# Slab Bowls



## Kevin (Oct 5, 2012)

I was looking at slabs while milling yesterday and figured I could turn one, so I cut a section off and glued a block to one . . . 

[attachment=11660]

But how do I finish it? Only thing I can think of is to carve the under-ends off because I sure can't turn them off. 

[attachment=11661]

[attachment=11662]

Any ideas I'm missing?


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## cabomhn (Oct 5, 2012)

After I looked through this I think I understand your dilemma. Now, say you have this thing chucked up looking at the lathe, couldn't you just work into the side and work the underside round by going towards the glue block from the sides? I'm having a hard time describing this, but I feel like I could probably draw a picture to better explain myself.


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## Kevin (Oct 5, 2012)

I can't see anyway to take the thick ends off without turning the lower bark sections on the sides off too. 

:dunno:


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## cabomhn (Oct 5, 2012)

Kevin said:


> I can't see anyway to take the thick ends off without turning the lower bark sections on the sides off too.
> 
> :dunno:



Yes I think that would be the only way, which in turn would make the live edge thickness the same throughout, I don't know if there is anyway like you said to do it without taking some of the side bark off unfortunately. Maybe somebody else will see these and have some better ideas than me.


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## Mike Mills (Oct 5, 2012)

Normally, for a natural edge, I would mount the bark side to the headstock with a spur drive, pin chuck, or faceplate, then turn the bottom (tenon or recess) and outside. Then reverse and hollow.
For yours now….
I would mount in a chuck and use a small scrap of wood on the inside to protect from the tailstock pressure. You will have to use a pull cut working from the headstock side to get rid of the excess on the exterior. You can work all the way down to the close to the jaws since you are using a tenon. 

The difference in thickness of the live edge is not that you did not go out wide enough in diameter but you did not go down enough in depth. 

Your current tenon/glue block looks way to long to me so it would need to be shortened first to mount in a chuck…or mount with a spur drive instead of a chuck. A spur drive would allow you to work all the way down to your current tenon and also part-off some of the length.


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## Kevin (Oct 5, 2012)

Mike, I don't understand most of what you said, so I'll have to reread it several times. One thing I think I understood is you said the tenon is too long to chuck up, but of course I was able to chuck it - that's how I hollowed it, but I am probably misunderstanding you because I don't really understand what I am doing. 



Thanks for trying to help me - I'll continue to study your reply until some bulbs go off. . . .


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## cabomhn (Oct 5, 2012)

Hey Kevin just to make sure I'm understanding what you want, looking at the second picture, you want to keep the natural edge exactly as it us, but take the sides off where highlighted?


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## DKMD (Oct 5, 2012)

Not sure I understand what you're after, but I think your just shooting for a natural edge bowl. If so, once you're happy with the inside, just turn a scrap of something to fit in your chuck, jam the bowl against it with the tailstock in the center of your tenon, and turn away the parts you don't want. The natural edge will have an even thickness as long as the walls of the bowl are consistent all the way to below the lowest potion of the bark. You'll be left with a little nub of tenon/glue block that you'll have to trim and sand off the lathe.

The only thing you did that seems a little odd... You turned the inside before the outside. But, I don't see any reason why it won't work...


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## Kevin (Oct 5, 2012)

cabomhn said:


> ... you want to keep the natural edge exactly as it us, but take the sides off where highlighted?



Exactly.


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## Kevin (Oct 5, 2012)

DKMD said:


> Not sure I understand what you're after, but I think your just shooting for a natural edge bowl. If so, once you're happy with the inside, just turn a scrap of something to fit in your chuck, jam the bowl against it with the tailstock in the center of your tenon, and turn away the parts you don't want. The natural edge will have an even thickness as long as the walls of the bowl are consistent all the way to below the lowest potion of the bark. You'll be left with a little nub of tenon/glue block that you'll have to trim and sand off the lathe.
> 
> The only thing you did that seems a little odd... You turned the inside before the outside. But, I don't see any reason why it won't work...



I just can't picture how turning it in any way, will not remove the lower bark portions . . .


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## cabomhn (Oct 5, 2012)

Kevin said:


> cabomhn said:
> 
> 
> > ... you want to keep the natural edge exactly as it us, but take the sides off where highlighted?
> ...



Ok then you are correct in saying that it would be impossible in doing so, and it would have to be done by hand. Sorry that you're now all the way back at square one. :dash2:


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## DKMD (Oct 5, 2012)

Just stick it on the lathe and make the walls an even thickness.... You'll have a perfect natural edge. If you screw it up, I know a guy in Texas that has access to more FBE.


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## Kevin (Oct 5, 2012)

DKMD said:


> Just stick it on the lathe and make the walls an even thickness.... You'll have a perfect natural edge. If you screw it up, I know a guy in Texas that has access to more FBE.



I know you have loads of experience but I just don't agree with you on this one my friend. If I turn the thickness out of the ends it's going to to remove the lower barky edges altogether. There's simply no way around it unless I can jam the chisel into the rotating blank at just the right times, for just the right length of nano seconds, 1600 times a second if turning it at 800 RPMs for example, the chisel is going to remove the lower bark sides. And while my reflexes are still pretty fast - they were never quite that fast. 

:i_dunno:


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## cabomhn (Oct 5, 2012)

DKMD said:


> Just stick it on the lathe and make the walls an even thickness.... You'll have a perfect natural edge. If you screw it up, I know a guy in Texas that has access to more FBE.



Haha, I think the confusion here is that Kevin wants what you might consider and "imperfect" natural edge. :lolol: Where two opposites sides are a little wider than than the other two edges, where it wouldn't be an even wall thickness.


