Not all maple is created equal.

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They are all just beautiful, including the bowl. I want so bad to try a bowl but need to see someone do one first. I don't know how big a bowl I could turn on my little Jet Mini and don't really know how to go about it. Maybe someday soon!
 
Whatwoodido.
Both your pens and the bowl are spectacular. Great work. Free wood is also great.

Bev.
Don't be afraid to try a bowl. They are fun to make and can also be addictive just like pen making. Lots of things can be made on the little mini lathes. I made this walnut and maple bowl on mine and it is 6.5" across the top. Main thing is to have very sharp tools.
If you only have the little 3 piece set of pen turning lathe tools, you will probably have to get some bigger ones for bowls .
W.Y.
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Very nice work, great wood. I am starting to give the bad eye to every tree I see, sharpening chain saw. One of the neighbors has a very nice walnut in his yard.
 
Originally posted by Bev Polmanteer
<br />They are all just beautiful, including the bowl. I want so bad to try a bowl but need to see someone do one first. I don't know how big a bowl I could turn on my little Jet Mini and don't really know how to go about it. Maybe someday soon!
Click to expand...

Bev,

I have turned a 10" bowl from Sycamore on the Jet mini.
I'll see if I can find a pic and post it for you.
 
Definitely off topic, but I think Bev and I, along with others would love to see a tutorial on bowl making for pen-turners. I know there are groups for bowl turning, but a tutorial from the perspective of a pen-turner would be much appreciated. Maybe from one of our residient geniuses like Whatwoodido or William Young!!
William
 
WHOAooooooo ! [:0]
Don't even think about putting me in the genious bracket [:I]
I am also just a hack. I have had very little experience with lathe turning of any description and so far the few things I have turned are by the seat of my pants (so to speak) method or from what I have learned on forums. I have had zero formal training and I have never even watched anybody turn a bowl.
I need to learn a lot more about proper sharpening of tools and proper use of them after they are sharpened as well as how to prevent those horribe "catches" in bowls when the project is just about finished which either sends it flying across the shop or renders it designer firewood.
Beleive me, I am just a rookie in the lowest sense of the word. Most anyone could do what I have done so far with turning. Maybe I just have a little more nerve than some to even try the ones I have tackled so far. As far as the basic segmented one that I showed, well that is just a little basic carpentry with glueing up the bowl blank. It's when it goes onto the lathe is where I need all the help I can get.
I am looking forward to some help and guidance on learning the do's and dont's of turning anything more difficult than pens. Tiny things like pens and bottle stoppers and keychains and spinning tops etc, etc, are a piece of cake with a small gouge and skew and parting tool. It's when inexperienced guys like me start trying to do bigger stuff with bigger turning tools that we find that anything else is not as easy as pens or small turnings ..
W.Y. .
 
Not sure if I qualify as even a hack when it comes to turning bowls - but - I did take a bowl turning class at the local Woodcrafter store a few months ago. One of the things we got to do was 'turn green wood'. If you have never had this pleasure...you just don't know what you're missing. Don't take me wrong, turning pens is addicting...but green wood is juicy :)

JohnPayton
 
John;
I tried green turning a few times and loved the way it turned with those long curly juicy shavings. My biggest problem was trying to dry it afterwards without cracking or splitting even though I tried half a dozen methods I had read about. That was a few years ago when I had my first fullsized POS cheap lathe and that turned me against turning (no pun intended) and I got rid of it and all the associated tools for half price.

Now I have my new Jet Mini lathe that runs a lot smoother and I am like a big kid with a new toy.;-)
W.Y.
 
Originally posted by whatwoodido
<br />The drying technique that is favored here (DC area) is putting a coat of 50% dish detergent (only use amber or Clear or it will stain the wood)/ 50% water and letting it drying a paper bag. This won't work in the dryer states, there you need to coat the bowl in Anchor Seal. One other significant piece of advice, it possible use wood from the trunk fo the tree. The pent up stress in tree limbs makes a bowl from wood much more likely to crack.

Drew
Click to expand...
I'm currently experimenting with stabilizing and conditioning pen blanks with the same mixture. I'll report back in a few days.
 
Gorgeous!
Second from the right is my favorite!
THe one in the middle is a close second though!
 
Drew;
I find it very difficult to even find a favorite in that display. Every time I think it is one, I go to another. Guess they're all favorites.[;)]

BTW. When you go through that box of scraps again, if you find anything more like those, I think it would be a stinking shame to cut into that beautifull wood . So you could just package them all up and send them along to me for safe keeping. [:o)]
W.Y.
 
Some of you were talking about turning bowls. Here is another forum that is great for bowl turning.
http://www.woodcentral.com/newforum/turning.shtml

Enjoy
Good turning and be safe
Bill
 
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