Production efficiency for twice turned bowls

[Michael Anderson]

Hi everyone,

With the exception of a couple of pieces, I have mostly just once turned things. Now, I’m just starting to build up a stock of rough out bowls to be finished turned in the future. I’ve been doing it one bowl at a time, but I think it would be more efficient to do them assembly style. How do you all go about it process-wise? Is it better to rough the outside and then inside of a single bowl prior to moving on to the next one, or is it better to rough a bunch of outsides, and then move to the insides?

 

[Lou Jacobs]

I’m far from a production turner, but when I get several pieces from one tree I might rough turn 15 or 20 bowls in a session. My usual method is to mount the bowls with a woodworm screw and turn the outside with what will become the tenon towards the tailstock, remove the bowl from the screw, remove the screw from the chuck, and remount it using the tenon, then move on to the next bowl. In other words one at a time, but it moves pretty quickly roughing like this.
The only difference is if I’ll be using my McNaughton to take cores. In that case I’ll turn as many as I can outside first all at once. I’ll put them in a trashcan lined with a garbage bag to keep them from drying. Then I’ll set up the McNaughton and core all the insides. This is just to save setting up and dismantling the McNaughton for each bowl

 

[Ron Solfest]

I’m with @Lou Jacobs, when roughing I’m just making a mess of my shop so I do a bunch in a day, but pretty much one at a time (other than coring). I try to bury them in the piles of shavings I’m making and then at the end of the day anchor seal them all (sometimes mid-day too). Cracks can develop quickly as the wood is shedding all of that moisture, not sure about batching too much without running into issues.

Then I’ve got a lot of cleaning to do, including PB Blaster/steel wool and elbow grease on the bed ways.

Turning green is a LOT of fun, but lots of work, with cleaning and all, so it’s a full day for me. That’s probably part of the reason I’ve gravitated to laminating kiln dried wood for most of my turnings; that, and the fact that non-turners seem to like the patterns and colors more than some beautiful grain…

 

[hockenbery]

you can get a lot of efficiencies on th e first turning. Chain saw lots of blanks, bandsaw lots of blanks, core a bunch of bowls, put tenons on all the cores, roough turn the cores, dry the bowls.

on the second turning I have only one set up - Mount a chuck. So it is normal progression to turn the outside then flip and turn the inside the flip an turn off the tenon. If I’m using a vacuum chuck i’d do a bunch of bowls at a time on that set up.

finishing I do a group of bowls
name signing I do a bunch
buffing I do a bunch
photographing I do a bunch.

 

[Paul M. Kaplowitz]

My method is similar to Lou's. I am a production turner. I sell about 300 bowls a year that vary in size from 8" to 22" with the occasional 24". Step one is to cut logs into bowl blanks. I use my chain saws. I will cut about thirty at a time depending on size. These are brought into my shop, stacked 5 high and covered with plastic 3 mil drum liners pulled over each stack. All my blanks are mounted on a large face plate with 2" lags put in with an impact drill. Then all of the outsides are rough turned with a tenon . ( size is 40% of bowl diameter ). These are again stacked up and covered. A Oneway coring system is used to maximize the number of bowls produced. These are Anchorsealed . I take a stack of 3 bowls that are representational of the others and weigh them. A slip of paper with the weigh and date is put in each size bowl. After 6 months I weigh these bowls once a month and record the weight on the slips of paper. When they stop losing weight they are ready to be finished.

 

[Brian Rohde]

Are your tenons really 40% of bowl diameter? What chuck do you use for your large bowls. I like the idea of weighing the bowls until they stop loosing weight but don't understand weighing a stack that are representational of others. Why no weigh each bowl?

 

[odie]

I guess some would call me a production turner, but I spend an extraordinary amount of time on each bowl.....and, my production rate is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-8 completed bowls per month. I seldom spend less than about 30-35hrs per week in my shop, with quite a few weeks over 40hrs/week. Nearly all of that time is spent on the production of my bowls, but some time is spent making jigs, special tooling, and things that make my shop more convenient to use.

@Michael Anderson I'm not sure exactly what information you seek, and you've got some information to think about thus far in this thread.

