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Cutting Bowl Blanks

Started by Norm, December 11, 2008, 09:45:41 AM

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Norm

I was wondering if you guys that are experienced with this could give me some pointers. What method do you use to take a log and make bowl blanks out of it.

Thanks.

Burlkraft

Depends on what yer plannin' on makin' out of it. For bowls I cut down the pith and then cut to length. The blanks I got from Pasbuild were all bandsawn round      ;D  ;D  ;D
I usually just put the spur drive in the pith side and tail stock on the wane side and turn the bowl.

5/8" bowl gouge makes short work of the bark and the corners  ;)  ;)  ;)
Why not just 1 pain free day?

Dodgy Loner

Norm, I also split the logs down the pith.  If they're straight-grained and easy to split, I'll use wedges, but more often I just use a chainsaw.  I actually trim the blanks roughly to shape with the chainsaw, too.  I agree that a 5/8" bowl gouge removes wood quickly, but a chainsaw removes it even quicker ;).  After that, I mount the pith side on a chuck, or if it's really big, on a faceplate, and start the lathe :).
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

OneWithWood

The latest issue of Sawmill and Woodlot has an article on just this sort of thing.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Norm

Thanks guys for the help. How thick do you prefer these to be if they are split down the pith? As thick as the log you're splitting? And also how long is an average length for them?

low_48

I don't like to split right down the pith unless I'm really trying to get the max out of the log. I usually block out an 8/4 board out of the center. Some species will have some unseen cracking in the pith, plus that center wood will really distort as the bowl dries. I usually don't cut any thinner than 4" for bowl blanks.

SwampDonkey

Yeah, that juvenile wood around the pith might give you trouble with shrinkage.

But, on another note, I have never turned bowls like you guys are. I always work with the grain and peel off layers, not against it. So get a large diameter tree, split in two and remove the face with pith and juvenile wood, mount on the end grain and spin.  ;D

I'm going to try it your way some day though. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Burlkraft

If you are turning a bowl you turn out the pith and the surrounding wood when you are hollowing the bowl out   ;)  ;)
Why not just 1 pain free day?

SwampDonkey

You could, but then there is pith in the bottom of the bowl still, to split maybe. I have left pith in some bowls that don't split, but I usually sealed the suckers with epoxy. :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

I just looked at a 30 year old red oak bowl I made like you guys do. It turned out great. I think I only put linseed oil on it. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

I also got snooping here and found a natural edge bowl with bark still in tact made into a bowl like the way I usually turn on the end grain, it has pith and was a 6 inch diameter tree. That bowl is probably at least 60 years old. My grandmother had it. Looks like ash to me. The base was left rough and was cut by hand by the look of it.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Burlkraft

Quote from: SwampDonkey on December 11, 2008, 03:56:49 PM
You could, but then there is pith in the bottom of the bowl still, to split maybe. I have left pith in some bowls that don't split, but I usually sealed the suckers with epoxy. :D

How is there pith in the bottom of the bowl  ???  ???  ???    The bottom of the bowl is the sapwood side
Why not just 1 pain free day?

SwampDonkey

Yeah we got our wires crossed here.  :D I didn't know if I was being addressed or someone else, so I was assuming we were talking about mounting the piece by end grain. I guess you meant mounting on the flat sawn side furthest from the pith. ;)  :D What about the juvenile wood on the rim of the bowl? Widdle that away to I guess, simple solution. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Dodgy Loner

Quote from: low_48 on December 11, 2008, 12:39:08 PM
I don't like to split right down the pith unless I'm really trying to get the max out of the log. I usually block out an 8/4 board out of the center. Some species will have some unseen cracking in the pith, plus that center wood will really distort as the bowl dries. I usually don't cut any thinner than 4" for bowl blanks.

