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Guys, I'm working on a natural edge burl that is quite uneven. I typically use a donut chuck to mount my bowls at the end and finish the footing, but due to the very irregular rim that's not working out too well this time. I suspect I'm going to come across this problem more and more as I...

Hi, I'm turning a burl that has some very rotten spots, really soft wood that compresses and rips out easily. Any suggestions for how to deal with this or some type of resin or fill that works well? Dawson

I've created a donut chuck (my second one) and I can get by using it to finish the bottom of my bowls, but I always find that I can't get the bowl perfectly centered in the chuck. As you could tell, this can be frustrating, time consuming, and result in poor finishing of the bottom of the bowl...

Hi, a few months ago I rough turned my first two natural edge bowls from a chunk of maple. I did what I normally do and left the walls about 1" thick while it dried over a couple months. When I went to get the bowls to finish them, I noticed they had warped an extreme amount along the...

Hi Guys, I am going to be making a new donut chuck and would like to add a piece onto the back so that it can go directly into my SN2 chuck, rather than using a faceplate. My question, what would be best type of glue to use for securing the block of wood to the donut chuck? I would really...

I am thinking about getting a 14" band saw for the shop ... don't have a tonne of money to spend and I've been looking at the following 3 models. I'd like to hear thoughts on which is the best deal or which people think I should go with for one reason or another. Also, does this Grizzly band...

Hi Guys, I just turned my first natural edge bowl tonight. When doing natural edge bpwls, do you normally use the same process as any other bowl ... ie. rough them out while green, let them dry, then put them back on the lathe to finish? Or do you typically/sometimes turn them with thin...

Here's a picture of a maple platter that I made this weekend. It's got a lot of inclusions and strange grain with fungus and other unique characteristics. I really like it! It's about 13" wide. It was first time turning something end-grain and I also turned this "out board" (another first...

Hi Guys, I finally got around to taking a couple pictures of some of the bowls I've done. All of these are either cherry or maple. The lighting is not very good for these pics, but it shows the general look. Let me know what you think!

Hi Guys, here is my first post of some of the work I have done. It's a coffee table (center is stained cherry with maple around the outside). It turned out exactly like I'd hoped, although I know I will probably get raked for staining the cherry :)

Hi Guys, I am looking for a good finish that will not cause the usual amber tint to the wood (or as little as possible). I like the color combination that I have right now on a coffee table and I want it to change as little as possible during the finishing process. Some people have told me...

Generally speaking in woodworking, is it preferable to leave wood it's natural color when finishing or is it perfectly acceptable to stain / dye it? I have a piece of cherry and I have already put it in the sun for a bit to darken its colors (thanks for the tips on that guys). It is pretty...

Hi, I am looking for a good all around sander. I don't do a lot of sanding, but from time to time I make a small coffee table or glue up a few boards and need to sand. Whats a more all-around, practical, and useful sander ... orbital or belt?

I'm building a coffee table and the top will be made of cherry with a maple border. I'm wondering if I should mitre the maple border or use square cuts and butt them up. Option A or Option B in the attached picture is the question? What do you guys think?

Hey Guys, I'm looking for the absolute basic steps that I should take in finishing a coffee table (cherry and oak combination). I have never taken much time in finishing my projects previously, but I'd like to make a nice job on this one. Can someone describe the process? When to sand, when...

Up until now, I have used only a chainsaw for cutting my logs and trimming off the corners before mounting it on a lathe for rough turning. I've found that the initial blank is pretty unbalanced and also requires a lot of wood removal before I get it round and can begin really shaping it. My...

I am planning on tackling my first natural edge bowl this weekend. I read a few places that said you should put a small bead of glue where the bark joins the wood to help ensure that it does not chip off during your turning. Does anyone else do this? If so, what type of glue do I need to use...

I have a fairly standard Lathe that came from Canadian Tire some time ago (I bought it second hand). The motor is behind the headstock and there is a single belt between motor and the pulley wheel (see pics). There is a lever on the front of the headstock that controls the speed. When I move...

Hi Guys, I imagine this one should generate a bit of discussion! I'm going to get my first chuck for Xmas and have narrowed it down to the Oneway Talon, Super Nova 2, or Barracuda 2. I'm new to the chuck world and am having a hard time deciding. Criteria: 1. I turn almost only bowls between...

Guys, I've found that the two main tools I'm using for my bowls are a 1/2" roughing gouge and a round nose scraper. I use the bowl gouge for roughing them out and sometimes cleaning things up a bit at the start of finishing. Then I use some light cuts with the scraper to smooth things out...