Our August meeting gave us a new dimension into woodturning. Mark Gardner, formerly from Cincinnati, Ohio, now a North Carolinian, presented an interesting, unique program. His introduction with slides started us thinking.

Mark’s first piece was a small, handled bowl. He started by using a bird’s-eye maple blank between centers, with the grain running lengthwise. His primary tool was a ½" bowl gouge. The bowl was rough shaped, and a tenon was formed at the tail stock end. Near the center of the length, the original block shape approximately ½" wide was left to be later formed into the handles. The hollowing out was completed after putting the block into the chuck. Power and hand sanding was used to finish the inside.

Mark then prepared a waste block for the chuck, and inserted the bowl into this for bottom shaping and finishing.

Next, he placed the bowl on the lathe bed, bottom up, to pencil on the handle design. Carefully tilting the band saw table to an angle equal to the bowl sides, and with the top of the bowl on the table, Mark carefully cut around the design. Approximately 1/16" is left on the bowl to sand and/or carve designs. 

Our afternoon session was devoted to Mark’s hollow turning. A cherry block of straight grain was set up between centers. This was rough turned, and a tenon was added on each end. The piece was parted near the center and chucked up to be hollowed. At the separation, Mark first turned a notch for gluing.

Using calipers, he frequently checked thickness of the pieces. Carefully truing up the ends, he tested the fit of the two halves, and adjusted for a snug fit. The shoulders must be square and flat to make a good, tight fit. A pencil mark is made to keep the grain lined up when gluing. The tailstock is used to hold the pieces together when glue is setting up. A CA gap-filling glue is used, without the accelerant.

The top half is finished off with an opening at the neck. Then the bottom is done. Finishing techniques are executed, and the piece is completed.