150 - Bowl Turning Tools & Techniques w/ David Marks

Watch our latest video! "Refinishing a Retro Heywood Wakefield Desk With A Stunning New Look!"
• Transforming A Retro H... -~-
On a recent visit with my friend and mentor, David Marks, we decided to make a little video together. Initially the idea was to simply show David my video production process. But as things started to progress, I knew we had the makings of a great video and this was something I wanted to share with the woodworking community.
The goal was simple: let's turn a bowl! But as easy as that sounds, properly filming a bowl turning from start to finish can be quite tricky with just a few hours to play with. I had to catch a plane that evening and this was something of a last-minute idea. But we managed to pull it off, amazingly.
Anyone who has worked with David knows that the man is a perfectionist by definition. He regularly achieves a level of quality that I can only hope to some day match. So with David Marks, even a "quick and dirty" bowl deserves a perfect spherical profile, an absolutely tearout-free finish, and a crisp decorative band. And forcing him to produce a David Marks creation under those conditions proved to be a challenge and an important learning experience for me. When David works, there is really only one way to do things: to the best of his abilities. So there's really no such thing as "good enough". Its either done properly or its not. This is something I really admire.
David shows you a number of tools and techniques in this video. You'll see some of the more standard options like the bowl gouge, the parting tool, and the pyramid point tool, as well as some interesting offerings from Easy Wood Tools. David shows the Easy Rougher and The Easy Finisher, and you can even get your hands on the David Marks Signature Series featuring beautiful Bubinga handles!
I hope you enjoy this special episode. Maybe this will help fill in the gap left by my severe lack of turning content! And for those of you who miss the good old days of Woodworks, this is going to be a real treat!
Original post on our site with additional comments:www.thewoodwhisperer.com/video...
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[@whitedeer22]

Nice to see David back on camera! My love for woodworking began with his show. Kind of wish he still did them. Thanks guys!

[@thiswoodwork]

That mans got some talent! Mark you are soo lucky to have had him as a mentor... he was the guy I used to watch wishing I could do woodwork, back when woodworks was on :-( ... such a good program! Shame you had to go home Mark, it would have been great to see the finished bowl!

[@bodemayson1479]

Instablaster...

[@melissawilliams4017]

SUPER WORK !!!!!!!

[@davedowding5883]

Beautiful wood, a very nice demonstration on turning burl (can be tricky stuff), and a peasant narrative. As always David a pleasure to see you work. I’m very glad to see you pared up with the Wood Whisperer from time to time. Thanks for your web site URL. Hope to see your final version on the burl bowl!

[@radiok2ua]

This is one of the best videos I've ever seen on KZbin! Thanks to David for his usual excellent combination of expert woodworking, artistry, and teaching technique.

[@stovex0r]

"Hollow vessel with gold leaf patina finish" is a pretty excellent euphemism for "bong with weed leaves on it".

[@MuninWoodturning]

Lovely video

[@8ballout]

Very nice looking bowl. Beautiful work, David.

[@johngibson5726]

Thanks David - very helpful and informative

[@danhaniff1157]

Mark thanks for the video. Your leaf finish is amazing.

[@winsicksick]

I really miss tour TV apperencances I watched them all over and over and always learned something new

[@smfield]

oh yeah...great work Dav and Mark

[@TrevorAngell]

Part 2 with the finished piece? Bring on more of these. Great video

[@grahamdavis289]

Love your work and the explanation of what you are doing cheers

[@mountainviewturning5319]

Bowls looks great 👍

[@ndktube]

Good job! Nice to see David Marks. I've only tried simple stuff on my beat up old lathe-haven't managed a bowl yet. It's a lot harder than most vids make it look. It's still fun though.

[@garydergut4741]

Bowls aren't hard. Just take your time and give it a whirl.

[@danielpg121]

Great video !! I learned a lot , thank you !

[@bigdec1]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Great stuff for me to aspire to.

[@avonwithgeneva]

Beautiful work!

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

Good video, very well laid out and educational.

[@mikeanglada742]

Gorgeous Finishing Man!! Wow!

[@dirtyhippie6016]

If I ever come out that way I would absolutely take your class I'm a contractor but don't get much time doing fun stuff like wood turning since homeowner's just buy pre made pieces. great video

[@Whatiswhat]

" these ahh gold leafed leaves on here " ahh .. nice work!