I'd suggest keeping a log of each block of wood, initial dimensions, with information about where and when it came from, what it cost, when it was roughed, whether anchorseal was used, initial MC, monthly weights until stabilized, progress in my 6-step plan to 2nd turn, when finished, finished size and weight, notes about special features of a particular piece of wood, repairs and how repairs were accomplished, plus any other features of note.

I use 3x5 index card file, but I'm a dinosaur!.....most other turners who want all the above information will be up to date with the latest pc programs, and do it on their computer.

-----odie-----

 

[Rip Littig]

This is a very helpful thread as I'm pondering the same question. I like Paul's practice of using a very large tenon. It adds stability, especially when coring or hollowing. The trick is making sure the bottom of the bowl is not left too thick to dry. If it is you're prone to cracking (credit Glenn Lucas). In terms of jaws, I started using Vicmarc 7.8" jaws on a VM120 chuck. There's even a larger size (8.78") available. Though not quite as large, Axminster, Nova and Hurricane chucks also have large jaws available which I've used successfully.

 

[Marc Banka]

Are your tenons really 40% of bowl diameter? What chuck do you use for your large bowls. I like the idea of weighing the bowls until they stop loosing weight but don't understand weighing a stack that are representational of others. Why no weigh each bowl?

My tenons will eventually become the foot. So, generally the foot will be about 1/3rd of the large diameter, so 33%. I’ll want more wiggle room, since this is a rough turn. Puts that first, rough tenon at about 40%. For a 15 inch bowl, I would mount it on a 6 inch tenon. You might need larger chuck jaws! Big benefit here is the great reduction in vibrations, and it’s hard to blow a blank off the lathe with this big grip.

Regarding production. I hate assembly lines, talks about efficiency when the subject is our craft. I measure my efficiency in units of pleasure and satisfaction per hour in the shop. Although, I suppose that pondering efficiency is for some, pleasure units.

For first turnings, I get logs and then do all of the chainsaw work. I make my slabs and put them in plastic. Then, one by one I make the rough turns. I know these are just first turns, but even so, when the blank is on the lathe I’m thinking about where this piece is going to go, my ideas, getting that particular form in my head. I know it may change later, but I love the exercise of visualizing, pondering. Doing all of the tenons, then all of this or that really disrupts a creative flow, even if it gets your work done faster.

so, one blank goes on the lathe, and one rough turned bowl come off. I do put them in plastic till the end of the day when I anchorseal all of them.

 

[Brian Rohde]

I guess some would call me a production turner, but I spend an extraordinary amount of time on each bowl.....and, my production rate is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-8 completed bowls per month. I seldom spend less than about 30-35hrs per week in my shop, with quite a few weeks over 40hrs/week. Nearly all of that time is spent on the production of my bowls, but some time is spent making jigs, special tooling, and things that make my shop more convenient to use.

@Michael Anderson I'm not sure exactly what information you seek, and you've got some information to think about thus far in this thread.

I'd suggest keeping a log of each block of wood, initial dimensions, with information about where and when it came from, what it cost, when it was roughed, whether anchorseal was used, initial MC, monthly weights until stabilized, progress in my 6-step plan to 2nd turn, when finished, finished size and weight, notes about special features of a particular piece of wood, repairs and how repairs were accomplished, plus any other features of note.

I use 3x5 index card file, but I'm a dinosaur!.....most other turners who want all the above information will be up to date with the latest pc programs, and do it on their computer.

-----odie-----

View attachment 49621

Thanks for the explanation. They are helpful.

 

[Brian Rohde]

My tenons will eventually become the foot. So, generally the foot will be about 1/3rd of the large diameter, so 33%. I’ll want more wiggle room, since this is a rough turn. Puts that first, rough tenon at about 40%. For a 15 inch bowl, I would mount it on a 6 inch tenon. You might need larger chuck jaws! Big benefit here is the great reduction in vibrations, and it’s hard to blow a blank off the lathe with this big grip.

Regarding production. I hate assembly lines, talks about efficiency when the subject is our craft. I measure my efficiency in units of pleasure and satisfaction per hour in the shop. Although, I suppose that pondering efficiency is for some, pleasure units.

