NOT Round..........NOT Flat........

[Stu in Tokyo]

Just a little square platter..........





Sorry the second pic is out of focus.

About 4" square, the wood is Japanese Evergreen Oak.

It is a little soft and a little too flexible for this, next time I'll use Hard Maple.

This simple form is hard to do, I know it sounds funny, but really, it was hard to get it just right, and with the square form, the two surfaces had to be on the same arc, or it would end up fat in the middle, and thin at the tips, or vice versa.

Fun to do, I'll be doing some more.

Finish is 2 coats of sanding sealer, sanded to #400, then two coats of rattle can lacquer and sanded between coats to #600. When dry, I'll rubbed it lightly with a fine scotchbrite pad.

In ca couple of days, I'll buff it.

Cheers!

 

[TEP]

Hi Stu, I agree. Looks easy to do, but hard to do properly if you want it to look right.

 

[PowerTool]

Finished result is very effective - well worth the effort

Andrew

 

[Bodrighy]

Like it, I have had a few goes at things like this, as yet without real success. I find that having it perfectly square makes a difference as well. Hopefully with practice I will get something as good as this made.

Pete

 

[CHJ]

Nicely done Stuart, all too easy to get the cornersrounded off.

 

[Jenx]

Stu - that looks wicked ! really nice - very 'oriental' looking ! 8)
Doesn't that just highlight perfectly how sometimes seemingly simple shapes can often be the most pleasing to the eye.

Was it difficult to accomplish, as in comparison to a 'round' bowl and are there any 'pitfalls' that would prevent a novice having a try at something like that ?

 

[Bodrighy]

Was it difficult to accomplish, as in comparison to a 'round' bowl and are there any 'pitfalls' that would prevent a novice having a try at something like that ?

Watch your fingers. Anything that turns at high speeds with bits sticking out hurts when it connects to flesh.


It is't that difficult to turn if you look for the ghost but you have to be gentle as it is all too easy to shove the tool in too hard and get a bad catch. The hard part is getting a nice pleasing, regular shape as Stu has done. I have done a few this bit fell off....but never managed to get one that looked that good

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

Jenx, not hard at all, but make sure you use straight, flat grained wood, I like Maple for this, as it turns like butter.

I drill an 1 1/8" hole about a 1/4" deep on the face that will be the top, I stick it on my pin jaws on my Nova chuck, then I turn the bottom, leaving a short tenon on it, less than an inch in diameter. sand and finish it, to the sanding sealer part. Take it off the pin jaws, then grab the small tenon with pin jaws, gently!

You have to take really light cuts, and the most important thing is that you cannot go back on a cut, so once you have cut down to the final size in the first 1/2" or so of rim, you cannot go back to that spot and cut some more, as you will get a ton of chatter etc. You have to make the top face and the bottom face match up, the curve of the two faces, or you will not get a consistent curve and thickness between the two.

Next ones I make I'll take some pics.

Cheers!

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

Well, here is one more I made, and the collection of plates I have done (and still have access to tao take pics.........

 

[Paul.J]

Show off :lol:
Some nice looking plates Stu
Paul.J.