[@Wayoutthere]

Funny, I actually LIKE 'defects' and bark inclusions in my work. It makes it look, you know, like a living material!

[@toonybrain]

Wouter d.B. Agree

[@ianmcgrail6482]

Nice job im very interested in finnish and your gold and silver work the shame is im from GB otherwise I would have loved to come and take a lesson from yourself thank you for sharing Ian Mac

[@woodwhisperer]

I am definitely not an experienced turner, but I am sure someone here can give you some good advice as to the best way to tackle this. I usually just use my bowl gouge to carefully remove the material to flatten the inside bottom of the bowl. Sometimes I'll even use a bowl scraper if I'm feeling a little gun shy.

[@LamarSineath]

All I can say is WOW. I would soooo go to his school for many of his classes if it was in Florida. I am so impressed by his work. This video will completely raise the bar on my turnings. The bottom of every peice looked so professionally done. Also, I plan on researching his methods of decorating. Does he have any more videos? Does he ever get small groups together for one week courses in other states...like Florida?

[@peterstewart9376]

nice video and beautiful pieces

[@JakeEnns]

The lathe is actually one of the safest tools in the shop, in my experience. With proper face protection, and short sleeves, there is not much you can do to really hurt yourself, but a lot you can do to grab your attention with a catch, It is easy to destroy wood though.

[@TheGreenEyedLeo]

interesting leaves ;-) great show thanks for posting!

[@petecy9592]

very nice work

[@stringmanipulator]

very nice, I would love to know more about his finishing technique :) inspiring video for sure thanks for sharing it

[@pablofraga3977]

muy bueno!! envidio tus herramientas

[@crnicholls]

That cone center can be a pain and is usually caused by the bowl gouge coming to center. The best way I have found to remove it is with either a flat or round nose scraper, simply run the scraper from the outside in just like you would use the bowl gouge and it should make short work of the cone. Good luck with your turning.

[@mmchap2000]

That Luke Perry lookin’ dude sure likes his weed.... I got a chuckle when he called them “leaves”, like it was an autumn theme..ha ha

[@woodwhisperer]

@killerdcs I own a lathe and I have done some basic bowls and turning for my furniture projects. So I'm no expert by any means. But I didn't necessarily see him do anything that is inherently dangerous. I am curious what you saw specifically that was out of the norm for a lathe project?

[@psychomikeo500]

good tips i never saw before

[@faustojosemxavier2896]

thanks david

[@woodwhisperer]

Thanks Blair. How you doing?

[@DOGTAGx50Cal]

Great video, i just got my lathe. The main thing i need to get now is the right 2-3 tools i need most for turning bowls, which 3 would you advise me to get. The lathe i got is a Recordpower Coronet Helrald 1420 that has a full turing head stock, i don't know if that helps any.

[@bwolfe5555]

Very Nice Turning Video, great job with all the camera angles so the viewer can see the cuts. I was wondering if you could tell me what the wooden tray on top of David's headstock is used for. I've been curious about that since I saw his first bowl turning episode of Woodworks. My first thought was cup holder, but that can't be right....he'd sure get a lot of shavings in his beverage. He sure made turning look simple, if only that were true. Thanks for all the great videos.

[@1757ron]

wow, did you do the diy shows, the beard at first though me off, you work is aewsome!!!

[@fjeppesen]

my god is that beautiful :O

[@crnicholls]

Hey, I liked the video, did you ever get the bowl finished and did you make a video of it?

[@rbgambitt6775]

Hey David, nice work. *Quick Question* I recently picked up a gouge that I thought was possibly homemade, but your 3/8" bowl gouge with the two set screws looks just like it... Mine does have a different colored handle.. Do you know the history / make of that gouge? Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks a bunch!!

[@emilpistora9445]

good jobb

[@frac]

Amazing skill. Very enjoyable video. I do cringe a bit when I see people working around power tools wearing rings (or jewelry of any sort). If you don't know what a degloved finger is, use your imagination. I don't recommend looking it up on Google Images if you value your lunch.

[@tbndeereman75]

It was just some of the things like the drill bit, and using the side of a gouge that can be a hazard if you havnt done a lot of turning. It all depends of how good a control you have.

[@imapseudonym1403]

"Defects"? I think the inclusions make it far more interesting!

