Odie,
I learned to turn bowls of all sizes without a bowl steady before I even knew there was such a contraption. My main rule for that is hand pressure on the outside of the bowl = tool pressure on the inside of the bowl/bevel rub. I have no use for one now. I would expect that there will always be some sort of compression when the wheels are engaged, and if you put too much padding on the bowl, there will be little stabilizing effect of the steady rest. I would think that you would want absolute minimal pressure any way. I do wait to sand till the bowl till it is all turned rather than turning the outside, sand, then turn the inside, and sand again. More efficient for me.
Say, how did you get the handle Odie?
robo hippy came from me twirling my hammer around my finger like robo cop did in the original movie, and putting it into my tool belt. I was wearing a big knee brace from having blown up one knee, and one of the crew shouted, 'hey, it's robo hippy!'. I loved it....
robo hippy
Don't take the following as an affront, robo........because I only see my turning philosophy in context with my own efforts. Because I choose to do things differently than others might do it, isn't a statement about right and wrong, as far has how others choose to pursue their own turning. What anybody else does is fine with me.
It's my opinion that if a turner pursues complicated shapes that would require an intensely precise and difficult sanding regimen, while trying to preserve the geometry, then the only thing that will save the day, is to do them with the absolute least amount of sanding possible. Otherwise sanding will become a chore that will become overwhelming, time consuming, and ultimately distorts the geometry. What I consider to be "excessive sanding", many other tuners will consider it to be a normal amount of sanding. My bowl steady is modified to better suit the purpose, but that's not the end of the equation. A turner must use everything available to him to the best advantage......technique, sharpening, tool choice, body control, tool handling, and on and on. A bowl steady is a tool which is only a small piece of the puzzle to eliminate as much sanding as possible......but, IMHO, it is a very important piece of that puzzle.
Those of you following this forum, know I recently made a great advancement by learning a little more about raised burrs on finishing scrapers. This is adding to the "equation", although a ground scraper burr, if done properly, is 95% of what a honed burr can be, and do....as long as everything else is working in harmony. Every little bit, no matter how small an improvement, helps! I consider this just a "piece of the puzzle" on my quest for as perfect a tool finish as I can possibly get. You great people on this forum were instrumental in my discovery of that......just as you were in other discoveries I've made since joining the forum. This is in conjunction with my own individual personality and input, of course.....I always add my own personal "twist" to things!
I suspect that he got it from his last name, Odell. Do you remember the cartoon show, The King and Odie, from the 1960's? Odie O. Cologne was the main character. You can see some of the episodes on YouTube.
My Dad had the "odie" handle before I did, and it did come from our last name. I had a favorite dog, some thirty years ago, who was named "odie colognie", or "Otis of Cologne", as a nickname's nickname......which also became part of the established tradition. Odie Colognie was sort of a take-away from that amorous cartoon skunk who continually courted the cute skunk babe, but she couldn't stand the smell!....always thought that cartoon was a riot!
Nicknames are an interesting subject, and if anyone else would like to tell us how they got theirs.....let's hear it!
ko