6:30 I just did that with a 12-inch bowl. Thought the wood was dry and stable. Turned the outside and left it on the lathe for two days. Spent an hour yesterday filling cracks with CA. Not sure I can salvage it.
So glad I watched this episode. Wish I had seen it sooner. Last week I was turning a green walnut blank and obviously I had it turning too fast. Gouge grabbed and the blank came off and snapped my tool rest in half!! Won't make that mistake again. Keep the videos coming. I obviously gave a great deal more to learn.
Hi Kent good to see ya! I have to disagree on belt driven lathes. I started out on a very cheap lathe from Harbor Freight. Yes it’s for basically for spindle but I started using the swing and long and behold the speed does somewhat matter but hand control is the key to turning. I have found that higher speed for bowls is key element for success, under 1000 rpm of course. Variable speed I s just a luxury in my terms. Just wanted to point that out to fellow wood turners! Spin wood 🪵 man just turn it to perfection!👊🏼
Hi Kent thanjs for another grest video. The moisture and even wall thickness and the supported cuts were my lightbulb moments especially the base thickness. Oh and the truing up when you mount the bowl on the tenon were also standout for me too. Thanks for your effort, I leaned a lot. 😊
One chunk of wood, turned will never be round like a piece of metal due to grain of the wood. You touched upon this, but it would be easy to measure the "with grain" and "cross grain" dimensions [diameters]. This is another great video by Kent!
Kent, One big mistake you may want to add to this video is being sure to “anchor your bowl gouge on the tool rest” before engaging the wood. 😮 I was working on a lathe where the lowest speed was 750 RPM. (An issue you mentioned) and I clumsily engaged my bowl gouge into a piece of oak while it was still a few inches above the tool rest. The catch brought the gouge down onto the rest with enough force to snap the 3/4” steel tool rest post! I was fortunate to not be injured. I have been watching your channel for a couple of years and always recommend it to friends who are just getting started in bowl turning. You are one of the best at explaining the concepts with your clear and easy-to-understand presentations. Thank you for all the quality videos you post. Chas
Another super good teaching video Kent. I refer others to your teachings All The Time! Recently, my attention has been on "Supported Grain Cuts," and I truly notice a huge difference when I think about how my cuts layout. I recently turned a very thin bowl that is beautiful, and by thinking through my cut strategy, I had very little sanding to do when I got to that point; it was that smooth. I think I sharpened my gouge five times for that one bowl. I see lots of comments below sharing the same thoughts - Great Video - from an awesome teacher! Lowell
Kent -- You simply amaze me.... I've learned so much from you with your vids and the classes I purchased. This video is no different and again learned more tips. I've been turning for about 4 years now and I'm still learning more with your easy to follow and understand instructions. Thank you.
That was very helpful Kent thanks for sharing! Your point on giving the bowl a quarter turn in the chuck to check for a more stable turn made so much sense that was a great one I wish I'd have though of sooner! Your tip about the bottom of the bowl thickness (inside the foot area) being different from wall thickness affecting crack potential also resonated, I admit I hadn't put thought into that because it felt like an area that was unavoidable to have a difference but I feel challenged to find ways to have it more even! Thanks again happy turning!! PS my lathe is one of those Beaver Rockwell with min turning speed 800 RPM so I'm definitely feeling the struggle on having my speeds much too high. Saving up for a proper lathe rather than spending more on modifying the one I have though. Definitely think your lathe speeds video is my next watch however! :)
Thank you Kent for another great lesson. I will most definitely be hollowing pieces out before leaving them for long periods. It makes sense now why my oak blank I made cracked. I'm going to try to salvage it using some epoxy. Your video on supported grain cuts was a game changer. You have help me so much. I appreciate your time and efforts. Happy turning!
Thanks for talking about green wood im new to this hobby I've bin turning dry woods doing pretty good learned alot from so many different RUclips vidios but safety is always first. I have a of the older lathe that has different belt settings I always use the slowest speed.thanks for sharring
Another superb and super helpful video This one is full of nuggets that are good reminders for those with some experience and excellent information for the beginner. I think you are right on about the prior woodworking experience of a lot of new turners. Things are so different. Thank you for your ongoing series about woodturning. What a treasure your entire collection of videos is.
My lathe speed go’s down to 500rpm and I have had a 13”x6” block of wood come loose and ran up my left arm, across my table saw and into a 4x4 post. Man did they get the adrenaline flowing. I definitely pay way more attention now!
