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Spalted Sycamore bowl

Doug

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Had an enjoyable afternoon in the shop as I'd some Xmas presents to make, one of which was a bowl made for a 200+ year old Sycamore blank from the old grounds of the Buxton grammar school.
While I was turning it I took some photos just in case anyone wanted to see how I go about turning a bowl from what was a very dry spalted blank. I would say from the start this is my way, there are other ways & I'm definitely not saying it is the best way, just how I feel comfortable going about turning it.

First off the blank is held in the chuck via a threaded screw drive & the outside shape is turned along with a spigot, no sanding is done yet.

photo3_zps3be3fcc2.jpg


This is then reversed & held in 2" jaws & the inside hollowing begins, when about 1" or so in & while there is still plenty of support as not much timber has been removed I finish that first 1" of the inside of the bowl with a scraper until I'm happy there is nothing that can't be removed with 240 grit.

photo2_zpsfde84736.jpg


I continue doing this roughly every 1" as I proceed hollowing out. As can be seen in the next photo due to the dryness & spalting of the blank there is quite a lot of tear out in the rough hollowing even though I was using a shape bowl gouge.
If I'd hollowed the complete bowl & then tried to clean up the insides with a scraper chances are I'd get a lot of vibration as the mass would have been removed & as the sides are quite thin I would have been left with an unsatisfactory finish.

photo1_zps77a52f16.jpg


Once happy with the inside shape & finish off the tools I sand both the inside & outside of the bowl. I find if I start with too course an abrasive I get scratch marks that are very difficult to remove so I try to get a tool finish that is good enough that I can start sanding at 240 grit.
I work down the grits to 600, as this is going to be finished on buffing wheels 600 is fine but I do give the bowl a coat of cellulose sanding sealer as this shows up any scratches I may have missed.


photo5_zps5309b6bd.jpg


Happy with the finish the bowl is reversed again & mounted in cole jaws. The tail stock is bought up just as a precaution, my mandrel saver being ideal just to prevent any bowl movement away from the jaws, I can then remove most of the spigot.

photo4_zps576a4aa7.jpg


The last remaining bit is cut off with a saw & the bottom sanded, then it's over to the buffing wheels to cut back & polish.

photo2_zpsd5e3c1c6.jpg


The finished bowl.

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Hope this is of some use to a few of you, I know there are plenty out there with far more experience than me, but I thought whilst I was turning this I'd share how I go about things.
 

yorkshireman

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wrexham
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Lovely grain and well turned Doug. I thought at first that maybe the walls could have been a tad thinner but having looked again its right.

keith
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
Love it Doug, very nicely finished and a great shape to boot ... Thanks for the tutorial my friend which i hope you won't mind if I pinch it to add to our tutorial page ... :thumbs:

Very pleased that it has passed the Keith test, now we know it is a good un ... :winking:
 

paulm

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Thanks Doug. A lovely bowl and an excellent description on how it was make.
 

silver

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Eamonn.
Great tutorial, great bowl and well finished. Superb that man.. :thumbs:

Well done Doug, I think you should start doing some turning classes.. :thumbs: as it's really well put over in a 'layman a terms' :love_it:
 

Doug

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Well done Doug, I think you should start doing some turning classes.. :thumbs: as it's really well put over in a 'layman a terms'

I'm not sure I'd be good enough to teach others, but you'd definitely only get any info in laymans terms as no one has ever accused me of being hi-brow :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:
 
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