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To Shape the Interior of a Bowl
1. Stop the lathe and move the tailstock away.
Remove the center from the tailstock to
prevent bumping it with your elbow.
2. Adjust the tool support in front of the bowl
just below the centerline, at a right angle to
the lathe bed.
3. Rotate the workpiece by hand to check the
clearance.
4. Face off the top of the bowl by making a
light shearing cut across the workpiece, from
rim to center.
5. Place the 1/2" bowl gouge on the tool rest at
the center of the workpiece with the flute
facing the top of the bowl. The tool handle
should be level and pointed toward four
o'clock, see Figure 22.
6. Use your left hand to control the cutting
edge of the gouge, while your right hand
swings the tool handle around towards your
body, see Figure 22. The flute should start
out facing the top of the workpiece, and
rotate upward as it moves deeper into the
bowl to maintain a clean even curve. As the
tool goes deeper into bowl, progressively
work out toward the rim. It may be
necessary to turn the tool rest into the
workpiece, as you get deeper into the bowl.
Note: Try to make one, very light continuous
movement from the rim to the bottom of the
bowl to ensure a clean, sweeping curve
through the workpiece. Should there be a
few small ridges left, a light cut with a large
domed scraper can even out the surface.
7. Develop the wall thickness at the rim and
maintain it as you work deeper into the bowl.
When the interior is finished, move the tool
support to the exterior to re-define the
bottom of the bowl. General rule of thumb:
the base should be approximately 1/3 the
overall diameter of the bowl.
8. Work the tight area around the faceplate or
chuck with 1/4" bowl gouge.
Sanding and Finishing a Bowl
1. Remove the tool rest and begin with a fine
grit sandpaper (120 grit) and progress
through each grit, using only light pressure.
Coarser sandpaper tends to leave deep
scratches that are hard to eliminate. Use
power-sanding techniques to avoid
concentric sanding marks around your
finished piece. Avoid rounding over the rim
and foot with sandpaper. Try to keep the
details crisp. Finish sanding with 220 grit.
2. Remove sanding dust with tack rags, or
compressed air and, with the lathe turned
off, apply the first coat of finish. Let it stand
for several minutes and wipe off the excess.
Allow it to dry before sanding again with 320
or 400 grit sandpaper.
3. Turn lathe back on and make a separation
cut through the base. Stop at about 3" and
use a small fine tooth saw to separate the
bowl from the waste.
4. Apply additional finish coats and allow to dry
before buffing.