From: Michael Harman

Website: Lumberjock’s Profile

Location: Dayton, OH

Amateur or Pro: Amateur

Wood Species: Walnut, Cherry, Birdseye Maple

Project Description: This is only the second segmented bowl I’ve turned and it was really a surprise how easy it was to construct and turn. Turning this bowl was way easier than I thought and very enjoyable. I won’t win any design competitions with my simple design but the outcome is really great and does not take long. I would encourage anyone to give it a try. I have simply a Jet 1014 lathe and common lathe tools. It is a quick and satisfying project.

Process: I glued up several 8-sided rings (painters tape to hold the segments together): this makes it faster. When I got them all assembled I stacked them and clamped them in place. I included a piece of plywood on the very top to mount the faceplate. I inserted a piece of paper between the top ring and the plywood mount. I was able to turn them only a few hours later. Once the outside and bottom were shaped using a roughing and spindle gouge, I was able to break the paper bond from the plywood and flip the piece around, mounting it on a chuck. I turned the top edge and inside with a gouge and scraper. The scraper, utilized at a downward angle to engage the hook edge properly, is really the key.

Finish: Sanded 120-400 grit and buffed with cotton cloth while on the lathe: finished with only 1 coat of tung oil.

Here’s a video Michael made of the turning process:

“My name is Tom and i am from London Ontario area (Thats Canada) and I’ve been woodworking and apprenticing for about 6 years making furniture and built-in cabinetry. This is a coffee table i built recently. I wanted to try something with a floating top, and contrasting woods. I think the floating top lets you show off some joinery underneath it, i used sliding dovetails for the legs and some dovetails on the stretcher supports. The top is made of some birdseye hardmaple and the base and legs are walnut. I finished it using a blend of linseed oil, turpentine and varnish. It was my first time trying that mix, and found that it took a long time to get any film build at all (about 5 or 6 coats on top). I’ll maybe try a different ratio to get more solids into the finish next time. Hope you like it.”