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## Kevin (Oct 5, 2012)

cabomhn said:


> Haha, I think the confusion here is that Kevin wants what you might consider and "imperfect" natural edge. :lolol: Where two opposites sides are a little wider than than the other two edges, where it wouldn't be an even wall thickness.



Nope. :lolol:


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## DKMD (Oct 5, 2012)

So, are you looking for an even bark thickness all the way around? If so, the consistent wall thickness will give you that. If you want the edge to stay as is, you'll only be able to remove wood below the lowest portion of the bark. I think I may be having trouble visualizing the goal...:i_dunno:


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## Mike Mills (Oct 5, 2012)

The tenon/glue block just looked long to me in the picture. 

I am not sure how you started. All I have seen start with the bark towards the headstock (typically driven by spur drive, pin chuck, or faceplate – with required some amount of bark chipped out for seating the drive).
You may had mounted between centers flattened the bottom then glued the block on?
Then reversed?

If so, the outside of the bowl should have been formed before you reversed it. (this is same whether the bark is to the headstock “natural edge” or “normal” with bark to the tailstock.
I don’t think you can “thin” the on the side bark making outside cuts without cutting into the ends also. You can shape the bottom by making pull cuts from the center out.
Here is a link that may help what I was trying to explain about the thickness.
Stu stops the lathe about 2:10 and you can see a difference in thickness in the top edges and the side edges.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IW8JyLZp7U
Here is another one about the 1:45 shows the difference in bark thickness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYTXZxmLJ-M
As you go deeper in the bowl the edge will even out when you are past the lowest point on the side. If you start you cut maybe ½” down from the top edge you should see a change…the next cut may start ¾” down. This probably doesn’t make sense either.


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## brown down (Oct 8, 2012)

i wish i could find the video kevin :dash2::dash2::dash2:
i now take my blank for a said live edge bowl. i use a forstner bit that matches my faceplate. that also keeps you parallel with the opposite side. turn the outside and than hollow out the inside. i am still learning and am no expert but i am not sure you are going to be able to chuck that thing up and finish it, 

i am wondering tho if you could make a jam chuck out of another bowl blank and or turn something out of scrap and than run your tailstock up to hold the bowl in place. you may have a little hand sanding but may do the job safely!!!!


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## barry richardson (Oct 8, 2012)

I think DK.MD is right. Just turn to an even thickness and it will leave you a natural edge all the2 way around. Always worked for me... and I don't see anything different about your blank . Chuck it up and see, take a gamble, it was scrap anyhow, right?


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## Kevin (Oct 8, 2012)

Sometimes you just got to be blunt with me to get through my thick skull. Thanks Barry. And yes it is just scrap but I just didn't want to waste any more time on it until you gave me the kick in the pants. 

You guys were right. It turned out somewhat like I feared but not anything like I thought. By the time I got some curvature on the underside it did take off more lower bark that I wanted (I had thought it would take all the lower bark off) but still left some. It's just roughed out because I don't think I'll finish this one - just wanted to see if I could make a set of bowls like this. The answer is yes I can. I didn't get the amount of curvature on the bottom as I wanted but I can make sure I do on the next ones. 

I won't argue with my superiors any more. I apologize for my bad attitude David and everyone who tried to help me.  

[attachment=11832]

[attachment=11833]

[attachment=11834]

[attachment=11835]


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## DKMD (Oct 8, 2012)

No worries! I'm glad you put it back on the lathe! Besides, if I hadn't done it already, I would have been stuck right there with you... It's not intuitive for me, but I just accept it and move on.:wacko1:


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## barry richardson (Oct 8, 2012)

I know what you mean, it just dont look like it would work the first time you do it. The magic of the lathe


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## cabomhn (Oct 8, 2012)

Looks good Kevin, I don't see any reason why you couldn't take off the waste block and finish it though, it's a nice little bowl!


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## oldmacnut (Oct 10, 2012)

Ill give this a go, maybe help out the next time this happens.

Since I dont have a chuck, and use face plates...

If in your shoes I would have glued up some scrap plywood in a few layers, lets say...3", then glued that to the inside of the bowl, with the bottom of the bowl on the headstock, mark center on the glued in pieces of ply, flip the bowl so inside is against headstock, turn the profile of lower portion, finish bottom, when down flip it back around, cut out the ply in bowl, finish inside, take off.

That was my first thought. However, I didnt stay at a Holiday Inn last night, I might be wrong.

Bowl is nice BTW.


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## Mike Mills (Oct 11, 2012)

DKMD stated it much clearer than I did. I called it cutting deeper, meaning starting the cut deeper inside.
To visualize, take two scraps of wood 6” diameter and turn the outside of both the same. These will have the normal flat edge at the top not a natural edge.
Hollow the inside of the first to 3/8” wall thickness using your calipers.
Hollow the inside of the second with 3/8” at the rim but cut shallower leaving a 3/4” wall thickness towards the bottom.
Now take both to the band saw and cut out a “scoop” (side view in 2nd photo in post #20). The first will have an equal rim of 3/8 all around; the second will have a rim starting at 3/8 and growing to 3/4”.
If you wanted to correct the thickness in the last photo in post #20 (sides are thinner than the top edge) you would take more cuts at the top.

On my first one I made the error which Bill Grumbine described in his video ... I kept moving out (diameter) somehow thinking the lower wall would get thinner in proportion and wound up with no wall at the high point.


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## duncsuss (Oct 11, 2012)

Alternatively, you can end up with something like these, with no wall at all on the "low" side ... 

[attachment=11959]

[attachment=11960]


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