[@blazhribernik6642]

where are you buy those tools for turning

[@TrailTrackers]

While he's showing all of us how to "turn a bowl", I'll just be minding my own business showing my friend how to "smoke a bowl". LOL...

[@Eddueck]

What is your view on the wood saver tool?

[@imrecehak]

master

[@afuriouspuppyvids]

I like piece with the cough pot leaves cough cough on it looks like it could be a bong if you added a stem

[@killerdcs]

these are very advanced techniques. try this only if you are familiar with the lathe. if you do not know what your doing you can really hurt yourself. for the rest, very interesting video.

[@gordonbobby1]

Essentially

[@cyriljoseph6813]

wow simply awesome....wht is tht mechan called 2:32

[@tbndeereman75]

Lower your tool rest, and use a shear cut, and it will come off. If not, use a scraper.

[@youngeggfu3745]

I'm David Marks!

[@quiltedmahogany]

Hi Paul, My school is in Santa Rosa 1 hour north of San Francisco. I have two classes on woodturning coming up in September 2013. Please check out my website which is posted at the end of this video. Go to the Classes section and you can read about my bowl turning class and my box turning class. Feel free to contact me at [e-mail] with any questions you might have. Thanks, David Marks

[@AffordBindEquipment]

A chuck won't fit on my ancient lathe. Are there any vids on doing it the "old way" with a faceplate?

[@shawnp8429]

Hey bud I have been watching videos on turning wood and would like to get into it just as a hobby. I've never done this and have no experience at all, is there a starter kit I can buy ? What lathe would I want to look for as far as brands ? but nothing too expensive.

[@jacobzimmerman5478]

there is a cheaper kit that harbor freight sells.

[@woodwhisperer]

@krazzykid97 I don't think he ever completely finished it.

[@electronicperformer1]

Im new to turning and have a question. Your tools seem to cut much better than mine do. They are brand new, could it be that they need to be sharpened already?

[@anonitachi7488]

Hey Mike, I am also new to turning and found that new tools may not come 100% sharpened, or at all. Some tools just aren't good as good quality as others and require sharpening more often. I would take a bit of time sharpening on wheel then stone/water. Hope this helps, and let me know if you come up with anything else

[@pauljschuetz]

where is this school at i live in northern california and would love to learn more about turning wood i have been turning for almost a year and would like to learn some better techniques

[@ComelliUK]

who is this guy?

[@faustojosemxavier2896]

is the lathe chuck available in india

[@smfield]

They're maple leafs!

[@gamerman6405]

can you sharpen tools without a bench grinder?

[@Nosokomos1]

If you're a woodworker, a bench grinder "ain't no big deal" Some old washing machine motor with an arbor and a home made tool rest and your in business for peanuts. I'd just as soon not sharpen without a bench grinder but the bench grinder is just a first step towards a good edge. Saves a little work if the edge is in really bad shape but not a deal breaker.

[@psosland]

Walter wager

[@SamMaskery]

there should have been a picture of the bowl on the end of the vidieo

[@Eskarlata747]

Lindo

[@kenny474]

Straight wings on gouges create catches. You want a really nice grind? Learn JoHannes Michelsen's grind. Even the Ellsworth is better than a flat-winged grind.

[@kenny474]

I'd love to know what you saw as "advanced"? I saw some very, very basic techniques, and tools so basic I was surprised David even included them in a video. (Easy Wood Tools are about as basic and simple as they come and require very little actual technique in use) I'm a rather experienced turner, making most of my income from woodturning, with a bit more coming from flat-work (furniture), so I can usually spot anything inherently dangerous, and nothing here stands out as advanced or dangerous.

[@reeflexyoutube9709]

What wood is that?

[@binhnguyen2412]

Can I ask you about the machine ?

[@Hockeymyk]

reefer madness lol

[@jameshagajr.4765]

I would like to make big bowls myself but I have not worked in 7 years and am disabled with Parkinson's disease and cannot afford a lathe I was wondering if you know any one who might have one that they just wont to get rid of even if its sit out in the rain and got rust on it I could clean it up and still use it. Thank you for your time. James Haga.