For first turnings, I get logs and then do all of the chainsaw work. I make my slabs and put them in plastic. Then, one by one I make the rough turns. I know these are just first turns, but even so, when the blank is on the lathe I’m thinking about where this piece is going to go, my ideas, getting that particular form in my head. I know it may change later, but I love the exercise of visualizing, pondering. Doing all of the tenons, then all of this or that really disrupts a creative flow, even if it gets your work done faster.

so, one blank goes on the lathe, and one rough turned bowl come off. I do put them in plastic till the end of the day when I anchorseal all of them.

Appreciate your response..thanks.

 

[Michael Anderson]

A lot of good information here. Thanks everyone. My main concern was with cracking/drying prematurely. I figured that the quicker I got the inside roughed out and to an even wall thickness, the less chance of small cracks forming. At this point I've just been burying my roughouts in the wet shavings to prevent drying out early. Lou, I like the idea of having a plastic-lined barrel to dump the blanks in prior to sealing/storage.

Marc, I'm not necessarily going for maximum number per hour, but it's nice to get into an assembly-like groove (and at this point in my turning journey, trying to go a bit faster is helping with making efficient cuts). I 100% agree with you though about the units of pleasure--ultimately that's why I like turning, for everything you mentioned. It's somewhat of a pain to have to keep switching out drives/chucks between each step, though some different equipment would help with this (ex, I usually start between centers so I can balance the grain a bit easier if necessary, so a drive center that I can close in my chuck would be nice to have). I read about things like Bill Luce turning 10,000 bowls of the same shape just to perfect the process and the form, and it seems so out of reach. Whether that example is hyperbole or not, being able to maximize units/hour gives me more opportunities to find the form of something. That said, if I start to feel like a robot I'll probably hate turning.

Odie, I was also mostly curious of others' approach (I also like the index cards, and appreciate your detailed descriptions in your gallery posts). This is my current process:

1. Chainsaw half-log (or whatever other orientation)
2. Seal the half log with Anchorseal (or equivalent--has anyone used Bailey's before? 5 gallons for $80 sounds nice)
3. Once ready to turn, cut corners off with chainsaw (I don't have a bandsaw at this point)
4. Mount blank (sometimes between centers, sometimes with a screw)
5. True the blank, form shoulder and tenon, and shape the outside (i've used a glue block as part of this process as well, though only with dried wood)
6. Mount in chuck, and rough the inside (and if necessary, refined the outside)
7. Seal endgrain of bowl, record weight, store blank, and check weight occasionally
8. Finish turn (and everything involved) once blank has equalized with environment

I bolded the last two steps, because I don't yet have much personal experience with those.

Ron, I agree that green turning is fun. It's always nice to sling wet shavings after working with some dry wood. And I'm amazed how quickly surface rust appears on the ways. I remember you recommending PB Blaster in another thread--still have to buy some of that. I've just been scotchbrite pad/paste waxing my ways occasionally. Al, I like your batching approach, especially with the signing, buffing, photographing. Paul, thanks for the input. I haven't thought about this before, but I like your approach of weighing representative bowls. I'm guessing your representatives are of the same species and type (sap vs heart) as the rest? @Rip Littig, I agree about the larger tenon adding stability. At this point the largest jaws I've used (or needed) are 100mm jaws, but in the future I can see needing/wanting larger jaws. My only chuck is a Nova G3, which is nice for some things, and is becoming problematic for others (that's a whole different can of worms). I try to work on pieces that require similar tenons, as changing jaws is become tiresome (not that bad, but the allure of a owning a second chuck is getting stronger and stronger, haha!)

Edited to respond to Rip's comment.

 

[JeffSmith]

Lots of good information here - I’m not a production turner, but do work in batches through the roughing stage. I tend to be lazy, so use the same chuck/jaw setup through roughing - Vicmark 128mm dovetail jaws - regardless of the blank size (typically from 10” thru 22 or 24”). For larger blanks, that’s substantially below the 40% mentioned above. With a 4-1/2” - 5-1/2” tenon that’s 1/2” long and with good solid contact along the wide face the hold is very strong. Same jaws used through roughing and coring with the Macnaughton. The only time a blank has left the lathe from a tenon failure so far (a couple of decades to date) is when the blank had a crack not seen when roughing.

