Bad Day

Rather than using a faceplate, use a large 2"+ sawtooth bit and drill a recess for the chuck. Graham

Thanks. That is an option. However all my chuck bodies have dovetail jaws on them and I wouldn't trust them in a straight hole. I do have a set of straight "spigot" jaws, but hate changing out jaws just for a couple of bowls. These are 15 inch, 50 pound irregular chunks of wet wood hacked out with a chainsaw. I think I will (a) drill pilot holes in them like I used to do before I had an impact driver, and (b) wax the screws so they will be less likely to stick.

I use a Oneway chuck that has ribs instead of dovetails so it's not a problem. I take it that you support those blocks with the tailstock until you have it rounded. I have two salad-bowl sized pieces of ash that I acquired from a neighbour that I must get around to roughing out before he cuts down another ash tree. We had a freak snowstorm last September and the damage to the city's trees was unbelievable. Graham Graham

Are you pre-drilling for the screw holes? I think the fact that you need an impact driver tells me something's wrong. A properly pre-drilled hole should make it easy to install and remove the screw, without compromising strength (and might be stronger).

I've also started using McFeely's screws (or other "real" screws) where strength counts, I've broken many a box-store screw, but the McFeely's screws will destroy a piece of oak (or stall my big hammer drill) before they break.

(And yes, wax is good. Never use soap on a screw.)

I use stainless steel, Robertson head screws when I have to. No problem with those and I don't pre-drill if it's green wood. Graham

I suggest the coated screws for heavy work. You can buy a small plastic box of them for not much. They won't start to corrode in the hole and grab with thousands of bits of steel and Oxides.

Often for Concrete or heavy work, they are strong. Cheap price in the long run.

And wax is a good lube as well as it melts and fills voids in the surface of screws.

Mart>

HI GW,

I use no. 14 spax screws from McFeely's. I don't pre-drill, and I use a no.3 square drive bit. I've turned over 200 bowls from 6 - 17 inches, and never had a problem. I use a 12 volt cordless drill to drive and remove them. I reuse them until the square drive won't drive them anymore.

AKA Robertson screws. A Canadian invention.

I've turned over 200 bowls from 6 - 17 inches,

Hello Dan, According to my log I have finished 1596 bowls from 4-16 inches. I have about 50 more roughed out and in various stages of drying, and about 45 green blanks waiting to be roughed out. I usually start with a faceplate using #10 flat head screws. For the first 10 years I used a drill driver and pre-drilled the holes. Then I got an impact driver and found I did not need to pre-drill. Never had a problem until this time. I think for the next large bradford pear blanks I will pre-drill.

Yup, interesting how they are getting harder to find. Lately my local outlets have gone to Torex

I have some SS Robertson screws that I use on green wood. As they are harder than regular screws, they last as the holes don't distort so easily.

I gave some to a carpenter in the UK who used them for "security" jobs as it was highly unlikely that anyone would have the right driver to tamper. There is also a house in the UK that was owned by my brother in law that will be difficult to renovate:-) Graham

That's because they don't have one of these

Why didn't you just cut the screws out with a chisel? You were going to remove that section of the blank anyway.