# RingMaster ERC bowl with PR stem



## SDB777

Let me start this by saying, I don't know what I'm doing yet. There, that's been said....let's move on.


The math is pretty straight forward. Divide the cut thickness by the board thickness, then multiple that total by three. That is the total length the gauge gets set at...gauge is used to set angle on machine. Simple, sometimes!




This is the very first bowl I cut the rings on using my new(to me) RingMaster. Decided to make a 'stem' and then add a base after I got going along. I may decide to change the 'stem' out for a piece of ERC also? Not sure yet....
This is sanded to 400grit, and then the first application of BLO has been wiped on. I'll let that set for awhile longer and then add another application of it.



Anyway, here are the four photo's I took of it on the porch(in the sun):

http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Bowls/IMG_0641_zpsf261be85.jpg


http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Bowls/IMG_0640_zps694e0c34.jpg


http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Bowls/IMG_0639_zps9a5df4ca.jpg


http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Bowls/IMG_0638_zps2f33928c.jpg




Being this is the first one, I think I'll put it somewhere for myself to reflect on next year(once, I have asked enough questions to have figured things out some more).





Thanks for looking, comments and/or critiques are more then welcomed here....even encouraged to help me get to where I would like to be with this type of turning. Thanks again.....












Scott (one down, the rest to go) B


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## DKMD

Good grief! Now that you're making bowls from boards, all these mill owners will be cutting 4/4 stuff instead of the really thick slabs that any sensible person would produce!:fit:

I've never seen the ringmaster in action, but I really like the segmented look especially in woods with contrast or figure... The cedar works great for that reason!

I know the rings limit the curve you can cut into something like this, but I miss the sexy curves on the sides and bottom of a traditional bowl. If you started with 6/4 or 8/4 stock, would that allow for more wiggle with the finished form?

On the pedestal, I'd either beef it up considerably or lose it all together... The thin stem gives it a tipsy look that I think would scare customers away from purchasing it. I'd also consider affixing it in a way that you don't interrupt the grain on the bottom of the bowl. A shallow recess for a round mortise and a tenon on the base would work especially if one started with thicker stock.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of these ring bowls out of your shop! If I ever make it over to your neighborhood, I'd love for you to show me how to use that thing!


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## SDB777

The Ringmaster will only do 4/4 thickness(or less), and I actually like the taper to the thinner stock over the thicker(the walls of the bowl do not taper much the thicker the stock).

Typically I try to do as much turning as I can, and using thickness' of 3/4 inch or less is going to make for a lot more bowls then the pile of sawdust chips I have from doing them the 'old way'. Don't worry, I can still make slabs with 24/4 thickness that are 14" in width on the bandsaw mill....and if that isn't thick enough, I can make some passes on the big logs with my chainsaw mill set at 12"and up to 32-1/2" width(but you got to do the lifting on those slabs....I'm getting older)!

Great thoughts on the pedestal, was thinking it was too thin also. Guess I can make a pass on some ERC at 10/4 thickness and then make some 10/4squared blanks for just this purpose. I have a lot of 2/4 thickness slabs laying around here.....maybe a complete set for the dinner room table display?




Thanks!


Scott (come on down) B


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## DKMD

Sorry, Scott... I just looked up the ringmaster on YouTube, and it's different than what I was thinking of. I thought this was a lathe add-on, but it's a free standing unit with it's own motor. I was envisioning something like a coring setup. It's a neat tool and certainly cuts down on waste, but I now understand the limitations it has for size and shape.


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## Mike Jones

I see a real masterpiece in the bowl, the wood (color, joins, grain alignment, and finish)......then I get to the stem sticking through the bottom, and I can't seem to justify the work remaining in the "masterpiece" category. but that might be simply because I've looked at so many bowls that I've come to expect something other than this.

Ideally, you would "whip out another one" just like it, only without the stem thing, and see for your self what you like best.

It is very pretty!


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## NYWoodturner

I have seen bowls made from boards but never knew there was a tool for it other than a bandsaw. I do like this one more than any I have seen though. I like the way you can repeat a unique pattern in the grain from one ring to another and even rotate it if you desired - then I think about the possibilities with glue ups and I see it as endless. You are kind of limited with the shape though. If you used it in conjunction with a lathe and rounded the bottom and top edges using a vacuum chuck over even a set of cole jaws, I think what you could produce would far outweigh the shape limitations. I agree with the others on the foot. To me it transitions it from being a bowl to a planter. 
For you first one I think you hit a home run! 

Scott


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## SDB777

Thanks all!


Going to take some of the critiques I've been given and take action on them.

