bowl and Turning the Lid |
| Cutting the Bottom of the Bowl and Turning the Lid |
From "Woodturning Techniques"
episode DWTT-101 |
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Your bowl is almost finished. At this point you'll be separating the bowl from its base and adding the final touch: a lid with a finely turned knob.
1. Use a parting tool to separate the bowl from the wood base, making the cut slightly wider than the width of the tool to prevent the tool from being caught in the cut (figure A).2. Continue through the base of wood with the parting tool until the bowl is parted (figure B).
3. Make a narrow groove on the wood base with the parting tool, narrowing the groove until the lip of the bowl will fit snugly on the groove. Turn the lathe off and fit the bowl on the groove (figure C). The base can now act as a chuck to hold the bowl in place. Tip: Narrow the base slowly, checking the fit of the bowl often to ensure a snug fit. If the base is trimmed too much, the bowl will not fit on the newly created chuck. 4. Put the tail stock in place at the end of the bowl for extra support. To prevent the tail stock from making a hole in the base of the bowl, place a mandrel (a small block of wood) between the tail stock and the bowl (figure D).
5. A spindle gouge is used to smooth the base (figure E). The tool must rotate at the same time the tool handle comes up; since the diameter is getting smaller the handle has to raise to keep the bevel going inward. Keep the bevel in constant contact with the wood as you curve the bottom of the bowl exterior.6. Next, mount the wood blank lid in the chuck, move the tool rest close to the wood and begin turning the lip of the lid, using the parting tool (figure F). Turn away small sections at a time and test the lip fit to the bowl often to ensure a slightly loose fit. 7. The top of the lid can now be designed as desired. To finish shaping the lid, it must be turned around and fitted to a wood chuck, just as the bowl was fitted in its finishing stage. Cut a tenon in a piece of scrap wood and slip the lid over the tenon to hold it securely on the lathe. 8. The final touch should be a finely turned knob (figure G).
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