beech bowl

[wider]

9x4" beech bowl finished with butchers block oil.

[Les Symonds]

I like these sumptuous, full curves, they give a pleasing visual effect, are very tactile and make for a very practical bowl. The only bit that irks me is the underside of the foot. It's personal taste as to whether or not you clean away the chucking point ( I always do), but you seem to have left all the torn grain that was caused by cutting out the recess for the chuck jaws.

Les

[GBF]

Personally I do not like these dog bowl shapes and I like torn grain even less.

Regards George

[Bryan Milham]

George, as a person who is an excellent turner of bowls, that comment is not very helpful, yes it's a comment but not a critique. I would be better to say how a small change would have improved the bowl.

Personally I agree that a little more effort in the sanding would not have gone amiss, that it would have been better to let the oil set or wipe of the little excess shown in the last photo before photographing it.

As for the shape, if the top had had a little more curve in towards the middle it would have been a more aesthetically pleasing form, but sometimes a basic shape is all that is wanted (for a salad bowl or similar).

[Les Symonds]

George/Bryan.....this is an issue that has cropped up many times in the few years that I have been participating in this forum.

Frankly, anyone who is serious about improving their skills and uses this forum and the experience of its time-served wood turners to that end, is committing himself/herself to harsh criticism when they openly photograph and display an underside of a bowl as badly finished as this. I must say that I was shocked that 'wider' presented his work to us in this condition; what on earth did he expect?

As for the shape, this is a form that I often make and it sells. It is popular with customers who want a practical, functional bowl. Yes, if it is badly executed and the wall of the bowl is near-vertical, it can look like a dog-bowl, but fuzzy's bowl doesn't. OK, maybe my customers (and myself, for that matter) may not have the finesse or even the will to produce pure aesthetic forms every time that we approach the lathe, but that doesn't make this bowl a bad shape. Maybe, just maybe we could say that the inclusion of natural features like the small voids, means that this bowl will not be too practical for salad, but I think it's fine as a fruit bowl....nothing wrong with that.

Les

[wider]

thank you to all that have commented on the bowl I have turned. I take all your comments on board and try and repair my turning. I have taken this bowl back to the lathe and turned the chucking point of it and corrected the tear out from it. by the way how is fuzzy as I do not understand y this statement has been posted. my post name is Wider. as for this bowl it is what the customer wanted so as we all do we give exactly what they ask for. I hope that the bottom of the bowl is now of your liking the only thing I have a problem with is the point of the tail stock that is left in it.
  

[John D Smith]

 Hi Les,
            I think you owe Fuzzy (not his piece) an apology also Wider it was his.

                              Regards John

                                           

[Les Symonds]

...by the way how is fuzzy as I do not understand y this statement has been posted. my post name is Wider...
  

...my apologies...that was an error on my part (and sorry Fuzzy if it caused any offence); I got two different posts confused in my mind. I have corrected my error.

Les

[Les Symonds]

thank you to all that have commented on the bowl I have turned. I take all your comments on board and try and repair my turning. I have taken this bowl back to the lathe and turned the chucking point of it and corrected the tear out from it....I hope that the bottom of the bowl is now of your liking the only thing I have a problem with is the point of the tail stock that is left in it.
  

This is much better...to overcome the issue of the mark left by the tailstock centre, keep turning away at the underside until there's just a little pillar of wood left between the base of the bowl and the centre-point. Sand as much of the bottom as you can, remove the bowl from the lathe and carve the remaining 'pillar' away with a sharp chisel/gouge, then sand it smooth.

Les

[bodrighywood]

If you do as Les suggested and get / make a small sanding disc to fit into your hand drill you can sand the last lttle bit of the tenon back until it is flush with the rest of the base. I have one I made with stick on velcro discs so I can use the velcro backed abrasives I use.

Pete

[Bryan Milham]

as for this bowl it is what the customer wanted so as we all do we give exactly what they ask for.   

In this case it is 100% correct, and a perfectly functional bowl.

[fuzzyturns]

Seeing that I have got involuntarily involved in this thread, I might as well through my 2 penny's with in to the lot.
I do like this bowl, and I have made a few of this shape myself. I agree that a little bit more drawing of the top might have been better, but to me the shape is good as it is. I am not a fan of big bases and even the reworked base is far too large for my taste, although I do appreciate that it gives a practical bowl a good footing. I would agree that tear-out as displayed in the original set is not good and will always attract harsh comments here (and from your customers, too).
As far as Les' mistake is concerned, I am easy on that. It was easy to spot, and therefore no sweat, please, on any party. Les and Pete are perfectly right with their recommendations as far as finishing the base is concerned. In fact, the easiest way to achieve this is by using a drill chuck with a taper suitable for your lathe's headstock, and a velcro pad mounted in it, topped with some velcro backed sandpaper or abranet.

[Dave Atkinson]

HI

I tried using a disc sander on the base and it slipped and made a right muddle of it.  Since then I have turned until only a little pip is left (not too little or that's another disaster! .  Then I have a carrier bag full of shavings.  I put that on the bench and carve the pip away with a small gouge and then hand sand.  The shavings bag means it remains stable and secure but I don't damage the rim.  You could also pinch a cushion form the front room to hold it safely (if you're brave  )

Cheers Dave

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

I will not comment on the bowl as like George it is not to my taste, however the easiest and to my mind the best way to finish the bottom of a bowl is to turn the whole thing off. If you have cole jaws then so much the better and easier, if not then make a jam chuck so that you can turn across the whole bottom and sand whilst it is still on the lathe, use a power drill by all means but with the lathe moving.
        Doing it this way will have the benefit of giving you unrestricted access to the bottom of the bowl and a quicker more positive ending but will also serve to increase your skills as a woodturner by learning the skills needed to make a jam chuck and the gentleness of the tool control that you will develop with this system.
      Using a disc sander when the bowl is off the lathe runs the risk of spoiling your work as sometimes they run away with you as Dave has mentioned and after all the hard work you put in that is a less than ideal outcome. Any sanding that is done once the bowl is off the lathe should be hand sanding, that should be all that is required, any more than this and you have not turned and finished correctly whilst it was still on the lathe.

[wider]

after all the comments I have had another go at the base of this bowl. so here are the final attempt at putting this to a better finish. I take all comments highly and hope to get better with all your help. I know that I cannot please every one but if I please one of you from my attempts then you all have done your job to help so I thank you all.