I agree with Burlkraft- it's easy enough to turn out any cracks and pith once it's on the lathe.  Sometimes you get lucky, and there just aren't any cracks to turn out.  My blanks are mostly 3-6" thick.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

woodbowl

I split down the pith, hollow from the inside and let the bark side tell me where the outside should. They are not turned, rather scallaped and oblong in shape. The pith is too close to the rim in a lot of cases and needs to be shaved down and reduced in depth to keep it from splitting, and it looks better too.  How's that bowl sanding comming along Norm.  ::)
Full time custom sawing at the customers site since 1995.  WoodMizer LT40 Super Hyd.

Norm

I was kind of hoping you'd forgot about it woodbowl. :D

Worst part is that it sits right next to my desk so every time I sit down I think man woodbowl's going to think I'm a real slaggard as it's still in the same shape as when he sent it.....ohhh the guilt.  :D

Tom

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,21622.msg310534/topicseen.html#msg310534

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,20422.msg291503/topicseen.html#msg291503

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,269.msg2694/topicseen.html#msg2694

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,3197.msg43611/topicseen.html#msg43611

There's other coversations on the forum that are about bowl blanks too.

When I cut for Mr. Shippey, he taught me to skim the top of the log so that there wasa 3 inch wide flat spot, then drop down and cut 3-5 inch thick slabs until you were near the pith.  Don't include the pith, or heart checks, in the bowl stock.

Lay this slab down and cut into lengths that are as long as the slab is wide.  This might equate to the narrowest measurement of the width of the slab.

An X is drawn on the blank to define the center and a piece of string and a pencil marks a circle on its widest (pith side) face.  Then the piece is put on a bandsaw and the circle for the bowl sawn.  this is where it is handy to have that first little flat spot on the bark side.

He turns his bowls right away (green turning) and leaves them fairly thick (1/2 to 3/4 inch).  Then he covers them good with Johnson paste wax and puts them in a corner of his shop to dry.

SwampDonkey

Sounds great Tom. I should be turning more pieces than I do, I hardly turn any.  I'd like to open up a cherry burl some day, but I want them to grow more first. I got a few 10-12 inches, like to have 14-16". I imagine they are full of gum. Oh well another 4 or 5 years. :-\
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

metalspinner

Norm,
If the material is a "real" log, my Woodmizer sawyer will just cut the thickness that the log will yield.  Usually I have him do 3" and 4" blanks - making sure to eliminate a couple inches around the pith.  The wider the boards are, the thicker they need to be.  But usually don't get much thicker than 5".

If I come across some shorts (chainsaw bar length) I rip them with the chainsaw.  BTW, I have an 066 with a 36" bar. ;) I will stop the rip before I get all the way through so the log keeps its balance for the rest of the cuts.  When all the blanks have been sawn most of the way through, I finish of all the cuts.  A square ground rip chain helps with speed, but a regular chain works just fine, too.

Mostly, I turn dryer blanks than fresh green.  I've not had good luck with green blanks, but have not tried it enough to give up on it yet.  Besides, I am more of a bowl blank maker than a bowl maker. :D
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

woodbowl

Ahhh the pleasures of sanding concave and convexed surfaced to a mirror smooth finish. I'm good for about 30 minutes, after that I've had all I want. Still searching for a good sanding system.  :)
Full time custom sawing at the customers site since 1995.  WoodMizer LT40 Super Hyd.

Tom

I buy you books and I buy you books !! :D

Those bowls you are making will sell for the same dollars rough as they will glass smooth.  At least don't wait until you come up with a sanding system before you start selling them.  You can always make more bowls.  :)

CHARLIE

I hearya woodbowl. I love to make that smooth final cut and then touch it up with a little 2000 grit sandpaper for a mirror finish. :D
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

Tom

Yeah, but you're one that folds the seams of the coffee filter so that it fits just right too.  :D :D

CHARLIE

Norm, here is a good instruction from Bill Grumbine in Pennsylvania.  It takes you through the steps and has pictures.  I think it'll be a great help to you.

http://www.wonderfulwood.com/articles/logcutting.html
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

CHARLIE

DanG it Tom! You don't forget nuttin'. Do you!  Well........the DanG filter did fit better too!
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

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