 

[Nathan Roper]

I think it depends on how much time you have Michael. You have a job and a young kid so its not like you can spend a whole day in the shop day after day.

The nights I get to the shop I have an hour or two so I have been doing a bigger size bowl in and out turned then throw in a bag until I've got a few more to seal and then shelf. The few times I've had more time than that or I have only had smaller rounds to turn I've just turned the outside and stuck them in a bag to wait until I can get to the inside.

Some times I've had plenty of time and roughed several bowls on the outside then decided I was done (in the shop) before I finished roughing the inside. So I bagged them until I had time to do them as a batch or one by one.

I've got probably 10-15 dry small bowls ready to second turn but they have been sitting on the shelf because they take a lot more time and focus than throwing long green shavings. I'll get to them but I've still got real fresh box elder sitting in bags to rough turn and its a lot more fun.

edit: I see you're concerned about cracks if you batched things out. I don't think its a big deal for them to be sitting for an hour or two until you get to sealing them but if in doubt just throw them in a garbage bag until you're ready.

I don't seal the "rounds" before I rough turn them either. I chainsaw them really rough and stick them in a garbage bag, maybe two or three in a bag then twist up the tops. When I have time I'll get them more round and more flat on either the chainsaw or bandsaw then they go back in a garbage bag. Right now I have 3 stacks of rounds in garbage bags in my garage next to my lathe that are ready to get roughed out when I have the time. I pull one out and rough it and I can pick through the bag to see which one I want.

 

[Michael Anderson]

Nathan, you're definitely right about the time issue. Mostly I've been working in the shop at night, or during nap time. Sometimes I'll get the windows where my boy is in daycare and I'm off. That is golden time! Haha

 

[Nathan Roper]

I've got probably 15-20 blanks worth of wood left of this tree and then I don't know where the next bit is going to come from so I'm guess at that point I'll start more on the second turn batch. I've had a lot of practice with the rough turning (2/3rds of my first turned bowls from last year cracked bad and went into the fire...) but much much less of the finish work.

 

[Doug Freeman]

Having spent 40 years in mfg, multiples get handled with volume production methods. In most all the situations any of us here would deal with, continuous flow is absurd (one person shop), which leaves discrete batch processing. Examine the overall process for where time is wasted. The majority of our wasted time is in machine set up/changeover, and possibly product movement - for instance, cutting blanks outside, and walking inside with each blank as it is cut. Move things in batches to save transport time.

Is it actually faster to cut rounds on the bandsaw vs doing it on the lathe? Remember, machine setup is a time waste. Any time spent adjusting/changing the saw, getting a jig, etc is wasted time.

At the lathe, setup changes waste time. You may use a screw in the chuck, and think it is quicker to flip the bowl and continue on. But, the TS may have to come off etc. Just depends on how you can or prefer to do things, and how much time the setup changes take. There is no one single answer.

 

[robo hippy]

Well, if I did twice turned bowls, I would probably turn the outside, reverse, turn the inside, mostly because you handle the individual piece fewer times. For bowl blank prep, buying a bandsaw that cuts 16 inches high (Laguna 16 HD) was a HUGE time saver. I now get parallel sided blanks. I then cut the rounds. If they are going to sit for a few days, then I will use the stretch film on the outside, making sure to wrap over the edges a bit. This has even kept some, but not all madrone crack free for up to 6 months. You don't really know how much time is spent roughing down chainsawn blanks till you get the big saw. Oh, it has a 1 1/4 wide blade with teeth at 3/4 inch apart, so ideal for ripping slabs. I cut a round off of a log, then rip it down the middle/pith in what ever appears to give me the most bowls. As long as the saw is pretty well tuned up, I can get a flat enough cut so I can lay it down on that surface to square up one end of the log. I use plywood strips in 1/2 inch increments, from 1 to 8 inches, to mark where I want to cut. Then rip the slabs. Next is cutting the circles, and most of the time I use a compass/divider to scribe the circles. Cut them on my small 6 inch bandsaw. I drill a recess in the top side of the blank, in my case for my Vic chuck, 2 5/8 diameter, and deep enough for the face of the jaws to seat on the blank, then use that to mount the bowl. With a screw chuck, you have to do more work. With the drilled recess, just expand into that, turn the outside, turn a recess, then reverse, core, and finish turn the inside. Use the same chuck for the whole process. Maybe with twice turning, turn the outside of a bunch, then switch chucks and using a tenon, rough the inside. Maybe core.

