By: James Brown
Type of Workpiece: – Spindle Turning: Involves turning long, narrow workpieces such as chair legs, table legs, or tool handles. – Bowl Turning: Focuses on turning short, wide workpieces like bowls, plates, or platters
Orientation of Workpiece: – Spindle Turning: The workpiece is mounted parallel to the lathe bed, allowing for turning along its length. – Bowl Turning: The workpiece is mounted perpendicular to the lathe bed, enabling turning across its diameter
Lathe Speed and Size: – Spindle Turning: Typically involves higher lathe speeds, as the workpiece is generally smaller and more balanced. – Bowl Turning: Requires lower lathe speeds, especially for larger and heavier workpieces like bowls, to ensure stability and safety
Tool Techniques: – Spindle Turning: Involves a variety of cutting techniques, including roughing gouges, skew chisels, and parting tools, to shape the workpiece along its length. – Bowl Turning: Requires different tools such as bowl gouges and scrapers, which are designed to shape the interior and exterior curves of a bowl
Chucking Methods: – Spindle Turning: Often involves the use of a variety of chucks, including scroll chucks or collets, to secure and support the workpiece. – Bowl Turning: Typically requires specialized chucks, such as four-jaw chucks or bowl jaws, designed to securely grip the irregular shape of a bowl
Workpiece Mounting: – Spindle Turning: The workpiece is usually mounted between centers or in a chuck with drive and tail centers. – Bowl Turning: The workpiece is mounted using a faceplate, screw chuck, or bowl chuck, providing a secure hold for hollowing out the interior
Cutting Direction: – Spindle Turning: Cutting is mostly along the grain, as the turning is done along the length of the workpiece. – Bowl Turning: Cutting involves both along and across the grain, especially during hollowing, as the turning is done across the diameter of the workpiece
Project Complexity: – Spindle Turning: Generally considered more straightforward, making it suitable for beginners. Projects often involve creating intricate details along a straight axis. – Bowl Turning: Can be more complex due to the hollowing process and the need to shape both the interior and exterior curves, making it a bit more challenging, especially for beginners
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