30-04-2011, 08:54 PM
I have a friend who is 80 in a couple of weeks, who spent his life in the timber trade as an importer of hardwoods as well as trading in native timbers. As we pass through life, the older we become, the harder it is to think of what to buy for presents for our peer group as we have most of everything that we need, (except of course, things like teeth!). As I know my chum appreciates wooden artifacts, I've managed to get a London Plane blank, which seem harder and harder to come by, even though London Planes are common to all cities and thousands are felled each year as they reach the end of their lives.
When it comes to turning bowls, I've become a bit of a 'one-trick pony' as generally, though not exclusively, I tend to turn square -edged bowls with dropped corners - in part, because they're tricky to turn so are something of a challenge, and I think they're a bit out of the ordinary, as well as showing off a bit more of the grain. Not ony are they tricky to turn, they're tricky to sand and finish as it can only be done properly by using the fingers. The aim is to use the fingers - not to use them up! (Use - not lose!). When the square edged rim is thinned down to about 5mm, it becomes almost invisible - all you really see at 2,000RPM is a 'ghost' so extreme caution needs to be exercised. Some may say why not wear a protective glove, but you can't really - you just have to be very alert!
I try to get a good finish 'off the tool' so as to minimise the sanding needed, and start at 180 grit, progrssing through the grits to 1000 grit to remove all traces of score marks. I then give the bowl a coat of sanding sealer, sand it again, and apply friction polish - a shellac polish which buffs to a shine with the heat generated by friction. Several coats are applied, with burnishing cream between each coat.
To turn a bowl, first the blank is mouted on a screw chuck and the outside turned, sanded and polished, with a dovetail foot so that it can then be gripped in a dovetial chuck and the inside turned and polished. Then it's necessary to make a 'jam chuck' which is a piece of scrap wood turned down to a diameter which will allow the bowl to be gently jammed over it so that the dovetail chucking point can be turned down to a neat foot.
That's it really.
London Plane isn't to everyone's liking, but I rather like the lacewood appearance of a nicely figured piece. At least when people are given such things as presents, even if they're not overly keen on them, the6y seem to appreciate the effort involved, in an era when so much of what we buy is disposable, and made down to a price - not up to a standard.
The bowl is from a 6 inch square x 3 inch thick block, which I've included a picture of before I set to work on it. (You just turn away any wood that doesn't look like a square-edged bowl!)
Hope it's of interest.
David
When it comes to turning bowls, I've become a bit of a 'one-trick pony' as generally, though not exclusively, I tend to turn square -edged bowls with dropped corners - in part, because they're tricky to turn so are something of a challenge, and I think they're a bit out of the ordinary, as well as showing off a bit more of the grain. Not ony are they tricky to turn, they're tricky to sand and finish as it can only be done properly by using the fingers. The aim is to use the fingers - not to use them up! (Use - not lose!). When the square edged rim is thinned down to about 5mm, it becomes almost invisible - all you really see at 2,000RPM is a 'ghost' so extreme caution needs to be exercised. Some may say why not wear a protective glove, but you can't really - you just have to be very alert!
I try to get a good finish 'off the tool' so as to minimise the sanding needed, and start at 180 grit, progrssing through the grits to 1000 grit to remove all traces of score marks. I then give the bowl a coat of sanding sealer, sand it again, and apply friction polish - a shellac polish which buffs to a shine with the heat generated by friction. Several coats are applied, with burnishing cream between each coat.
To turn a bowl, first the blank is mouted on a screw chuck and the outside turned, sanded and polished, with a dovetail foot so that it can then be gripped in a dovetial chuck and the inside turned and polished. Then it's necessary to make a 'jam chuck' which is a piece of scrap wood turned down to a diameter which will allow the bowl to be gently jammed over it so that the dovetail chucking point can be turned down to a neat foot.
That's it really.
London Plane isn't to everyone's liking, but I rather like the lacewood appearance of a nicely figured piece. At least when people are given such things as presents, even if they're not overly keen on them, the6y seem to appreciate the effort involved, in an era when so much of what we buy is disposable, and made down to a price - not up to a standard.
The bowl is from a 6 inch square x 3 inch thick block, which I've included a picture of before I set to work on it. (You just turn away any wood that doesn't look like a square-edged bowl!)
Hope it's of interest.
David