Hey Kent, need some advise....... I. Have a shopsmith mark 5. The biggest bowl would be 14 inches in diameter.. However, I can only turn the speed down to around 700 RPM. Do you think it would be safe to turn a Round balanced Piece of wood ???? And what is your feelings on a out of balanced piece of wood??? Providing, I did everything right and ease into it..
There's only one why to know. Get it mounted up as centered as you can and turn as slow as possible. If you have no overwhelming vibration and the lathe isn't dancing across your shop, you should be fine. Give it a try. Happy Turning!
Thanks Kent!!! I'm learning a lot from your videos. Been woodworking for years but recently got into turning. Question, I got an older Dunlap pulley one and it has 4 settings would you know from left to right what the speeds would be? And it seems the max bowl size is between 8 to 9 inches in diameter. I'll upgrade as I learn and get better lol. Peace Brother
Vincent, good question. I recommend setting the too outside pulleys and see how each performs. You should be able to see a big speed difference. Note - the slowest one with have them most torque. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
I saw somewhere that bowl turning speed should be 9000 divided by the bowl diameter in inches. Ie 9” bowl, turn at 1000rpm. This seems contrary to your comments. Do you have a recommendation? I am now going to watch your video on lathe speed.
There are alot of good wood lathe Videos. But you are most informative. Being new, you saved me alot of thrown out wood and headaches. PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK. Shab
Man trying a cup n just blew apart so went to make a coaster outta what's left n it blew apart. Really old stump wood(Osage) and not sharp enough tools would be my guess
Lathe speed is not talked about enough. After a visit to the emergency room and ten stitches in my arm after centrifugal force blew apart a bowl at 2500 rpm while buffing a finish, I learned the hard way!
Yes that is true. Sorry you had to learn the hard way. You will find most turners turn at 400 or so rpm to max of a 1000 rpm. If you can, find a club to join for tips and pointers.
I'm somewhat glad the lathe I'm learning on is mostly a spindle lathe (an old Rockwell 46 111). It's a 4 speed setup, from 900 to 3880 rpm (iirc, and if the replacement motor is close to the original). It could only accommodate a 6 inch ish diameter bowl for a taller bowl or blank, or up to 10 ish inch diameter if it's like 2 to 3 inches tall since the lathe bed has a section at the headstock without the tool rest rails. I have lost some blanks into the wall, and once into my shoulder, but I'm always on the lowest speed before it's balanced and have gotten a lot more practiced at getting the log pieces more balanced and centered from the start. One of my semi long term plans would be to replace the drive with a variable speed system, but there's other upgrades and fixes I need to get done first.
Yikes, Maggie. Yes, lathe speed is super important. See this video of my on it > turnawoodbowl.com/safe-wood-lathe-speed-calculation/ Be safe and Happy Turning!
Very helpful; especially the wood thickness discussion. Thank you!
You're very welcome, Randy! Happy Turning!
6:30 I just did that with a 12-inch bowl. Thought the wood was dry and stable. Turned the outside and left it on the lathe for two days. Spent an hour yesterday filling cracks with CA. Not sure I can salvage it.
Excellent! New knowledge saves repeat headaches. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
I am new to turning, and this is super helpful.
So glad I watched this episode. Wish I had seen it sooner. Last week I was turning a green walnut blank and obviously I had it turning too fast. Gouge grabbed and the blank came off and snapped my tool rest in half!! Won't make that mistake again.
Keep the videos coming. I obviously gave a great deal more to learn.
Hi Kent good to see ya! I have to disagree on belt driven lathes. I started out on a very cheap lathe from Harbor Freight. Yes it’s for basically for spindle but I started using the swing and long and behold the speed does somewhat matter but hand control is the key to turning. I have found that higher speed for bowls is key element for success, under 1000 rpm of course. Variable speed I s just a luxury in my terms. Just wanted to point that out to fellow wood turners! Spin wood 🪵 man just turn it to perfection!👊🏼
Thank you for writing and sharing, Douglas! Yes, do what works for you. Happy Turning!
I have been turning for some time, constant thickness, turning the entire bowl in one setting, wobble when you put the tenon into the chuck. Wow🤣
Thanks for sharing, Bob! Glad to help. Happy Turning!
Hi Kent thanjs for another grest video. The moisture and even wall thickness and the supported cuts were my lightbulb moments especially the base thickness. Oh and the truing up when you mount the bowl on the tenon were also standout for me too. Thanks for your effort, I leaned a lot. 😊
Great, Dave. Thank you for writing and sharing! I'm glad this helped. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Going to practice turning bottom up. Hopefully reduces sanding time. Getting better at sharpening has definitely helped also
Sounds great, Scott. Enjoy and Happy Turning!
