DIY Network

Platter From "Woodturning Techniques" episode DWTT-112

Figure A

With or without handles, a platter with a broad, shallow shape is a pleasure to use. It's also a challenge to turn, as master turner Dave Hout knows from past experience.

Hout, who loves to turn and has been working with a lathe for more than 25 years, shares his knowledge with woodturning enthusiast Vince DeWitt as they turn this practical platter out of poplar wood (figure A).

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There are numerous designs available for turned platters, in shapes ranging from round to oval and with and without handles. This round platter is turned from a disc of dry wood, and it is extremely important to note that a piece of wood of this diameter must be turned at a slower lathe speed than usual. To start the turning process, rpms should be around 300.

Tools:

1/2" bowl gouge
3/8" spindle gouge
square end scraper
disc of dry wood

Steps

1. Mount the disc on the lathe with the bottom of the blank facing the tailstock (figure B).

2. Starting with the outside edge, use a bowl gouge ed to begin shaping the back of the blank, trueing the disc (figure C).

Figure B

Figure C

3. To hold the blank in the chuck, make a recess in the back center. Due to the mass around the piece, the expanded jaw of the chuck is needed to hold the disc in place while turning. This 1/4" to 3/8" deep recess in the disc will later become the base for the platter to sit on (figure D). Work around the tailstock when turning the recess.

4. Lay a scraper, ground to match the jaws of the chuck, against the side of the hollow, creating a recess that matches the jaws of the chuck (figure E). This cut must be very clean and sharp, since a rounded surface won't allow the chuck to seat properly against the disc surface.

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F

5. Design decisions must be made before mounting the disc in the chuck (figure F). The bottom of the platter should not be flat; the wood needs to curve up from the base, otherwise it will look like a plank of wood when placed on a table. Keep in mind that platter design differs from bowls; a much broader base is needed to support the contents of a platter. The standard rule for bowls is that the base should be approximately one-third the diameter of the top. For a platter, the diameter should be approximately half the diameter of the top.

6. Turn away excess base wood with a bowl gouge as the underside of the platter begins to take shape.