# First Turning (Bowl) on new lathe



## tocws2002 (Aug 14, 2015)

As you may have read in a previous thread or two, I purchased a lightly used Oneway Lathe a few months ago. Up until now I had not used it due to lack of time in the shop and other priorities. Well, we are heading to a 40th surprise party tomorrow and today I thought "why not try out the lathe and make a gift for the birthday girl".

Grabbed a walnut round I received with the lathe, chucked it up and started turning. Pictures are below of the bowl with no finish and with one coat of Tru Oil, will get a few more coats on tomorrow before the party.

This is only the 3rd bowl I've turned and I've figured out I don't know what I am doing with most of the lathe tools. I ended up spending a fair amount of time sanding, but I think I got it looking pretty good. The walls are a little thicker than 1/8" and seem to be fairly consistent, except the bottom, it seems a little heavy on the thickness to me. Only wish the wood had more figure, oh well....next time.

Dimensions are approximately 8" diameter x 2.5" tall.

Comments, critiques, and tips are definitely welcome.

-jason

Reactions: Like 16 | Way Cool 2


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## ironman123 (Aug 14, 2015)

That is a nice gift.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## manbuckwal (Aug 14, 2015)

Nicely done Jason ! Looks like it has plenty of figure in it to me .

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## DKMD (Aug 14, 2015)

Nicely done! The outside curve looks perfect, and I really like the way you handled the foot! 

When you power sand on the lathe, try and stay away from dead center until you get into really fine grits(maybe 320 and up)... That's where that little dip in the bottom comes into play.

Fantastic work for a third!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## duncsuss (Aug 14, 2015)

DKMD said:


> The outside curve looks perfect



Agreed -- beautiful form.

Don't take a chance on the oil still being wet when you gift it -- the second coat might dry in time, but in my experience each subsequent coat takes longer to dry than the one before it. (I think it would be better to ask for it back so you can put a finishing coat onto it after the party than have folks get sticky fingers from touching it.)

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Nature Man (Aug 15, 2015)

Great turn! Like the wood, shape, and the fact you are giving it away as a gift. Looks like you know more than you think you do about turning. Chuck

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## barry richardson (Aug 15, 2015)

Turned out great! Looks like your a natural...

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## David Hill (Aug 15, 2015)

Nice bowl! pretty wood too.
It'll prolly be the best gift.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## tocws2002 (Aug 16, 2015)

Thanks for all the compliments and advice on the bowl. I made my way through it, but I know it _could_ have been easier if I knew which tool to use when and the proper techniques when using it. I've turned several things before, but it's usually a part of a larger project, but I want to get into more bowls, platters, and such. Again, any advice or tips are appreciated.

Thanks again,

-jason


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## NYWoodturner (Aug 16, 2015)

Good job Jason - I agree with Doc. The curve is spot on. Nailing the form is the hardest part. Great job.


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## Horatio (Aug 17, 2015)

That's a really nice bowl, very elegant. I like it.


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## MikeMD (Aug 20, 2015)

That outside curve is simply perfection!

On the note of even wall thickness and inside curves, you have two options. To understand what I'm going to describe, envision a crosscut section of a bowl (as if you took this bowl to the band saw and cut it in half...don't do it, this too nice of a turning! ). 

The shape you made the outside of your bowl (which I happen to think is the prettiest shape for a bowl) is a section of a sphere...not half a circle, but a section of a larger one. But it has a flat bottom. Has to, otherwise it would be a Weeble (remember those? If not, it just means it'll rock around). So, if you wall thickness is even for the entire bowl, the bottom of the inside of the bowl would be flat. OR you could make the inside curve a section of a sphere as well, but since the bottom is flat, the wall thickness won't be even...it will be tapered. This way, the outside AND inside will have super appealing curves, though the bowl WILL be bottom heavy. 

You can do either.

There is a way to cheat this, though...and it means a super small foot. You can, for example, turn a 12" bowl with a 2" foot. You could easily get away with 1/4" walls that are just about parallel all the way down. And either at the very bottom of the bowl, you'll be at 1/8" or you could fudge your curve slightly in the transition area of the inside curve (about 2/3 of the way down from the rim) so that you end up at 1/4" at the bottom, but you are maybe 3/8" in the transition. 

Just some options for you to visualize while cutting your curves. Hope that helps.


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