One chunk of wood, turned will never be round like a piece of metal due to grain of the wood. You touched upon this, but it would be easy to measure the "with grain" and "cross grain" dimensions [diameters]. This is another great video by Kent!
Thank you, Bill! All the best to you and Happy Turning!
My first big power tool was a lathe😀. Keep up the great videos!
Cool, thanks, Mike. Happy Turning!
Kent,
One big mistake you may want to add to this video is being sure to “anchor your bowl gouge on the tool rest” before engaging the wood. 😮
I was working on a lathe where the lowest speed was 750 RPM. (An issue you mentioned) and I clumsily engaged my bowl gouge into a piece of oak while it was still a few
inches above the tool rest.
The catch brought the gouge down onto the rest with enough force to snap the 3/4” steel tool rest post! I was fortunate to not be injured.
I have been watching your channel for a couple of years and always recommend it to friends who are just getting started in bowl turning. You are one of the best at explaining the concepts with your clear and easy-to-understand presentations. Thank you for all the quality videos you post.
Chas
Great point, Chas. The AHBCs of turning ruclips.net/video/pyPqB_ZqTTU/видео.html Be safe. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Another super good teaching video Kent. I refer others to your teachings All The Time!
Recently, my attention has been on "Supported Grain Cuts," and I truly notice a huge difference when I think about how my cuts layout. I recently turned a very thin bowl that is beautiful, and by thinking through my cut strategy, I had very little sanding to do when I got to that point; it was that smooth. I think I sharpened my gouge five times for that one bowl. I see lots of comments below sharing the same thoughts - Great Video - from an awesome teacher!
Lowell
Thank you, Lowell. I appreciate you! Happy Turning!
You are a good teacher of the craft Kent. I have learned a lot from you. Thanks for your efforts.
Thank you kindly, William. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Kent -- You simply amaze me.... I've learned so much from you with your vids and the classes I purchased. This video is no different and again learned more tips. I've been turning for about 4 years now and I'm still learning more with your easy to follow and understand instructions. Thank you.
Wonderful, Andy! Thank you, for your kind words. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Thanks Kent, the supported grain cuts made me think about my approach more. Being an absolute beginner this was really timely.
I'm glad these are helpful. Happy Turning!
At about the 5:00 minute mark when you said "we do not just simply ... " I expected you to say "walk into Mordor".
Ha! I like the Lord of the Rings twist, Jim. Happy Turning!
Great video Kent! These are absolutely essential honestly
Glad you think so, Paul! Thank you, and Happy Turning!
That was very helpful Kent thanks for sharing! Your point on giving the bowl a quarter turn in the chuck to check for a more stable turn made so much sense that was a great one I wish I'd have though of sooner! Your tip about the bottom of the bowl thickness (inside the foot area) being different from wall thickness affecting crack potential also resonated, I admit I hadn't put thought into that because it felt like an area that was unavoidable to have a difference but I feel challenged to find ways to have it more even!
Thanks again happy turning!!
PS my lathe is one of those Beaver Rockwell with min turning speed 800 RPM so I'm definitely feeling the struggle on having my speeds much too high. Saving up for a proper lathe rather than spending more on modifying the one I have though. Definitely think your lathe speeds video is my next watch however! :)
Thank you for writing and sharing, Perry! Be safe with those faster speeds. I'm glad you liked this video. Happy Turning!
Thank you Kent for another great lesson. I will most definitely be hollowing pieces out before leaving them for long periods. It makes sense now why my oak blank I made cracked. I'm going to try to salvage it using some epoxy. Your video on supported grain cuts was a game changer. You have help me so much. I appreciate your time and efforts. Happy turning!
My pleasure, Travis. I'm happy to help. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Thanks for talking about green wood im new to this hobby I've bin turning dry woods doing pretty good learned alot from so many different RUclips vidios but safety is always first. I have a of the older lathe that has different belt settings I always use the slowest speed.thanks for sharring
Glad to help, Claude. Thank you for writing and sharing! All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Humidor or spray the block with wax to seal it?
More very useful information.. Thanks again Kent. 👍
My pleasure, David. Happy Turning!
Great lesson, I learned the hard way.
We all do, Alan. ;) All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Another superb and super helpful video This one is full of nuggets that are good reminders for those with some experience and excellent information for the beginner. I think you are right on about the prior woodworking experience of a lot of new turners. Things are so different. Thank you for your ongoing series about woodturning. What a treasure your entire collection of videos is.
Thank you kindly, Paul! Happy Turning!