#1: Going to 'ditch' the stubby piece of PR in there and replace it with a shorter, fatter curved piece. Sort of make it 'flow' from top to bottom.
#2: A few more coats of BLO, I can also see where the BLO has really been sucked into some spots, leaving everything else 'flat'.
#3: By changing out the 'stem', the plug hole in the bottom with blend better.






That's what I love about the feedbacks.....it'll push me ahead to the next level.













Scott (I can make stuff bigger) B


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## SDB777

The new foot!

Took a piece from the burn pile(yes, I had this in the burn barrel and was going to fire it up to get rid of it) and threw it on the lathe. This is pretty much what I came up with.


http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Bowls/IMG_0643_zps6e1d8ad1.jpg


http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Bowls/IMG_0644_zps82b1a37a.jpg


http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Bowls/IMG_0646_zpsc85b227b.jpg


http://i29.Rule #2/albums/c271/SDB777/Bowls/IMG_0647_zps9a97977f.jpg







Pluses:
#1: It weighes more now, and it definitely wants to sit still...center of gravity is the bottom!
#2: The material is all the same. No more 'highlighting' the bowls plug(although I have a minus on that too).
#3: The few that have actually handled it, have been much more 'receptive' towards it.

Minuses:
#1: Not as tall as I hoped to get it, but the crack had to be 'wittled' down some.
#2: The 'tare out' on the plug hole gets worse the more I sand it.
#3: Everyone wants it. And it is 'mine'....




Yes, more sanding should have been done, I can still see some scratches in the bottom of it. But as I stated above, the drill bit tare out kept getting worse....so I stopped and cut my losses. I did apply another really thick wipe down using BLO, and it finally stopped sucking the stuff up(whew, I'm gonna need bigger cans of this stuff if I keep doing these).



Thanks all for the suggestions, and comments! Hope to get some more from y'all......






Scott (on to the next) B


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## DKMD

I think it's a definite upgrade! Cedar seems to drink up finish, so I'll often lead with a coat of shellac before top coats with the finish du jour.


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## Gary Max

It's been several years ago that I meet a guy who made a living with a Ringmaster. He was set up at a art show selling his bowls all of which where made on a Ringmaster.
He had some real nice stuff. Looks like you are off to a great start.


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## barry richardson

Nice bowl! I've made a few bowls from boards, but I just eyeballed the width and angle, so I had mixed results. A ringmaster would be the deal. Do they have a limit as to the thickness of the board or diameter you can cut? I like the idea of making bowls from boards, no waste at all....


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## SDB777

barry richardson said:


> Nice bowl! I've made a few bowls from boards, but I just eyeballed the width and angle, so I had mixed results. A ringmaster would be the deal. Do they have a limit as to the thickness of the board or diameter you can cut? I like the idea of making bowls from boards, no waste at all....



From my limited amount of time reading the manual, it's saying 4/4 is about the limit due to the angle the cutters probably have to be set at? Just guessing...

I'm liking material in the .6 to .65 inch thickness range the best so far. It has a better shape to it(the thinner the stock the wider the rim of the bowl will be compared to its depth).





Scott (making more today) B


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## SDB777

We'll just rack this one up as another 'learning bowl', that's right....the number of things that went wrong with this turning is off the charts!


#1: I really need a 'donut chuck' for removing the tenon on the base.
Had a slight problem once the tenon was cut off...it slipped in the cole jaws I have. Apparently the thickness of the bowl rim once sanded isn't enough to keep things from moving. It spun in the jaw while resting against the toolrest for just a moment...enough to make a burnline around the rim.

#2: The glue lines are really dark, I'm guessing the board still had a slight 'cup' to it. And just 'sanding' the blank isn't close to being 'good enough'....a planer is in my near future!!!

#3: I really need to get a drill press. The hole in the bottom wasn't 90*, so you can see a little unevenness at the rim. At least it sits flat on a table(or the table is warped).







Anyway, here are some photo's through flickr(clickable link for the larger/original uploads). That way you can point out other things I missed...















Needless to say, this needs some C&C....please.







Scott (out of control bowl turning) B


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## NYWoodturner

I don't know enough about the process to offer any advice. I think it looks pretty damned good. I see what your saying about the dark glue lines. Your right -a planer or drum sander would help that.

I'd be curious to see what you did with it in something beside ERC. I think you picked a pretty difficult wood to start with and may be too hard on yourself. Its been a while since I worked with ERC, but best I remember there is quire a bit of difference in hardness between the heartwood and sapwood. the pressure your applying while sanding will be more aggressive on the sap wood, helping to create the unevenness in the glue lines. (just a 50 cent guess.)


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## DKMD

Nicely done, Scott. I've never done any segmenting, so I don't have any tips for getting good glue lines. In addition to the planer/ sander suggestion, you could bead the outside of the form as a way to conceal the lines... Dway makes great beading tools if you're interested.


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