DIY Network

Woodturned Vessel: Getting Started From "Wood Works" episode WWK-611

	An assortment of turned wooden vessels from David Marks' collection.
	David Marks turns this hollow vessel from spalted curly-maple.

In this special episode of DIY Wood Works focusing on woodturning, host David Marks demonstrates a hollowing technique for creating a wooden vessel on the lathe. Using a set of tools especially customized for hollowing, he fashions a vessel out of curly maple. A fixture on the lathe called a steady rest is used to hold the solid maple block, while a special hand-tool is used to bore and hollow out the inside of the block. To give the vessel a refined look and highlight the grain pattern, it is finished with tung oil.

Tools and Materials Featured in this Episode:

Black walnut stock
Curly maple stock
Lathe: One-Way 2436 model
Live tail center; 4-way spur chuck
Band saw
Various gouges and turning tools
(roughing gouge, deep-fluted bowl gouge, diamond parting tool, bowl scraper, etc.)
Air compressor and hose
Caliper
Dental light
Awl
Chalk
Sandpaper
Carpenter's pencil
Face shield
Protective woodturning coat

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

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For safety, wear a face shield when to protect your eyes and face from flying chips.

Safety Apparel for WoodturningFor safety, wear a face shield when to protect your eyes and face from flying chips. A turning jacket, that seals at the neck, helps keep chips from getting down your shirt. Ski gators will prevent chips from getting down your socks and into your shoes.

The Lathe

• To create the vessel, David uses his One-Way 2436 model lathe (figure A) which can turn an object up to 36 inches long, and up to 24 inches in diameter. This lathe weighs about 800 pounds. It features a computer-based variable speed control, making it the ideal tool for turning hollowed wood projects.

• The headstock of this lathe has massive double-bearings (figure B) which help minimize vibration.

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  

  
  

• For convenience, David designed a magnetic tool-rack that holds his turning tools in easy access along a wall nearby to the lathe (figure C).

• One custom accessory to the lathe is an actual dental light (figure D) that provides bright, focused light that can be positioned precisely on the work-piece.

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  	Figure E
  	Figure F

• David made a prototype of the vessel from black walnut, but for the actual vessel he selected a block of seasoned curly-maple. He cut the stock on the band saw (figure E) to dimensions of 5" x 5" x 12". This wood has some fungus-growth patterns -- a.k.a., spalting -- that will provide some beautiful ink-like veins on the surface of the finished vessel.

• Examine the stock, determine which end will be the top, and mark it with chalk.

• Flip the stock and mark the center-point on the other end (figure F).

• Punch both center-points using an awl.
  

  Figure G

  
  

• Mount the stock on the lathe between centers (figure G). The side that will form the top of the vessel should be mounted to the tail stock using a live tail-center. The bottom side should be mounted in the head stock with a four-way spur chuck
  

• The live tail-center has a revolving ball-bearing point for support (figure H).
  
  
• The four-way spur chuck (figure I) provides a positive grip to drive the turning blank.

  Figure H

  Figure I

  
  

  	Figure J
  	Figure K

• The objective is to rough out a shape that's curved at the top, and tapered down to a base that's about 2-1/2" wide. The first step is to turn the block-shaped blank into a cylinder. The tool of choice for this process is a roughing gouge. The one David used is 1-3/4" wide and is mounted in a 21" beech handle with a brass collar (figure J).

• With the wood turning at a slow speed, carefully set the roughing gouge on the tool rest so that the flute is facing upward. Start rounding up the stock to achieve a cylindrical shape. The cutting edge takes tiny shavings off the corners of the square stock as it's moved along the tool rest. Slowly, the square corners are turned round (figure K).
  

  	Figure L
  	Figure M

• With the cylinder roughed out, the next step is to refine the shape. First, you'll need to taper the sides and set the diameter of the base. Then you can shape the top and establish the neck or opening. The process starts with a super-flute bowl gouge (figure L), also known as a deep-fluted bowl gouge.

• Cut the profile starting from the foot of the stock (figure M). The super-flute bowl gouge is made of high-speed steel, has a blade cut to around 40 to 45 degrees, and is typically used to remove stock quickly.
  

• Make periodic checks of the diameter of the base with a caliper (figure N), and continue to work the profile until it matches your design.

• With the shape roughed out, you can switch cutters to the diamond parting-tool (figure O). This tool is 3/16" wide, with a 6-inch long blade tapered into a diamond shape to reduce friction.

  Figure N

  Figure O

  
  

• Use the parting tool to define the neck and the opening (figure P).

• Next, use the parting tool to define the base of the vessel.

• Use it to make a narrow recess about 1/4" wide. This 1/4" "tenon" (figure Q) will be used later when the stock is re-mounted for hollowing.

  Figure P

  Figure Q

  
  

  	Figure R
  	Figure S

• Use the super-flute bowl gouge again to shape the top of the vessel (figure R).

• With the outside shape essentially complete, use a scraper to true up and smooth the sides. The scraper we used was a heavy-duty bowl scraper that's 1-1/2" wide and 3/8" thick. The extra thickness of the tool helps dampen vibration.

• Remove any tool marks on the outer surface using sandpaper(figure S). Start with 120-grit, and work your way up to 320-grit.

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