Not sure how I would approach twice turned bowls. At the least, I would make sure to round over the rims, both inside and outside. Some I would use just the stretch film to protect the rim since it is the place where you end the 'even wall thickness' which can create drying stress. I might switch to using a tenon. When roughing them, I would still be using the Big Ugly tool. Not sure if I would bother with dating and weighing them. I used to make 800 or so bowls a year. Now, down to 150 or so since I only do one show per year now. I would 'organize' stacks so that when it comes time to start finish turning them, I would start on one end and work my way to the other end. Yes, I would probably end up with many that get 'lost' in the process and may dry for years.....

Biggest down side to the once turned bowls is sanding them. You HAVE to have a lathe that goes down to 10 to 15 rpm to be able to power sand them, and that articulated arm for bowl sanding that I made. I am going to be working on more videos in mid March!!!!

robo hippy

 

[Norm Marentette]

I agree with Marc. I was lucky enough to harvest 36- 6 foot logs of hickory and some hackberry in my neighbourhood this past fall. I have been turning for about 1.5 years and read many opinions from everyone on this site about making blanks, drying, turning etc. What works for me at the moment is to keep wood in log form and cut as needed. I have cut up to 18-20 blanks at a time and then tried to turn them. I found that I couldn't keep up with all the variables, drying, cracking on some pieces before I could get to them and time available. I am not a production turner but have around 90 rough turnings, and 20 some vessels. Most are large size, 13-18 inch diameters. I like going big. So now I cut 4-6 blanks off the log, cut them on the bandsaw, anchor seal them all even if I am Turning them this week. Spray a mist of water on them and cover them with a sheet of 6 mil plastic. I try to turn 1 or 2 in day. Stronghold chuck, cut a 4 7/8 inch tenon on all bowls, vessels, etc.. never had a problem. Cover them in anchor seal, bag them in lawn bags and mark bag with date, wood type and size of bowl. Put them away for 4 -6 weeks don't look at them and open up bag, remove them and store them in a dry cool place. (crawl space or garage at the moment. I also will wrap blanks in plastic foil to keep as much moisture in them before I turn them. It seems that the species could matter, but remember I am cutting hickory, very hard when dry. Here are some pics I took this morning, decided to turn 2 bowls roughed one out then for some reason I once turned the other and covered with danish oil, just seemed like it was suppose to be finished turned, if you know what I mean. Again as Marc said, when thinking of design I decide at the moment what shape and try to visualize this one piece of wood that will last a lifetime for someone. Shouldn't be in a rush, it took 100 years or more for this tree to grow, I can take my time too. Besides it took me most of the day. Hope this helps, still have a lifetime of learning.

 

[Rip Littig]

Just 1.5 years turning, wow. Very impressive how much you've done/learned/discovered in that time!

 

[Norm Marentette]

Thanks Rip. Enjoying every minute.

 

[hockenbery]

Hi everyone,

With the exception of a couple of pieces, I have mostly just once turned things. Now, I’m just starting to build up a stock of rough out bowls to be finished turned in the future. I’ve been doing it one bowl at a time, but I think it would be more efficient to do them assembly style. How do you all go about it process-wise? Is it better to rough the outside and then inside of a single bowl prior to moving on to the next one, or is it better to rough a bunch of outsides, and then move to the insides?

one thing that may not need to said is efficiency begins with the environment and placement of needed items.

I always work with a workmate set up by the lathe with all the tools i plan to use laid out where I can grab a
caliper, spindle gouge or bowl gouge, center, faceplate screws drill driver….
Some tools I put in the holes Most i just lay out handles facing me.
having quick access to the grinder save a lot of time.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

I use 3x5 index card file, but I'm a dinosaur!.....most other turners who want all the above information will be up to date with the latest pc programs, and do it on their computer.

