Mike Rinken wrote:
I'm trying to rough the outside so I'm not grabbing the bowl by a cut
tenon on one side (I'm trying to create the tenon as well!) but I'm
trying to spin the blank between centers to get a good round shape. I've
done one blank which turned out well and made the tenon (need to
procure a chuck next!) to hold in the chuck. But I've also noticed
that the top and bottom are not parallel. Not that much of a biggie
as I'll turn the one side flat, but this new blank wobbles so much
and I'm trying to find the best way to center it between the centers.

I am rounding out the blank initially on the bandsaw, but man does
this thing make the lathe wobble. I'm using a Jet mini lathe.

Thanks in advance for any help!


Thanks for all the great advice. I've gotten better at finding the "center"
on both sides and improved my method this weekend. The blanks I got we're
from Rockler and all 6 turned out well once I started getting them in shape
on the lathe. I actually clamped the lathe to my workbench and that took a
lot of the vibration out. I also cut the tenon on the bottom for the chuck
and then decided to cut a tenon on the top to flatten it out now that I had
turned a center and that obviously dampened it down.

Now I just gotta get a chuck!