Covered Bowl Turning

The first tool I ever really remember being taught how to use is the  lathe.  I must have been about 5 years old and yet I can remember standing on a box in front this huge machine with a gouge in my hand that felt like it was half my height.  One off the best parts of this memory was have dad standing behind me guiding every move I made.  The lathe in our family was part of a rite of passage and for me remains one of the most enjoyable tools in the shop.

With all the turning projects I've done, or seen done by dad, I don't recall doing a covered bowl.  So I thought I'd give it a try.  Andrew had a blank leftover from his candle project that was a bit thicker than the others.  It has a knot running through it and was hard to tell just how deep it ran, but I thought I'd using anyway.         

    

So the process is pretty simple and straightforward.  Mount the face place on the blank.  Rough turn the diameter and since I've been using the turning chuck turn the socket for it.  Then flip it over onto the chuck and it's creativity time.  At this point I began turning the lid.  I then took it off the lathe and chip carved in a cross.  Back to the lathe and finished the lid.  Then using a parting tool I cut down a step on the back of the lid.  I sanded and finished the lid at this point because once I parted it away from the rest of the body I wouldn't be able to turn it anymore.  Then using a parting tool I separated the lid and bowl.  Now all I had to do was turn a bowl.  The only thing I needed to do was be sure the rim was just big enough for the lid.

As I was finishing the bottom of the bowl the knot I was afraid of showed up.  So I went ahead and finished the turning.  I remember a video from the wood whisperer site that talked about filling and stabilizing a knot with epoxy.  Here is the link if you want to take a look:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           113 - Fixing a Knot March 14, 2010 A clever way to stabilize a knot so that it looks natural. →                                                                        

I haven't filled the knot yet but plan on it.  In any case here is the finished product.