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Bowl - Walnut, Maple, & Cherry 13 1/2 inch diameter


susieq4131

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Brett, Marg, and Hunter 2022,

 

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, this is scroll sawed. I laminate the wood, in the pattern I want and once dry run it through my planer. Then I attach my pattern and cut it out. It's very important that the wood be very level or you will have problems with getting the layers glued up properly. Once cut out, I glue up the walls of the bowl only and let them dry. I then use a tilting spindle sander to sand the interior of the bowl. Next I glue on the bottom of the bowl and let it dry. Then I sand the exterior with the tilting spindle sander. I use a mouse sander to shape the edge of bowl and finish sanding with 100 through 600 grit. I use 100% tung oil as the finish and apply 3 coats, letting each coat dry before adding the next. 100% tung oil you wipe on, let it set a few minutes and wipe it off. Quick and easy. Buff with a wool buffing pad and I'm finished. (I was using a cotton buffing pad but have found I like the wool buffing pads better.)

 

I love bowls. LOL They are always a challenge. Hunter 2022 is correct there are videos available to view on SSWC. Some of my techniques are different from what you will view in the videos.

 

Nope I'm not the Queen of Bowls, but I love these little rascals. lol After many a bowl, they are starting to look a little less primitive. :)

 

SQ

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Brett,

Thanks a bunch! These angles do take a bit of getting use to. When I cut something now at zero degrees it feels strange. lol Especially with larger bowls, the edge can be a bit sharp while holding and cutting. I often use a carving glove as protection on my left hand and also when I'm sanding the bowl. While sanding, the bowl can move around quickly and really heat up. I use a carving glove, but any type of glove would provide protection. The glove helps to diffuse the heat. I use a drill press with a tilting table for the drill holes. I set both drill press and scroll saw at the same angle before I do anything else. Nothing worse than drilling the hole at the wrong degree or cutting the bowl at the wrong angle. I've learned this from personal experience. :roll: Always wise to check these settings before plowing ahead. lol

 

SQ

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...I use a carving glove, but any type of glove would provide protection. The glove helps to diffuse the heat...

 

 

Wearing gloves on a scroll saw wouldn't pose much of a problem, but I'd take them off when working with the drill press or any other spinning object like spindle sanders, table saws, band saws, lathes, jointers, etc. Its really easy for the glove to catch and can really mangle a hand quickly. Even worse if you're using something with blades. While I'm on the subject, its also a good idea to roll up sleeves and be careful of loose clothing.

 

Now that the PSA is over, that bowl turned out beautiful. I love the colors. I can't wait to see some more! Nicely done! :thumbs:

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Travis,

 

You are totally correct. That was not wise advice. I haven't had a problem doing that, but from here on out will not use a glove while using the spindle sander. I appreciate you enlightening me. I can see how it's an accident waiting to happen.

 

Really appreciate you alerting everyone (me included) to the dangers of this action. I'm here to learn, also.

 

Thanks for the nice comments on the bowl.

 

SQ

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Firedkm,

 

Bowl making is a blast! I have three under construction at the moment. My only regret is that I can't do this full time due to a full time job that has nothing to do with woodworking. :( If I could make these full time, I might never come out of the shop, except to purchase more wood, glue, and tung oil. lol

 

Looking forward to seeing your first bowl.

 

SQ

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Hello SUSIEQ,I'm lost for words.But i will say this ,that i;m astonished at what you do.This type of work,mesmerizes me.It's like the guys here at ssv with their celtic knot pens.I'm dumbfonded at the wherewithal of it.What happens to the center cut out piece,another bowl?What a high tec shop you have.Can these be turned out with minimal tools and just more labor?I'll have to find the video of how this all come about.Right now i feel like a mushroom in the dark.Seems like alot of work for the little money your asking for the bowls.Roughly how long to do a simple bowl?I just took a deep breath thinging about all this Whew!Nice Nice work SUSIEQ :)

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What a beautiful piece of work Susie! I love the way you changed the direction on the rim piece - it has an almost optical illusion look to it. Fantastic!

 

I would just like to make one comment about wearing gloves - I lost a complete fingernail a couple of years ago on a disc sander because I wasn't wearing gloves. They do have their place in certain situations - the ones I wear now are very close fitting and are blade proof.

 

H.

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amazingKevin,

 

Sorry it's taken me awhile to get back to you. I've been busy in the shop planing wood and cutting bowls. Thank you so much for such a nice compliment. These bowls take some practice, but anyone willing to invest some time could achieve good results.

 

The center of the wood is the bottom of the bowl. There is no waste.

 

I'm pretty pleased with my shop. I got the planer for a steal on craigslist. I got the titling spindle sander for xmas. This is my 3rd scroll saw. Started out with a pinned one with one speed - what a mistake. Outgrew the pins in about 2 weeks. LOL Next machine was also cheap but did have variable speeds. But the mechanism for holding the blades was so cheaply made, it kept falling apart. My husband got tired of helping me repair it constantly and surprised me with the DeWalt. I use the tilting spindle sander for sanding the interior and exterior of the bowls, but many people use other tools for sanding the bowls. Carol Rothman's book suggests several different tools to use. I have not tried any of these, but it seems others have much success. I buy rough cut lumber 1 1/2 inches thick, so a planer is necessary. Some of my bowls are glued up using the edge grain glue up method, so again a planer is necessary. I also use a mouse sander for the edge of the bowl. If you were buying finished lumber that wasn't warped, you could also get by without a planer. If you are serious about bowl making, invest in Carol's book. It also has the equation on how to calculate the angles for cutting. That is a must have for bowl making.

 

I make these bowls for fun. I have given many away to friends and relatives. My choices were to either rent a large storage shed or find an outlet for these bowls. They are taking over. lol I have no clue how long these take to make. I usually have 3 or 4 bowls going at once. I enjoy the challenge. I have a full time job. I do this for relaxation. I buy rough cut lumber for very reasonable prices. Maybe someday, when I retire, I will view it as a business. But for now, it's just plain fun.

 

SQ

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Helenm2807,

 

Thank you! I appreciate that, especially coming from such a talented lady as yourself. I love your work!

 

Sorry to hear about your fingernail. I also had an accident while sanding on the tilting spindle sander. I was using a sander eraser to clean the sanding sleeve and my thumb slipped, hit the sander, and in a blink of an eye, it sanded a hole in the center of my thumb nail. I started wearing the carving glove after that. It also is snug fitting and blade proof. I agree they do have their place in certain situations.

 

SQ

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Ouch!

 

Mine was a 12 inch disc sander - the piece of wood flipped out of my fingers and, before I knew it I'd sanded off all of the fingernail from my third finger, about 30% from my index finger and ploughed a trench down the side of the finger in between. :scared:

Its amazing how it doesn't really hurt until you see just how much damage you've done. Luckily my other half is a qualified and unflappable First Aider :roll:

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