The "Lathest" News
March 2012                     Issue #26
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In This Issue  

In this issue I will describe the procedure I use in making nutcracker bowls.  These bowls will be a hit at home as they are very functional as they can "capture" the shells and reduce the amount of mess created eating nuts.  I know my wife likes this as it has reduced the "clean-up" required after having some unshelled nuts.  These nutcracker bowls have also proven to be good sellers for me at craft fairs, and they command a good price, especially during the Christmas season.  I normally retail these functional pieces for $125.00 each so they can generate some good profits.

 

Brian was invited to demo at "TurnFest"  (www.turnfest.com.au ) and is still 'down under', so I will be writing the next couple of newsletters while he's in Australia.

  

Many of you have been asking if we will be in San Jose at the AAW Symposium in June. Yes, we will there.  Brian and I will again have a booth on the trade floor where we will have live demos.  Brian will also be presenting as one of this year's demonstrators. ( http://www.woodturner.org/sym/sym2012 )

 

Brian will also be demonstrating at the Utah Woodturning Symposium in Provo, Utah in May, and we will both be attending this great event. ( http://www.utahwoodturning.com )

 

As Brian will be away until the beginning of April,  please contact me if you have any questions or comments and I will do my best to help you.   Email: [email protected]

  

 Missed one of our old newsletters?
Click on the link below to access our archive home page:  

  

  

Nutcracker Bowls - Great for home, sale or gifts!

by Gord Langer

 

These nutcracker bowls are a lot of fun to make and can generate good sales, especially during the Christmas season.  I know I sell a number of these each year;  the bowls pictured here are for next fall's craft fair season. 

 

If you are interested in doing some large craft fairs but are unsure how to go about it, refer back to a previous newsletter in our archive section and click on the January 2011, newsletter number 9, where I describe how I got started in the craft show business. 

  

I like to use one of these nutcracker bowls myself - I like to have it sitting on my lap and crack away.  I make these about 12-13" in diameter and about 2 3/4" deep, requiring a pretty substantial chunk of wood.  I was able to find what I considered an extraodinary buy through my good friend Peter van Muyden.  He found some round butcherblock maple cutting boards that were 15" wide and 3" deep at the great price of $14.00 and marked down to $7.00, what a deal!  I went to the liquidation store and bought all they had, which was about 25 of them.  Thanks for the heads up, Peter!
The first thing to do is find center and mount a face plate.  I used a 10" face plate as I wanted to be able to easily turn away the screw holes as this side will be the face of the bowl.  Using the 10" face plate I used the far outside set of screw holes to ensure they would not interfere with the center of the bowl that would remain as part of the bowl.
  
One thing to note with these blanks is that there is a LOT of sawdust and few shavings, so good ventilation and a respirator are a must while turning these blanks.  I use a 3M Airstream Helmet which has a face shield along with a headgear mounted powered air purifying system.  It was imperative while turning these endgrain blanks.

I first trued up the blank and had to turn off the cutting board hand slots that you can see in the picture on the left.  This reduced the size of the blank by about an inch but still left a sufficient sized blank to work with. 
 
 
I also drew a reference for the chuck that I would use to remount the blank when it was time to turn the inside of the bowl.  This helped me to determine the outside shape of the bowl while truing up the bottom of the bowl.
I further defined the mortise for the chuck with a parting tool and then started to form the outside of the bowl.  I was sure to have a flat bottom as these bowls will sit on a table and should have good stability. 
I further defined the mortise where the chuck jaws would be seated.  I dovetailed this to ensure I would have a good "grip" on the bowl as it would be a relatively large diameter.
 
 
Once I was happy with the form of the bowl, it was off to look at the hardware I was going to use.  I purchased this hardware from Craft Supplies USA ( http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/ ).  The hardware isn't cheap, but is of excellent quality.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I first drilled a hole that would accommodate a washer which I added and a deep socket wrench that I used at the end of the process to attach the hardware.  Once I drilled that hole with a forstner bit, I measured to ensure that the bolt would be of sufficient depth to secure the hardware to the bowl.  Then using a twist drill, I partially drilled the hole to accommodate the bolt.  I only drilled this hole to about 1/2 the depth to avoid tear out. 
 
  
   
 
 
 
Next step is the sanding. For the outside of the bowl I was able to power sand using Power Lock Discs available from Craft Supplies USA ( http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/)
along with a right angle drill.
 
I used a crepe block to clean the discs after each use.  By cleaning them, they last for a really long time.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I power sanded to 320 grit and then hand sanded the outside of the bowl to 500 grit.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Once I finished sanding I applied the finish to the back of the bowl.  I used Claphams Beeswax Salad Bowl Finish, which is food safe.  I hand rubbed on the finish and then turned on the lathe to complete the polishing process. 
 
I then mounted my chuck and made sure that it was well seated to ensure I could reverse the direction of the lathe when I started the sanding process.  I then reverse mounted the blank and trued up the face of the bowl.
 
 
To help define the center of the bowl I drilled the recess for the hardware, using a 2" forstner bit.
 
 
 
 

I then measured both the width and required depth of the smaller diameter of the hardware and using a 3/4" forstner bit, drilled to a depth of about 1/2".
 
 
I then did a test fit of the hardware and from this side, completed the bolt hole that I started on the bottom of the bowl with a twist drill.
 
Next I started to turn the inside of the bowl.  I like to keep as much of the mass of the bowl for as long as possible.  I like turning the inside of the bowl in sections leaving "steps" along the way.  These steps allow me to pick up the bevel and continue turning the bowl as I continue to remove wood from the bowl.  In the left picture I checked the thickness of the bowl early and continued to follow the thickness I chose early in the process of turning the inside of the bowl.
 
Once I neared the center of the bowl I started to focus on the section that would hold the hardware.  I was also mindful of the recess I turned on the back of the bowl used for the chuck jaws.  I tried to make two pleasing interior radiuses that would blend together nicely.
  
  
Once I was happy with the interior of the bowl it was back to sanding.  I used Flex Edge Discs, which is the same system as the Power Lock Discs I used on the exterior, but have a flexible outer edge so they work well for the interior of bowls.  These too are available from Craft Supplies USA.  I only power sanded the interior to 80 grit and then sanded by hand using a foam backed sandpaper moving from 80 to 500 grit.  This foam backed sandpaper called Siasoft is excellent. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Once the sanding was complete, I applied the same finish as on the outside, using the same technique. 
 
 
I then attached the hardware using socket and a ratchet to ensure the mechanism was tight.
 
Here you see the finished piece, ready for sale at the next craft fair.  Give one a try, they are a great addition to your own home or for a unique gift. 
 
 

Check out this link on You Tube on how to use our Elio Drives. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQQI_Zr7bC8 

 

I would also like to thank one of our readers who noticed that I used the words "mortise taper" instead of "*Morse taper" in the YouTube video; clearly my woodworking background came through.  Our Elio Drives have a #2 morse taper.  

*The "Morse Taper" was invented by Stephen A. Morse in the mid-1860's.  Since then it has evolved to encompass smaller and larger sizes.

 

 

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  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQQI_Zr7bC8


 

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