I watched an interesting video (don't have the link) on a japanese turner
that shined a flashlight through the bowl sides. In some places the end
grain was gone. He had techniques and tools that I've never seen and
he sat down with the lathe, also on the floor. The tool met the bowl
surface at least 6 inches from tool rest and at least 3 inches below.
The tools look handcrafted, possibly made by the turner.

The are used as the base for those amazing lacquer bowls.

They strive for lightness and then add lacquer base coats and then
lacquer final coats. And polish with a fine dry compound with bare
hands. The turner only does turning. The base coat and final coats
are applied by experts in that and the polishing is also done by
separate experts. The polishers have to keep their hands soft and
smooth.

These are very high end lacquer bowls. The bowls are desgined to be
easily held one-handed for eating/drinking. Perfect for a noodle
dish.

On 2015-01-01 17:30:59 +0000, Electric Comet said:

I watched an interesting video (don't have the link) on a japanese turner
that shined a flashlight through the bowl sides. In some places the end
grain was gone. He had techniques and tools that I've never seen and
he sat down with the lathe, also on the floor. The tool met the bowl
surface at least 6 inches from tool rest and at least 3 inches below.
The tools look handcrafted, possibly made by the turner.

The are used as the base for those amazing lacquer bowls.

They strive for lightness and then add lacquer base coats and then
lacquer final coats. And polish with a fine dry compound with bare
hands. The turner only does turning. The base coat and final coats
are applied by experts in that and the polishing is also done by
separate experts. The polishers have to keep their hands soft and
smooth.

These are very high end lacquer bowls. The bowls are desgined to be
easily held one-handed for eating/drinking. Perfect for a noodle
dish.

Japanese traditional wood turners use hook tools, which for bowl work
is below center. However the bevel is still rubbing. If you check
traditonal European turners like Robin Wood, you will see very similar
tool positions.

Using a light to get consistent "thickness" in thin bowls is fairly
standard (not that I can do it, but still)

On Thu, 1 Jan 2015 16:14:45 -0800
Ralph E Lindberg wrote:


Japanese traditional wood turners use hook tools, which for bowl work

I will have to look at it some more. The metal was dark, black I think.


is below center. However the bevel is still rubbing. If you check
traditonal European turners like Robin Wood, you will see very
similar tool positions.

Interesting, seems impossible to have a catch with this approach.


Using a light to get consistent "thickness" in thin bowls is fairly
standard (not that I can do it, but still)

Maybe standard but this was thin. In some places there were missing
grains of wood and the light shone through completely.


I've never seen light used to measure the thickness. Maybe some day
I'll try it. I think the tools and the techniques were the most
interesting part. Sitting on the floor was also interesting.
I've seen that before where a turner also used his hands and feet
while turning. An african I think.

On Thu, 1 Jan 2015 09:30:59 -0800, Electric Comet
wrote:

I watched an interesting video (don't have the link) on a japanese turner
that shined a flashlight through the bowl sides. In some places the end
grain was gone. He had techniques and tools that I've never seen and
he sat down with the lathe, also on the floor. The tool met the bowl
surface at least 6 inches from tool rest and at least 3 inches below.
The tools look handcrafted, possibly made by the turner.

The are used as the base for those amazing lacquer bowls.

They strive for lightness and then add lacquer base coats and then
lacquer final coats. And polish with a fine dry compound with bare
hands. The turner only does turning. The base coat and final coats
are applied by experts in that and the polishing is also done by
separate experts. The polishers have to keep their hands soft and
smooth.

These are very high end lacquer bowls. The bowls are desgined to be
easily held one-handed for eating/drinking. Perfect for a noodle
dish.



I also have seen -a long while back- videos of a turner using a light
inside a bowl to gauge thickness. I also had a chat with a turner in
Erwin TN that used a bright light in turning these huge bowls which
were very, very thin. I picked one up and was astonished at how lite
it was.

Mostly today I see a laser on the outside being used on hollow forms.

On 1/2/2015 12:42 PM, Electric Comet wrote:
On Thu, 1 Jan 2015 16:14:45 -0800
Ralph E Lindberg wrote:


Japanese traditional wood turners use hook tools, which for bowl work

I will have to look at it some more. The metal was dark, black I think.


is below center. However the bevel is still rubbing. If you check
traditonal European turners like Robin Wood, you will see very
similar tool positions.

