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Vase from a Board

Glenn McCarron

PRO Member
There's been talk about the Dizzy Bowl but not a dizzy vase so that is what I want to try. I milled material today and glued the block required.

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I will slice boards from my block at about 3/8 thick and then plane them to 1/4. I should get 6 boards to work with.

I will then mark the circles required. The first 4 will be solid and turned to accept my glass tube that will slide inside. After the first 4 rings the next 4 will be about 4 1/2 inches in diameter and will allow me to take a ring out of the centre that will work for the top of the vase.

I will mount the discs on the lathe supported by the tailstock pressing against a block on a faceplate. I will trim it round then apply a piece of tape to hold the disc when I separate the interior disk. I watched a video by Jim Rodgers on the Crafty's app showing his technique for a bowl from a board.

Stay tuned for the next round.

If you have tried a similar project don't hesitate to pass on your suggestions.
 
It will be interesting to see the vase.

Some turners in my club has always suggested 1/8" for the ring height. It seems to bring a more dynamic pattern, especially when there is not much curve to the disk. imo, the 1/4 inch will give a more "staggered' block appearance.

Either way, good to see some one doing some more object from a board.

I have started a new one from left overs from the dizzy bowl. I am using the "dry storage bowl" from jim rogers site (3d design) patterns. I am curious on how it will turn out.

Keep us posted and good turning.
 
Good point Mike, I have sliced the board on the bandsaw down to about 3/16 and I am going to flip the blades in my planer to see if I can get away with it being a bit thinner. My planer tends to eat things that are that thin. My other option will be to size it on the lathe but that will take a long time to accomplish.
 
I've ended up with my boards planed down to slightly smaller than 5/32. So I think I will leave it there. Next will be to start with a waste block and set the base.

Do most of you typically use a solid colour base or would you let the strips go right to the bottom?
 
I am lucky that our club has good drum sanders. With a carrier board, I can get pieces down to 1/8 with no issues.
 
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Just a few pics of what I got done today. I did flip the blades in my planer so I would have nice sharp ones to help handle the thinner stock. Tomorrow we are once again under the threat of what we call a Nor'easter. Possibly up to about 15 centimeters of the white stuff. The bright side is maybe more shop time.
 
I tend to use a solid color base. I have seen others who use a striped base.
that is what makes woodworking great. Each to their own.
 
So I made my waste block. I start with a piece of wood marked for centre then mount it by friction against my jaws and tighten the tailstock against it. I turn my tenon then flip it into the jaws to finish the other side. This way I have a centre reference to use when I am building up my layers. I will hold each ring in the jumbo jaws and apply glue and then add the base using the tail stock.

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Rough cut rings from the bandsaw.

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Cutting the ring round and coring out the centre. The larger cores will work for my upper layers.
 
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This shows how I drew my circles with the outside dimension and the inside dimension. Depending on the amount of core remaining it will work as an upper ring. I numbered each layer as to where it fits.


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I'm using my jumbo Jaws with just 4 screw to hold and centre the next ring to add to the vase. I use my tailstock to centre the base and apply the pressure until the glue is set and ready for the next layer.

I had a bit of an issue yesterday when I tried to add a ring I was not able to get an even pressure to get a tight fit. Upon investigation I found that 4 of my rings were slightly smaller on one side. It appears that the board for these rings did not plane evenly. I'm not sure how or why it would be different as the other 8 boards that were planed at the same time seem fine. Anyway, I recut these 4 rings, turned back off two layers from the vase and re-did those bad layers.

Back to the shop.
 
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!0 layers up on top in the photo but I actually now have 16. New pic soon. Hopefully this afternoon and evening I will get close to 25 of 58. I have been allowing about 30 minutes between additions. Is that to much time or can I push it faster?
 
I asked the Franklin Rep the same question about the drying time needed between rings and he said that once the glue has set, the ring has established its final position and that additional time simply lets the glue cure. In my opinion, 20 minutes is enough time to let the glue set and you could add another ring at that time. Prior to turning, though, I would let the glue cure for the time appropriate for your conditions of humidity and temperature (an hour or more).
 
Thanks Lloyd. I had hoped to be working on the vase by now but the day has melted away. Still a bit of time. I want to turn the inside since I haven't touched it since yesterday and then tonight I will resume adding rings.
 
When I did my dizzy bowl I waited 20-30 minutes between adding rings using Titebond II. I would add a ring, wait 20-30min, turn the ring round, lightly sand to ensure surface was flat. The back to adding another ring. In general, I would wait overnight 12 or more hours before turning the bowl to shape.

Keep in mind I am in Arizona and the RH% is low.
 
Back at work today, now with 45 layers on. Getting close to the end. Fortunately I have my older Rockwell/Beaver 3400 lathe as my General today had a bolt fail that holds the tailstock in place. Parts are on the way.

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The last few rows were added yesterday. I also added a solid walnut top to make it a bit more difficult for someone to figure out how it is done. I defined the bottom with a parting tool and inadvertently cut into the bottom row. I may just eliminate the row or add one once it is off the lathe. No real harm. I have power sanded through the grits up to 400. Now I will part it off, dress the bottom, and start the finish. I need the part for my lathe in order to be able to use my Beal Buff System. I will start with either some Minwax Antique Oil or Wipe on Poly. I know Lloyd likes the Wipe on Poly, what do others think?
 
I pretty much use wipe on poly for my finishes. Leaves no brush marks.
Depending on the look I am going for I tend to use gloss or satin in the wipe on poly.

The vase is looking very good.

As far as your mishap, it happens to all of us at one time or another. If it hasn't it will.

Glad you are able to recover. Would have hated to see all that work go to waste.
 
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