Love your videos, i always learn something
Awesome, thank you, Michael! Happy Turning!
Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching, Lou. Happy Turning!
My lathe speed go’s down to 500rpm and I have had a 13”x6” block of wood come loose and ran up my left arm, across my table saw and into a 4x4 post. Man did they get the adrenaline flowing. I definitely pay way more attention now!
Yikes, Ron! I hope you're ok. Yes, those incidents can be scary but you also learn a LOT from them. Stay safe and Happy Turning!
Hey Kent, need some advise....... I.
Have a shopsmith mark 5. The biggest bowl would be 14 inches in diameter.. However, I can only turn the speed down to around 700 RPM. Do you think it would be safe to turn a Round balanced Piece of wood ???? And what is your feelings on a out of balanced piece of wood??? Providing, I did everything right and ease into it..
There's only one why to know. Get it mounted up as centered as you can and turn as slow as possible. If you have no overwhelming vibration and the lathe isn't dancing across your shop, you should be fine. Give it a try. Happy Turning!
Thanks Kent!!! I'm learning a lot from your videos. Been woodworking for years but recently got into turning. Question, I got an older Dunlap pulley one and it has 4 settings would you know from left to right what the speeds would be? And it seems the max bowl size is between 8 to 9 inches in diameter. I'll upgrade as I learn and get better lol. Peace Brother
Vincent, good question. I recommend setting the too outside pulleys and see how each performs. You should be able to see a big speed difference. Note - the slowest one with have them most torque. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Made a bowl out of a spalted burl oak, that was felled last Tuesday. Wish I could post a picture of it here. If you know how tell me.
Scott, checkout my FB Turn A Wood Bowl Group page. You can post there. see my website www.TurnAWoodBowl.com/ Happy Turning!
I saw somewhere that bowl turning speed should be 9000 divided by the bowl diameter in inches. Ie 9” bowl, turn at 1000rpm.
This seems contrary to your comments.
Do you have a recommendation?
I am now going to watch your video on lathe speed.
Here's my view on lathe speed turnawoodbowl.com/safe-wood-lathe-speed-calculation/ Happy Turning!
Ive been saving some oak limbs from fallen trees for about a year. Can i rehydratd the wood somehow?
I just snapped a $95 spindle roughing gouge today. I'm glad I was wearing my turning apron. And no, I wasn't turning a bowl.
Thank you for writing and sharing! Be safe and Happy Turning!
lol, any advice for left handed people turning on a lathe?
turn the lathe around and run it backwards.
I'm working on something. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Happy Turning!
There are alot of good wood lathe
Videos. But you are most informative. Being new, you saved me alot of thrown out wood and headaches. PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK. Shab
Thank you kindly, Philip! I'm thrilled to be a part of your woodturning journey. All the best to you and Happy Turning!
Man trying a cup n just blew apart so went to make a coaster outta what's left n it blew apart. Really old stump wood(Osage) and not sharp enough tools would be my guess
I have a hand carver friend, and he has a chest freezer full of green wood waiting to be carved 🤣
Great way to dal with green wood. Thank you for writing and sharing! Happy Turning!
Lathe speed is not talked about enough. After a visit to the emergency room and ten stitches in my arm after centrifugal force blew apart a bowl at 2500 rpm while buffing a finish, I learned the hard way!
Yes that is true. Sorry you had to learn the hard way. You will find most turners turn at 400 or so rpm to max of a 1000 rpm. If you can, find a club to join for tips and pointers.
I'm somewhat glad the lathe I'm learning on is mostly a spindle lathe (an old Rockwell 46 111). It's a 4 speed setup, from 900 to 3880 rpm (iirc, and if the replacement motor is close to the original). It could only accommodate a 6 inch ish diameter bowl for a taller bowl or blank, or up to 10 ish inch diameter if it's like 2 to 3 inches tall since the lathe bed has a section at the headstock without the tool rest rails.
I have lost some blanks into the wall, and once into my shoulder, but I'm always on the lowest speed before it's balanced and have gotten a lot more practiced at getting the log pieces more balanced and centered from the start.
One of my semi long term plans would be to replace the drive with a variable speed system, but there's other upgrades and fixes I need to get done first.
2500 rpm? Now that is dangerous. You are lucky..
Yikes, Maggie. Yes, lathe speed is super important. See this video of my on it > turnawoodbowl.com/safe-wood-lathe-speed-calculation/ Be safe and Happy Turning!
Wow, maybe I don't want to turn wood. I don't think I'll be able to do it.
You can totally do it and you will be amazed at what you will create. Give it a try. Happy Turning!