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Once turned bowl

William Rogers

William Rogers

Joined
Mar 19, 2016
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Haubstadt, Indiana
I have never done this and really don't know the method other than turn the bowl to 1/4".

Is the 1/4" for any size bowl?
Do you just put it in a bag with some shavings? For how long? im guessing no seal coat.

Then do you true the foot so it sets with out rocking?

Then final sand and finish.
 
I make quite a few once turned bowls. In my opinion, the finished wall thickness for a given diameter would be the same as a twice-turned bowl. In either case, it depends on the desired visual and perceived physical weight of the bowl.

For drying, I treat them just like I would any other bowl which means that I apply Anchorseal to all surfaces and store them in a cool basement pantry room. When it comes time to complete it (when it ceases to lose weight), the foot gets trued and then I use hand scrapers to remove the surface wax. If I sand*, I understand the wax will clog the initial disks.

* I don't generally sand these bowls as I like the wrinkled, uneven grain that results from a cleanly cut surface dried from the green state.The finish I rely on is a varnish/oil/naphtha blend which also cuts the wax.
 
I turned a whole series of 18" diameter soft maple bowls and left the wall thickness at 3/8" for once turned. That would way too thick for an 8" bowl. I've once turned down to 1/16" wall up to 3/8". I don't use shavings with light colored wood, too likely to stain from mold. I use a yard waste bag since it is two ply. I put in a bowl, 2 days latter I put it in a dry bag, and let the first bag dry out. I keep up the rotation until the bag doesn't feel wet, but still keep it bagged until it's nearly dry. Of the 24 I turned, I'd guess 3 or 4 developed a crack on the rim. The patron was not picky about the height, so I put them back on the lathe and trimmed the bowls down with a parting tool before the crack went too far down. That changing bag process help me notice those early cracks. I sand that size bowl with a 5" random orbit sander, inside and out. I have a 20" disc sander that I use to flatten the bottoms. The photo is just one of the deliveries.
 

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There is no particular rules for thickness.

The big difference for thickness is drying time and weight of the finished bowl.
I try for walls 3/16 to 5/16” on my NE bowls so that they will dry quickly
Small bowls I will often go thinner to 1/8” or so.
A 15” NE bowl with 1/4 wall will be a nice functional bowl.

Bowls with this wall thickness are quite sturdy and will provide a lot of functional use.
I turn the bowls in a single session no sanding unless there is a foot detail which needs to be sanded on the lathe.
I rinse the finished bowl in the sink and towel dry. The put it in a box, Closed flaps for one day, open one flap for a day, open all flaps for a day, shelf for a day. Then sand and apply the first finish coat..
5/16” bowls will get an extra day with the flaps closed. I remove the bark from most
Most of the ones I turn now with a round bottom.

If I turn one with a foot. The hollowed foot has a ring that contact the table.
I true that by clamping a sheet of Sandpaper (180 or 220) to my table saw. The slide the bowl over the paper without letting it rock, a few passes will sand it flat.

I have a demo video on NE bowls from a crotch. Other than lining up the 3 rims the turning process is the same for any face grain bowl. The pull cut on the outside almost always cut the bark cleanly.
http://www.aawforum.org/community/index.php?threads/naural-edge-bowl-from-a-crotch.11058/
 
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I turn all my NE bowls once. Mind you, I have gotten a little faster this past decade, so I can turn a complete a bowl in about 2 hours, way less depending on size. I let it dry a few days, then I sand it. Vacuum chuck it, finish the bottom and ready to sell. I like to go as thin as possible... Nearly 100 % success rate with Koa and Milo...
 
I like to go as thin as the species of wood will allow. If I'm doing once-turned bowls that aren't NE it's because I want them to warp in weird ways. The thinner the walls the more they seem to warp in weird ways around any figure or imperfection.

This may be sacrilegious to some, but if once-turned bowls have a rock after drying, take them over to the belt sander. With a warped or NE rim, it won't be parallel, so perfection isn't critical. I can't tell the difference between ones done like this and ones I jam chucked to flatten the bottom.
 
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