Turning a Bowl #1: Turning the Bottom

Great job, Tom!
And what a beautiful little bowl. What kind of wood did you say this is? I love the lines in it.

I need to buy a lathe

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Arariba! You have to say it like Speedy Gonzales. (Stereotypes neither intended nor implied.)

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

got it :) I’ll never forget now :D

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Nice wood to make a bowl out of. What size bowl gouge are you using?

Being that it looks like you are a one man operation, this probably isn’t something you can do, but I suggest that anyone who can zoom in on the piece when making the cuts and explaining the operation being done. This is one of my pet peeves with a lot of woodworking shows. They tend to focus on the host more than the process, so a novice can’t see what the host is talking about. It is just a suggestion for those who have help in making their videos. Train your camera man/woman right. Thanks.

-- Jesus is Lord!

Heya Os,

Great suggestion. In the upcoming series, I’m zoomed in. When I was doing the bottom, I actually didn’t quite realize that I was THAT panned out. Stay tuned! LOL Hey, and thanks for the feedback. I want to get better at this so please understand, I’m impossible to offend. Fire away!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Great video Tom. I’m just getting into woodturning. I’ve turned a few bowls out of cherry, and one larger one out of walnut. I always enjoy watching other people turn. The Arariba is a very pretty wood. Nice job, and can’t wait for the next one.

-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net

Great video Tom. Looking forward to the next part.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Tom,
I have a comment vis-a-vis video production. Because I am on a Mac, I want to check with the other PC-based LJs here too as we may encounter differences based on platform, browsers and plugins. The sound level on your video requires that I turn my speaker volume up considerably above what I normally have set. I did notice that the voice-over you supplied in post-production (while you have the Trend Airshield on – I assumed you did this as voice-over in editing) has a louder base level.

With your video production software are you able to edit the audio tracks independently of the video track(s)? Does it provide you with a visual waveform, and are you able to equalize to a more consistent level between live action recording and post-production supplied audio content?

This did not detract from the instructional material presented, but I just wanted to register my experience with you, and check to see if there were cross-platform differences encountered. I use Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.4 as my browser, and my video plug-ins usually are either Adobe Flash Player (v.,0,45,0 utilized in this instance) or Apple QuickTime (my current version is 7.2).

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Doug,

Just to add some fun to this, I captured this on a PC and edited on a Mac. LOL. As for the sound equalization, I’m actually more savvy with using some PC software than the iMovieHD software on my Mac. You are, however, correct. The sound is an issue. I can up the sound level in editing. I’ve found that what is a good audio level for me, is too low for others. This is because I use a headset with independent volume control. I think that using an independent microphone will help with future podcasts. I just have to work out what I’m going to use.

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll try and use the speakers on the machine to test audio levels rather than my headset in future.

Cheers!

Tom

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Most excellent…...

Good input as well. I tell you…the content here is going to rival any other site…..It’s already better in many ways but you are upping the ante here Tom. I need to get a digital video camera…...and some better editing software. I’ve pasted together the 30 second videos I can do on my digital camera but that’s too limiting for what you are doing here. I’ll have to stick to some Sketchup tutorials. When are you making the CSS intro available for download?

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Mot, excellent video. Modern woodworking is making guy like us “Jacks of All Trades” You not only have to know how to do the woodwork, you have to be computer savvy AND be a video producer, director and actor. Who would have thunk it?

Great bowl and explanation of the process.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Bob, great idea… REALLY specific step-by-step tutorial for those of us who have difficulties making a rectangle! :)

I agree re: the future of LJ.
Thanks Tom (and the rest of the Cyber SS initiators)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Hi Mot,

Cool video! I’ve only done limited turning in the past, but my interest is renewed after seeing some of your techniques and advice. I guess I got turned off from the lathe because of too many goofs. This was totally my fault for not knowing what I was doing. Seeing another person illustrating concepts in video is a great way to learn.

Keep up the good work!

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - http://www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com

Excellent video, Tom… THANKS for the idea and hard work on this!

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

Mot,

Thanks for doing this series. Nice work. I wish I had room for a Nova lathe, I love the rotating headstock. I have a set of the Benjamins Best chisels also. Someone in my woodturners club told me about an Ellsworth Chisel available at Lee Valley. They cost $79 but they are great. The chips fly off the wood with this tool.

-- Bob A in NJ

Mot you are the go to guy around here!

I have to admire selfless effort like this that makes this place really special.

Keep em comming as you have the time.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Mot, great video! Great project! As far as video curve goes, quantity over quality. Then they will get better.
It’s a constant battle to perfect a video.
You ever see Movie or TV credits. Hundreds of people to make a video or film.
I read it costs 100g’s to make just one of Norms episodes!
Yours is great!

P.S. I need to learn more of WW lathe!

-- Normite Lou

Good job spidy-whisperer you deserve the old golfers clap for that one. Very good. Wish I had the means to make a video. You really did an impressionable job. Congratulations. jockmike

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

great turorial and video… Having done nothing but turn between centers, I think a proper chuck (and perhaps dedicated lathe – big enough to do the job, but light enough to carry out of the basement on a nice sunny day) just moved way up on my wish list… I see a glimpse of my ideal (post lottery winning, or retirement) life. selling the house, getting a small cabin on a lake, trading in all my tools (TV, Stereo, car…) for a nice lathe and turning everything around me. The trees are scared, and I’ve got a bit of Zen.

That looks like the makings of one nice ice cream bowl.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

i am loving this…finally catching up…great videos…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

Excellent video for beginners like me. Exactly what I hoped to see—can’t wait to watch the rest of the series.

-- Matt Coleman, Birmingham