January 2006.
Ever wonder how to prepare your turning stock? You've got a piece of firewood, or just recently cut down a tree. Ron Williams gave us a presentation on what you should do with your wood to go from a log to a bowl on your shelf. Once the
tree is cut down, cut it to length. The length should be about 1.5 times it's diameter. This ensures that any small cracks on the end of your piece will not end up in your bowl. Then cut
the shortened log lengthwise, right thru the center, or "pith". The pith is the small growth rings in the center of the log. The majority of the cracks that your log will get will originate from
this part. So, get rid of them now, or your piece will be scrap later. Once the workpiece is set, coat the ends with Anchorseal if you don't plan on turning it immediately. (If you need
some anchorseal, our club has purchased a 55 gallon drum, and it is available at the monthly meetings for about 6 bucks per gallon.) Ron discussed the various orientations of your final bowl that you can get from the log. Once you decide on the orientation of the piece, Ron places a circular cardboard cutout over the log, and uses a center punch to attach it. Here's another view. A bandsaw is used to cut out a circular shape that will be much easier to round once you get to the lathe. The wood is placed between centers on the lathe, and the base is flattened. Once the base is flattened, start to contour the sides. Be sure to leave some material on the bottom to create a tenon so you can hold the piece in your lathe.
Once the sides are done, and the tenon for the chuck is on, remove the piece, install your chuck, and hollow out the center of the bowl. |
