I’ve seen hundreds of turning videos, this man knows his stuff . His ability to explain his work is second to none. He could be Richard Raffin’s brother 👍
WOW! Thank you so much! Here’s a more detailed version picked up by the AAW for their Turning FUNdamentsls series: vimeo.com/142137240 I’ve just moved to an area with much better bandwidth, so I plan to record more videos in the coming months.
Very cool! First time seeing this design. I've only been turning for a couple years now and haven't tried the off center cut before. Looking forward to it. Thanks for the instruction!
Great video - I’ve been using it as a reference for my first attempt at wood turning. Really struggling with it though. I’ve filmed my process and would love to send the video your way to get your response in how I’m doing it wrong. Let me know, thank you!
Thank you for this. I’ve used some purchased blanks that were round, but recently bought some that were square (unknowingly) and I don’t have a bandsaw so I wasn’t sure if I should attempt rounding it on the lathe. You’ve given me a little more confidence to try now. Since you attack it from the side grain, would a roughing gouge work as well?
Hi Brad,, thanks for your video I copied what you did for my very first turn!!! It came out great thanks to you!! But I had one problem,, the red sharp I used bled throughout The pours of the wood and messed up the whole piece!! Any idea what I can use to get the color out?? Thanks, Steve
Thanks, and sorry for the late reply! Bowl gouges sized by the width of the flute: 1/2" (5/8" round stock) is a no-name M2 HSS gouge with a parabolic flute -- much like the MasterFlute gouges sold by Packard, and the 3/8" (has a 1/2" diameter) is a Crown Pro PM tool that I re-handles back in 2002. Safe spinning!
I really like this videos but in an attempt to learn how to properly use a bowl gouge I worry a little that the technique you demonstrate is not correct by your own admission because of the interference of the camera. I would not want to attempt to follow your exact steps if in fact it is not a good or even safe arrangement. But the confidence and competence you have on the lathe is impressive
Good point, and thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. This was only my first attempt at video recording myself at the lathe, so my camera setup surely could use some improvements! At the moment, all I have is a little iPod Touch for shooting video, but when I get better equipment, I'll post more turning videos, and really focus on technique and safety. I've needed to save up for a new shop and better equipment -- coming soon, I hope.
@@bradvietjeastronomy2872 HA! I just realized that I made that reply from my other (astronomy teaching) account. Still, a good point on safety matters. I used a small digital camera on a tripod, with 2 legs on the floor and one reaching over the far end of the bed (with tail stock removed), so the camera jostling came from both the end of the gouge handle (potential for causing a serious catch), and from my right foot -- distracting, which could be dangerous at any time. My plans to post regular turning videos will have to take a back seat again -- I'm not done building a proper shop, and now have to pack up and move. Hope to return to this one day soon.
This is a great video, thanks. I am just learning turning and have been practicing spindle work but hope to move to bowls soon. However I don't think I would feel comfortable yet with your aggressive cuts. But I appreciate the demonstration on how to not catch end grain using a spindle rouging gouge.
Those turned out great super simple to. I also think your video skills are just fine I didn't miss anything the angle was right and all is well. Great video!
Turns out, it's really handy to spray the wood with shellac or some sort of clear fixative before cutting the off-center grooves -- and even again before coloring with markers. This helps avoid bleeding into the end grain, which can be a problem with most markers. Basswood and Poplar are also better at this than more porous woods like the Hemlock used here. In practice, if you plan to make a number of these, working in batches can really help with your production time. Turn all the tree shapes, give them all a light spray, then turn the grooves, and give them all another spray (or paint the color on with brush or spray can), wait overnight, and then clean them all up as a batch.
I'd love to see you do more videos, Brad! you're a really excellent teacher. Many of the turning videos on youtube are... i haven't learned as much as I'd like to. but your videos are very helpful. I was very sad to see there's only 4 or 5 for turning!
Centers: When starting, I just estimated the center of a chunk that was split out of an old 6" x 8" Hemlock beam -- just looking for the largest circle I could turn out of it while avoiding cracks or knots. No rulers, and not even diagonal lines, just eyeball. This is a pretty country bumpkin answer, but think along the lines of turning a piece of scrap wood found at a construction site -- or maybe a stump ;~) -- eyeball is close enough. (You can tell I don't make fine furniture!) If you are starting with square stock, just draw your diagonal lines if you want to get very close to the center and waste the smallest amount of wood. Then, after the basic tree (cone) shape is formed, I leave the center at the top of the tree alone (headstock end), and offset the center at the base of the tree by a "small amount" -- somewhere around 1/8" or perhaps 4 mm. No measuring anywhere in the project. My tail center creates a little ring I use as a guide, but I prefer to offset the tail center a little less than that distance to get longer arcs that overlap better. I recommend a little experimentation on scrap wood with a cylinder turned smooth and round, trying different amounts of offset to find what works best for you. Small offset = long cuts that go more than 1/2 way 'round, while larger offset makes shorter cuts. Have fun!
Very good video, some of the best explanation of tools and technique I have seen for a long time. Thanks for putting this video on youtube for all of us to see
Well done, Brad. Just the right amount of information and technique to be of help to those of us who are new to turning. Your efforts are most appreciated.
Justin: I usually use blanks about 3 x 3 x 6. I have used Hemlock (as shown), but the best woods are lightweight, light-colored, fine grained hardwoods, like White Birch, Boxelder, Aspen, Cottonwood, etc... Softwoods will work, too, but they're a little tougher to cut cleanly. I found that many colored markers were thinner, and caused more color bleeding than I was getting with my older markers. I'm now making them in batches, spraying them with Krylon fixative or shellac (to help prevent the colors bleeding into the end grain), then painting the grooves in various colors (no need to be that careful), before returning them to the lathe for the finish pass(es) to clean up all the excess paint. Base and tip (ball shown) are turned last. For final decoration, little squeeze bottles of "puff paint" or fabric decorations can be used. Have fun, Brad
If using a spindle or detail gouge: you don't want to lever the tool into the cut, as it is more likely to skid to the side. It works best to hold the gouge completely over on its side, like this "(" or this ")", and stab the wood directly toward center, along a radius of the wood.
