first hollow turning

Cherry is one of my favorite woods to turn. I have made seveal bowels from it and they all turn out very nice. I love the color and figuring. It turns easily and finishes very nicely.

Leslie

Either one should work fine for a hollow vessel. Good luck on your initial attempt!

Kip Powers Rogers, AR

If they are in your firewood pile, yes. Buying stock to practice on seems a bit much, but I guess I do live in a firewood using region of the country, and perhaps you don't. But unless you are in a treeless area, you should be able to get free or nearly free wood from any tree service, even if you don't burn wood. Of course, buring wood does help to get rid of any imperfect turnings...

They are called burnt offerings to the wood gods. Particuarly effective when coated with some of your blood! :)

superfluous foliage snipped

Steve,

Before going into a true hollow form, mount a bowl blank on a faceplate or chuck, preferably a deep bowl. Now, instead of using a gouge, slide the toolrest to the right 6" to 10" away from the face/top of the blank. Now, finish the bowl with your hollowing tools instead of the bowl gouge.

By doing this, you can get a feel for the tools and can see what tool angles, pitches and yaws make the best cuts during hollowing. If you want to practice on angles, draw a pair of lines symmetrically about the axis on the toolrest with a marker. These can simulate the opening of a hollow vessel. As you turn, keep the tool's shaft between the lines. Start with the lines about 2" apart.

Finally, green wood will be more forgiving than dry.

Joe Fleming - San Diego

I hope you really mean you've made many BOWLS {@_@}

mike

Steve, A couple of suggestions for practice: Because most hollowing tools are scrapers, remember to treat it like a scraper. Keep it where a slight catch knocks it free of the wood. That means on the inside just a little above center, not much, just a few degrees. Also, clean the shavings often. It gets REAL exciting when the tool gets bound up inside the form and goes around and around and clankety-clank on the tool rest while you try to remember where the off switch is (usually on the other side of that billy club turning 550 RPM). DAMHIKT. David

Bowls, Bowels...I'll turn anything as long as its wood!

Leslie

If your bowels are made out of wood, you have a serious problem.