-----odie-----

Odie, not in a dusty shop! I think you got the right idea there. Jot down your info and file it away or take it inside to do the data entry.

 

[Pat Cogdal]

I try to batch when I rough turn and/or core, photograph, sign etc. I try to take my time with the second turn, sand and finish to give myself the best shot at a great product.

 

[Michael Anderson]

one thing that may not need to said is efficiency begins with the environment and placement of needed items

That’s a great point, Al. That is something I struggle with, staying organized. My basic tools (gouges, chuck, drives) are usually at hand, but when it comes to other things I’m off like a chicken with its head cut off. Such a time sink.

 

[Dean Center]

We never know when a good turning hardwood tree will come down in our area, but when it does, we're all over it. When I get home with too much wood, I rip it and by then, it's been enough for one day, so the half logs get the corners cut off and bagged. Then I try to process it as soon as possible, since in our dry climate, we have to hurry. When time permits, I'll trim 4-6 half logs into trimmer octagons, and then rough turn them. (The number depends on size, amount of time I've got, and how much work I think I can handle)

I mount them on a screw chuck, turn the outside and make a tenon slightly bigger than the ideal size on them, then place the outside turned ones into moist shavings on the floor, generally in the tripping zone. Then I take the screw out of the chuck and chuck them back up, turn the inside, wax the outside and set aside, in another batch process. Once they're all done, I'll bag them in paper and put on the ventilated shelves in the basement to dry for 5-6 months.

I submit you have to be careful about how efficient you get. Too much is not good. In spite of the relative scarcity of good turning trees in our our area, I've got about 100 dry blanks sitting around, plus about 8 cored 3 bowl sets reserved for weddings. That'd be fine, except all the friends and family have enough bowls to last a lifetime. Now what???

 

[Paul M. Kaplowitz]

My tenons are at least 40% of the diameter. I use a Vicmarc 150 chuck. The 4 sets of jaws gives me a range of 2" to 9 1/2 ".

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Michael, I have wood come to me not in nice logs and can work constantly in a organized way.

First off I never bought or buy my wood, I get it when and where it comes available, I got a lot at the city wood dump, but also where city or hydro crews did cut down trees, and often these logs where cut into short lengths, so I'd haul them home and anchor seal the ends first, then start turning the best pieces first, rough out and paper bag them, one at the time, continue till it all is turned.

The problem was sometimes I got just too much to be able to process them in time, so then plastic garbage bags got pulled over the logs to lengthen the time before they would split, not always successful, but it certainly helps.

I like to get logs that are like these Mulberry logs, nice size and a length that I can handle, but then again you find a long large log that the crews just left at a steep slope along the road, where I had to cut the log in pieces I could manhandle up to edge of the road, then load into my truck, like this White Ash tree, it was a work out



Other times you have to take it all, like these pieces of hard Sugar Maple from my neighbors lawn that the Tree people were cutting up when I heard the chainsaws and chipper going, a bunch was too short but I was to take it all and clean the lawn up.

Other times you find just the nicest pieces and can turn those up. so efficiency just does not happen in my world, of course it is just a hobby and I enjoy the challenge one piece at the time

 

[Michael Anderson]

Thanks for the response, Leo. I always appreciate the photos you include within your posts! That’s basically the same strategy o currently have, especially having more wood than I can handle. I have a few log piles in my back yard, porch, garage, underneath the porch, etc… My wife loves it when I bring home more to make a new pile

 

[Michael Anderson]

I submit you have to be careful about how efficient you get. Too much is not good. In spite of the relative scarcity of good turning trees in our our area, I've got about 100 dry blanks sitting around, plus about 8 cored 3 bowl sets reserved for weddings. That'd be fine, except all the friends and family have enough bowls to last a lifetime. Now what???

Dean, you’re right about that. It’s great giving wooden gifts, but I imagine they do start to pile up time. Thanks for the thoughtful post and for running through your process. “Generally in the tripping zone” made me laugh!