Interesting, seems impossible to have a catch with this approach.


Using a light to get consistent "thickness" in thin bowls is fairly
standard (not that I can do it, but still)

Maybe standard but this was thin. In some places there were missing
grains of wood and the light shone through completely.


I've never seen light used to measure the thickness. Maybe some day
I'll try it. I think the tools and the techniques were the most
interesting part. Sitting on the floor was also interesting.
I've seen that before where a turner also used his hands and feet
while turning. An african I think.



When carving turtle decks on model airplanes years and years ago, I used
to use light to make sure I lost all the weight I could and be uniformly
thin. The thing with model airplanes is you don't want stress risers, so
you want uniformity, or a gradual taper to thin, not thick then then. So
using light for bowl turning seems normal to me, as you are carving it
out to get it light.

--
Jeff

On Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:22:18 -0600
wrote:


I also have seen -a long while back- videos of a turner using a light
inside a bowl to gauge thickness. I also had a chat with a turner in
Erwin TN that used a bright light in turning these huge bowls which
were very, very thin. I picked one up and was astonished at how lite
it was.

I am always appreciative of the amazing properties of wood.


Mostly today I see a laser on the outside being used on hollow forms.

How does that work? The turner looks inside? Or is it a measuring
device?

On Fri, 02 Jan 2015 17:23:00 -0500
woodchucker wrote:

When carving turtle decks on model airplanes years and years ago, I

Darn now I have to look up what a turtle deck is.

used to use light to make sure I lost all the weight I could and be
uniformly thin. The thing with model airplanes is you don't want
stress risers, so you want uniformity, or a gradual taper to thin,
not thick then then. So using light for bowl turning seems normal to
me, as you are carving it out to get it light.

It made sense when I saw it. The turner didn't like anyone one
watching him while doing the final turning, it's a distraction and
focus is required while turning. Making thin objects is exacting work.
One mistake and you've ruined the piece.

On 1/1/2015 12:30 PM, Electric Comet wrote:
I watched an interesting video (don't have the link) on a japanese turner
that shined a flashlight through the bowl sides. In some places the end
grain was gone. He had techniques and tools that I've never seen and
he sat down with the lathe, also on the floor. The tool met the bowl
surface at least 6 inches from tool rest and at least 3 inches below.
The tools look handcrafted, possibly made by the turner.

The are used as the base for those amazing lacquer bowls.

They strive for lightness and then add lacquer base coats and then
lacquer final coats. And polish with a fine dry compound with bare
hands. The turner only does turning. The base coat and final coats
are applied by experts in that and the polishing is also done by
separate experts. The polishers have to keep their hands soft and
smooth.

These are very high end lacquer bowls. The bowls are desgined to be
easily held one-handed for eating/drinking. Perfect for a noodle
dish.



Watch this guy turn a small tree trunk.

http://postdailydose.com/210/this-ta...really-awesome

On 2015-01-03 00:07:55 +0000, Electric Comet said:

On Fri, 02 Jan 2015 17:23:00 -0500
woodchucker wrote:

When carving turtle decks on model airplanes years and years ago, I

Darn now I have to look up what a turtle deck is.

used to use light to make sure I lost all the weight I could and be
uniformly thin. The thing with model airplanes is you don't want
stress risers, so you want uniformity, or a gradual taper to thin,
not thick then then. So using light for bowl turning seems normal to
me, as you are carving it out to get it light.

It made sense when I saw it. The turner didn't like anyone one
watching him while doing the final turning, it's a distraction and
focus is required while turning. Making thin objects is exacting work.
One mistake and you've ruined the piece.

In 2009 Mike Mahoney did a demo at the Utah Symposium using a light to
turn a bowl to a fairly uniform thickness of about 1/32 -while- telling
stories and jokes about the other demonstrators at the symposium. By
the end most of ones not actually doing their own program where in the
back harassing him, trying to get him to slip and blow through the side
of the bowl

On 1/2/2015 8:14 PM, Meanie wrote:
On 1/1/2015 12:30 PM, Electric Comet wrote:
I watched an interesting video (don't have the link) on a japanese turner
that shined a flashlight through the bowl sides. In some places the end
grain was gone. He had techniques and tools that I've never seen and
he sat down with the lathe, also on the floor. The tool met the bowl
surface at least 6 inches from tool rest and at least 3 inches below.
The tools look handcrafted, possibly made by the turner.

