Seeking help for large Madrone bowls

Re: Seeking help for large Madrone bowls

Molly Winton

>Hi Roger. It's my experience with Madrone that it should be boiled for at least three hours, not two. As far as using a faceplate or chuck, I'd do it in a way so the waste block can be removed until all movement is completed on the bowl blank. Once the bowl is ready to be final turned, then true up the spigot end and reapply a waste block or chuck it up. Even boiling won't stop the madrone from moving, and it's going to be WAY more than a waste block can handle.

Re: Seeking help for large Madrone bowls

Roger Dunn

>thank you Molly. If three is good, I'll try boiling them 4 hours(!) to get them to be more cooperative. Have you soaked your blanks in alcohol or just bagged after boiling?

thanks again

Roger Dunn

Re: Seeking help for large Madrone bowls

Molly Winton

>I air dried them afterwards checking on them about twice daily for the first week, once a day for week two, and then ignored them afterwards, or put them in bags and ignored them. I've never tried the alcohol soak.

Thanks again Molly!

Roger Dunn

>

Seeking help for large Madrone bowls

Dennis J. Gooding

>Roger, my approach is to turn a tenon on the bottom of the bowl larger than the eventual foot of the finished bowl. Then, I use an appropriately large set of chuck jaws to grip the bowl for rough hollowing. For finish turning, I true up the tenon by jamming the inside of the bowl against the chuck and holding it with the tailstock set against the center of the tenon. This gives you a little bit of manuevering room to optimally recenter the warped bowl. I usally boil large madrone at least 3 hours and let it cool in the pot. Cheers. Dennis