 

[Rip Littig]

It's interesting how small tweaks can lead to big efficiency gains. Just yesterday I was sawing a few 20" sugar maple bowl blanks using a new semi-chisel skip tooth chain. My saw is 67cc with a 24 inch bar. The process went so much quicker than when using a full chisel chain. Both ripping and cross cutting. I couldn't believe the difference and my rip cuts were strait and smooth. The blanks were sawn and under a cheap online shower curtain in my garage in much less time than anticipated. I'm not sure this chain will work for everyone but in my case after trying several different types I found the best for my setup. We obviously have highly skilled veteran turners on this forum who provide valuable information (for free!) That said, some efficiency gains are found through personal trial and error. All part of the fun and enjoyment of the craft we hold dear to us.

 

[Brian Gustin]

Rip, in fact, Oregon ripping chain is a skip tooth configuration with a 5 degree top angle (filed almost straight across) so the fewer teeth do improve how the chain cuts. I grind a couple of my saw chains to the same 5 degree top angle for a similar efficiency gain when doing rip cuts. Main thing is, skip tooth chain allows for more clearance for waste wood , so the saw seems to cut faster since it is cutting with less restriction before the sawdust & chips can be cleared out of the kerf. The very same reason your table saw blades have a low tooth count on rip blades, and higher tooth count on crosscuts...

 

[dbonertz]

It has been a few years since I was a production rough out bowl turner. Production turning is as individual as what your shop set up is. I had to store wood at a friends property therefore I would cut blocks there. Anywhere from 40 to 80 at a time and they would vary in species and size due to what was available in timber. I would take those and bandsaw them round at his place and load them into my pickup bed with a tarp over them. I'd then haul them the 3 miles to my shop (long hard days). Unload them into contractor bags, found at Home Depot and are thicker than ordinary garbage bags, until I could tie the top and then slide another bag over the stack. The blocks last a long time this way and saved room in my shop and I could reuse the bags. I would stack them where the block sizes were roughly the same.

I then roughed the exterior and re-stacked them in a bag per tenon size. I marked my tool rest (magic marker) with the sizes for my tenons and put the tool rest almost touching the tailstock drive center. I'd roughly size the tenon and flatten it with a slight depression for the nub. With the rest almost touching the drive center in my tail stock I used a scraper to form the tenon dovetail. The scraper was cut at an angle the same dovetail angle of my vicmarc chucks. I also used the roughly 40% rule for the tenon. I have chucks that have 7", 5", 4", 3" and 2" jaws. A side note keep the nub low so when you re-stack the blocks the stack doesn't become wobbly. I also stacked them with the wide part face down.
Once all the blanks were roughed turned on the outside I then started the inside. Since the tenons were the same size per bag I could go to every bag with that size and get them done so I didn't have to switch chucks. I also cored most everything so I could make the most use of each block. I would flip the cored blank into the block and put a tenon on it and then move to the next core. If I were to refine my process I'd probably set the cored blanks aside and put the tenon on them after my coring for the day was over. That way I could put a jamb chuck on and usr the nub left from coring as a good enough guide for centering then cut the tenons. This way I wouldn't have to had removed the turret and put a tool rest in and back and forth. I also marked each tenon with like a M for maple or L for locust or E for elm so I could remember what species they were down the road. If I were making a set I would mark each blank in that set with like E1 so I knew which blanks went together from that batch being processed, E2 if there was another set. You get the idea.

Once everything was cored and had tenons I'd then set up a station to spray the anchor seal on the blanks as I would load them into my kiln. I had to water down the anchor seal a bit for it to spray through my air gun.

I hope this helps but again production processing varies wildly by you and your shop conditions and setup.

BTW I will be in Chattanooga in February, My son works as a nurse there and lives in Bryant, AL. My granddaughter will be celebrating her second birthday at the Children's Discovery Center, I think that is what it's called.

Happy turning

 

[Donna Banfield]

I started as a bowl turner, and for more than a decade was making bowls to sell in 7 retail galleries. I would not call myself a production turner, but I employed production methods to be more efficient. Like Dale and others mentioned, I did batch tasks. I cut with a chainsaw, several logs into blanks. Then moved to the bandsaw and made them round. This would be roughly 25-30 blanks. Then mounted between centers and roughed out the exterior of about half of them. Then mounted the chuck and hollowed the interior. The blanks still waiting to but roughed into bowls were stored under and inside plastic. This would be a two-day job, so they didn't stay under plastic for long. The most important efficiency task for me was having several of the same size bowl gouges. At least 3 of each and up to 5. I sharpened them all in the morning, and when one gouge was not cutting as well as it should, I dropped that and grabbed a fresh one. After lunch I re-sharpened all those gouges. Not everyone has the cash for 20 plus gouges, I know, but having 2 of each is possible, and saves time.

