Alan Lacer's Woodturning Projects & Techniques by Alan Lacer

Author:Alan Lacer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: F+W Media

Ease the transition between the cup and the stem by adding a bead detail. Sand the detail. Then establish the final shape at the base of the cup.

Cut in slightly at the base to establish the goblet’s overall height. Then turn the stem in stages, working from the cup to the base and sanding completed areas as you go.

Complete the base and add details, using the detail/spindle gouge and the skew chisel.

Hollow the Cup

It’s much easier to hollow the cup if you drill it out first (Photo 4). Use a 1⁄2" to 3⁄4" drill bit to create working room for the turning tools. Drill to a depth about 1⁄2" less than the ultimate final depth, to allow refining the bottom of the cut.

Use a thick round-nose scraper to open the cup (Photo 5). To work with the grain, you must work from smaller to larger diameter. In this case, that means working from the center of the cup towards the sides and top edge—“pulling out” rather than “pushing in,” as with face-grain bowl turning.

Open the cup in stages, gradually reducing the wall thickness more towards the top of the cup than the sides (Photo 6). Work to a wall thickness near the top of 3⁄16" to 1⁄4"—you’ll be able to further reduce the wall thickness as your end-grain hollowing skills improve.

Switch to the detail/spindle gouge to further refine the shape of the bottom on the outside of the cup. Reducing the outside diameter around the bottom and at the base of the cup provides a better sense of the wall thickness when you refine the interior walls—but be careful about reducing the outside shape to its final diameter, as you still need some support to finish hollowing the inside.

Switch back to the round-nose scraper to finish turning the inside of the cup (Photo 7). Work to achieve the best surface you can prior to sanding by using a technique called “shear scraping.” Work from the bottom and up the sides with the scraper tilted to the left, in the direction of the cut (around 45°), making light, consistent movements across the wood’s surface.

When you’re satisfied with the surface finish from the turning tools, finish-sand the inside of the cup and the flat part of the outside. Start with #120-grit and work through #320-grit. Note: Waiting to sand the cup after the goblet’s stem has been turned to a small diameter is a bad idea—it courts disaster.

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