The are used as the base for those amazing lacquer bowls.

They strive for lightness and then add lacquer base coats and then
lacquer final coats. And polish with a fine dry compound with bare
hands. The turner only does turning. The base coat and final coats
are applied by experts in that and the polishing is also done by
separate experts. The polishers have to keep their hands soft and
smooth.

These are very high end lacquer bowls. The bowls are desgined to be
easily held one-handed for eating/drinking. Perfect for a noodle
dish.



Watch this guy turn a small tree trunk.

http://postdailydose.com/210/this-ta...really-awesome

That was interesting. Not bad at all - and it can be a 6 or 8" as well
for small lamps. Custom holders...

I spotted the one with the cowboy hat turning - my late Uncle did that
in North Carolina. I think I have 3 or maybe 4 of the hats - semi
formal to cowboy. He enjoyed helping people take care of large trees
after a storm - hauling the large wood off for turning and small for
fireplaces. There was a small group of three that all did the work
together. Each retired and fraternal brothers. Rich life with close
friends.

Martin

On Fri, 2 Jan 2015 16:04:06 -0800, Electric Comet
wrote:

On Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:22:18 -0600
wrote:


I also have seen -a long while back- videos of a turner using a light
inside a bowl to gauge thickness. I also had a chat with a turner in
Erwin TN that used a bright light in turning these huge bowls which
were very, very thin. I picked one up and was astonished at how lite
it was.

I am always appreciative of the amazing properties of wood.


Mostly today I see a laser on the outside being used on hollow forms.

How does that work? The turner looks inside? Or is it a measuring
device?



Look at this link for one of the systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXexCJrISfA

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 12:14:25 -0600
wrote:


Look at this link for one of the systems.

That only tells you where the tool is inside the work. I don't see
anything that measures thickness. The laser dot is visible on the
outside of the bowl and matches the location of the tool on the
inside. But nothing determines thickness and it's still possible
to go right thru the side unless you check the thickness manually
and take the usual care.

So there's no visible light to tell you how thick the sides are.

On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 08:31:02 -0800, Electric Comet
wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 12:14:25 -0600
wrote:


Look at this link for one of the systems.

That only tells you where the tool is inside the work. I don't see
anything that measures thickness. The laser dot is visible on the
outside of the bowl and matches the location of the tool on the
inside. But nothing determines thickness and it's still possible
to go right thru the side unless you check the thickness manually
and take the usual care.

So there's no visible light to tell you how thick the sides are.

In a part of the video I watched he set the light about 1/4" to the
left of the tool point. When the light missed hitting the outside of
the turning that meant that the tool tip was within 1/4" of the
outside surface of the wall so the wall thickness was about 1/4"
thick.
--

Jerry O.

On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 22:52:49 -0600
Jerry Osage wrote:

In a part of the video I watched he set the light about 1/4" to the
left of the tool point. When the light missed hitting the outside of
the turning that meant that the tool tip was within 1/4" of the
outside surface of the wall so the wall thickness was about 1/4"
thick.

Not very exact. I could do that well just by feel. And there's
no visible light shining thru so it's nothing at all like the
technique used by the turner I saw.

I wouldn't want a large attachment on my gouge. It adds complexity
and that could mean problems when there's a catch.

On 2015-01-15 04:52:49 +0000, Jerry Osage said:

On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 08:31:02 -0800, Electric Comet
wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 12:14:25 -0600
wrote:


Look at this link for one of the systems.

That only tells you where the tool is inside the work. I don't see
anything that measures thickness. The laser dot is visible on the
outside of the bowl and matches the location of the tool on the
inside. But nothing determines thickness and it's still possible
to go right thru the side unless you check the thickness manually
and take the usual care.

So there's no visible light to tell you how thick the sides are.

In a part of the video I watched he set the light about 1/4" to the
left of the tool point. When the light missed hitting the outside of
the turning that meant that the tool tip was within 1/4" of the
outside surface of the wall so the wall thickness was about 1/4"
thick.

Good explanation of how laser pointers work