 

[Dean Center]

Dean, you’re right about that. It’s great giving wooden gifts, but I imagine they do start to pile up time. Thanks for the thoughtful post and for running through your process. “Generally in the tripping zone” made me laugh!

While doing some cleaning yesterday, I actually counted. 149 dry blanks. Probably another 15-20 in paper bags. Yikes! I need more friends. Anybody need a bowl?

Nice to hear from you, Dale. Welcome back. Hope all is well.

 

[robo hippy]

When I did production bowl turning, I never bought fire wood. I do buy it now....

robo hippy

 

[dbonertz]

I started as a bowl turner, and for more than a decade was making bowls to sell in 7 retail galleries. I would not call myself a production turner, but I employed production methods to be more efficient. Like Dale and others mentioned, I did batch tasks. I cut with a chainsaw, several logs into blanks. Then moved to the bandsaw and made them round. This would be roughly 25-30 blanks. Then mounted between centers and roughed out the exterior of about half of them. Then mounted the chuck and hollowed the interior. The blanks still waiting to but roughed into bowls were stored under and inside plastic. This would be a two-day job, so they didn't stay under plastic for long. The most important efficiency task for me was having several of the same size bowl gouges. At least 3 of each and up to 5. I sharpened them all in the morning, and when one gouge was not cutting as well as it should, I dropped that and grabbed a fresh one. After lunch I re-sharpened all those gouges. Not everyone has the cash for 20 plus gouges, I know, but having 2 of each is possible, and saves time.

Donna,
Forgot to mention the multiple bowl gouges. You're right having that many gouges is very helpful.

 

[dbonertz]

While doing some cleaning yesterday, I actually counted. 149 dry blanks. Probably another 15-20 in paper bags. Yikes! I need more friends. Anybody need a bowl?

Nice to hear from you, Dale. Welcome back. Hope all is well.

Thank you Dean. There was a rough patch but all is well now. Happy to see you're still around. Hope all is well with you.

 

[Michael Anderson]

@dbonertz Dale, thank you so much for your thorough response. I live for the tips/tricks and you mentioned a few. Marking tenon size on the tool test is such a brilliant idea that I’ve never thought of doing. That alone saves a good bit of time over the course of several bowls. Also, marking the tenons with a letter is smart. AND, I’ve never eve hear or thought about spraying anchor seal. Just didn’t even seem like a possibility. But what a time saver that would be! I appreciate all the great ideas and the good insight to your process! That’s cool you are coming to Chattanooga soon—your granddaughter will love the Discovery Center. Fun place! If you have time/desire for a quick shop visit, send me a message here. I’d be more than happy

@Donna Banfield thats a great point about multiple tools. Sharpening in batches is a great way to save time. I don’t have many duplicates yet, but I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks!

 

[dbonertz]

@dbonertz Dale, thank you so much for your thorough response. I live for the tips/tricks and you mentioned a few. Marking tenon size on the tool test is such a brilliant idea that I’ve never thought of doing. That alone saves a good bit of time over the course of several bowls. Also, marking the tenons with a letter is smart. AND, I’ve never eve hear or thought about spraying anchor seal. Just didn’t even seem like a possibility. But what a time saver that would be! I appreciate all the great ideas and the good insight to your process! That’s cool you are coming to Chattanooga soon—your granddaughter will love the Discovery Center. Fun place! If you have time/desire for a quick shop visit, send me a message here. I’d be more than happy

@Donna Banfield thats a great point about multiple tools. Sharpening in batches is a great way to save time. I don’t have many duplicates yet, but I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks!

Thanks for the invitation Michael. I would love to get together, unfortunately I'll only be there Saturday for the party. I'll be in Bryant Friday. I get in Nashville around midnight Thursday and I leave early Sunday. A whirlwind trip.

Next time perhaps, I can plan an extra day.