The Woodworker & Woodturner – August 2019

http://www.getwoodworking.com August 2019 The Woodworker & Good Woodworking 89

27 I ensure to support my hand on the bowl while

holding the mini drill as this stops the cutter running

away from you. Here the bowl is left in the chuck,

but you can take it off and hold it down on a cushion

if you prefer

24 Once happy with the bowl, I round over the top

using a spindle gouge. Keeping the flute closed

at this point will eliminate any chance of the tool

grabbing the edge and thus ruining all your hard work

21 Before going any further, I check the wall thickness

with a pair of figure-of-eight callipers. Ensure to

do this regularly. I would normally make it pretty

even throughout but I’m going to leave a little

weight in the base for stability

25 I opted to power sand the inside, working from
120 to around 400 grit. On open-grained timber like
ash, it’s worth blowing out the grain with compressed
air between each grit

22 The solution to getting the bevel in contact

with the base of the bowl is to grind a bowl gouge

at around 60-65°. I have ground away the heel

of the tool as it will cut with less effort

19 The holes give a perfect indication as to how
thick the walls of the bowl are to be. If you don’t
work this accurately, then the slot will look odd.
Using this method certainly saves a lot of measuring
during the first part of the hollowing process

26 There are many types of burrs and wood cutting

discs available, and they mostly seem to come from

the North American carving market. I like these

DuraGRIT carbide cutters as they cut cleanly with

very little burning, even when working end-grain

23 I am often asked about how to get the perfect

bottom. The mistake I see most is the speed at which

the tool is advanced to the centre. This is usually too

quick, which leads to the tool being pushed away

from the cut, thus leaving an unsightly bump

20 As the bowl is made deeper, it becomes

increasingly difficult to keep the bevel riding on

the surface of the work; this is due to the angle

of the tool and the fact that the shaft will start

to hit the edge of the bowl