DIY Network

Finishing the Vessel From "Woodturning Basics" episode DWTN-105

After you've finished the first steps in creating the vessel, continue in the following manner to finish the project.

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	Note the contrast between the rough and the finished tops.
	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G
	Figure H

Steps:

1. Make the tenon (figure A), which will hold one end of the piece while the other end is bored open.

2. Cut off the top of the vase with a parting tool to make it easier to hollow the inside (figure B). This piece will later be glued back onto the vessel.

3. Move the tool rest around so it runs across the face of the piece and just below center. Make contact with the bevel, making a depression in the center of the blank, so the tool can begin to drill a hole down the center. Cutting with the grain will give the vessel a smooth finish and keep the piece together.

4. Next, a hollowing tool (figure C) is used to clear the rest of the vessel (figure D). This tool has a scraper on the tip that is adjustable, allowing it to move around a corner or straight up and down to reach the bottom of the vessel. The curve of the tool needs to be beyond the rest, so the handle will support the front of the tool while it is cutting. Keep the front in line with the handle. The hollowing tool can reach deep into the vessel, but the deeper it cuts, the harder it is to control, because it is getting farther away from the tool rest. To ensure against mistakes, do not push the tool too far, too fast.

5. Fit the top back into the piece after using the bowl gouge to enlarge the opening about 1/32". This will allow the top to fit snugly.

6. Line up the wood grain before reattaching the top -- the grain pattern has to be continuous. Mark several spots with a pencil for quick reference, since the glue sets up quickly.

7. Apply a quick-setting glue (the one used in our demonstration works well with green wood) to the shoulder of the vessel figure (E), line up the pencil marks, push the pieces together and spray with an accelerant that helps the glue set up instantaneously.

8. Hollow the hole in the top of the vessel (figure F). This step takes strength to keep the tool in one spot and to keep the hole small.

9. Turn the neck of the vessel (figure G), working first on one side of the neck, then the other. Use a gouge to work between the body of the vessel and the top.

10. Widen, flare and smooth the neck opening for visual appearance.

11. To complement the flare top, round the outside. The vessel should have no straight lines -- the shape continually curves toward the bottom.

12. Sand the vessel on the turning lathe, using an electric sander. Begin with 100-grit sandpaper, then use 150-grit and finish with 220-grit.

13. Realign the tool rest to remove the vessel from the lathe. Remove it from the waste area of the base using the parting tool. When the vessel is connected by a tiny piece of wood, give a small tug on the vessel and it will easily part from the waste area.

14. A concave shape on the underside of the vessel is best for balance. Slide a piece of PVC pipe over the jaws of the chuck. On one end of the pipe, a leather cushion will protect the vessel from scratches. Place the vessel back on the lathe (figure H) with the wide end supported by the PVC, and turn the concave shape using a bowl gouge. This will complete the vessel.

As you can see by the finished vessel, all it takes is imagination to uncover the art in a simple block of wood.