[@NosillaWilla]

+James HAGA,JR. if you're still looking, the harbor freight 10in by 18in lathe is a great entryway lathe and is affordable. good luck

[@user-uk2ef6ee2n]

Такое оборудование - так долго делает

[@johanvandenberge5078]

Николай Верхотуров

[@Someguyyoudontknowyo]

Guys, am I the only one that thinks the leaf finish on that last piece looks like marijuana leaves?

[@uni000ver000sal]

+Someguyyoudontknowyo May be the person commissioning these works likes a bit of dope! Maybe the person buying will use it tot store dope! Remember dope is medicinal and the only side effect is that it will get you high!

[@Someguyyoudontknowyo]

Well it's a possibility, that's for sure!

[@elessar60]

+Someguyyoudontknowyo It looks like Japanese maple leaves to me.

[@uni000ver000sal]

Michael King Smoke both and tells us the difference?

[@freshpootube]

+Someguyyoudontknowyo Totally weed.

[@vedder316]

Looks dangerous. Beautiful though.

[@heavymiso]

wow...hardly recognized the guy

[@maxdystopia674]

Wood whisperer huh?, you know what.....nah....just too easy...

[@liwiathan]

Isn't there a way that doesn't waste so much wood?

[@tixeright9120]

+liwiathan yep, use clay instead. :-D If you want to be extremely resourceful, wood shavings and sawdust have their own uses. It's a good medium for and outhouse in an off-grid type of situation, and it's also good tinder and kindling fuel for a fire, and good as compost and mulch (as long as it's not treated lumber, and when it comes to crafting you probably wouldn't be using treated lumber.) Shavings and strips are typically used in OSB production, and other sheet-wood construction. So, a big industrial level operation would collect and box up this material to be sold to another business. Trees grow up on my property like weeds, so I use such material produced by a wood-chipper in really thick layers to choke out weeds (especially vines, and tall-grass varieties) from a spot, and then I move them to another place, until they begin to rot, (between being carpenter ant-food, and fungi bait they definitely will rot) and when they start to turn a rotten yellow or brown color I compost them into future garden soil mix. If you're using a pleasant fragrance species the shavings can make good potpourri material in boxes and drawers. You can use the pulp to make paper products (if you know how and have the equipment), and bark-removed sawdust can be used as a sand substitute in cement mixes that don't require precision engineered outcome. Another way you can save lots of material specifically for crafting is to cut your word into really thin long fiber strands and use them for wicker and trellis type projects, which might produce baskets and the like, but if you want a real solid and durable wood bowl or craft, the sculpting process is going to leave a good bit on the floor. Given that it is naturally biodegradable, and renewable resource, it's hard to "waste" wood. The waste comes in the form of proper land management where timber is grown, as some methods of logging are much less of a shock on the environment than others.

[@liwiathan]

+TIXE RIGHT I meant like cutting out nested bowls.

[@tixeright9120]

liwiathan I think it would be possible if the person is talented, and they have a really good aptitude for spatial reasoning, but because there would still be so much material cut away, the bowls wouldn't nest together perfectly. The process would be much more intensive to bring each bowl to a finish, as you'd have to cut away bowls as you went, and finish them without the aid of the turning tools. But, I think it could be done with enough practice.

[@peterstewart9376]

coring machine for nested bowls. But wood literally does grow on trees so its not really being wasted.

[@siahtw]

莠

[@aaronosgood1683]

Does anyone else find it strange that he finishes his work at 320 grit sand paper? I usually go all the way to 2,000!

[@Nosokomos1]

I've got 2000. There aren't that many pieces where if go beyond 400. The difference is usually not evident to my eye.

[@dylanmckale607]

2 000 I use max 5000 lest 3000

[@PHIL_S]

Depends on what you are going to finish it with too - 320 is enough for a wipe on poly or alike

[@kadellagroove]

Pretentious? Where did you get that? David is anything but pretentious. I thought this was a great educational video especially for people who are trying to get into turning like myself.

[@russellbarnes9190]

stuart yyjm

[@NelsonBoris]

HAHAHAHA, maple leafs! :-D Yes, he's probably growing weed and using its leafs to decorate his work! And making a video and putting it on the internet is a good way to tell your parents that you use marihuana, hehehehe

[@j.scottnance6453]

??????

[@ndktube]

@killerdcs who is this warning for? People watching a channel about woodworking, who have access to a lathe and turning tools, yet aren't "familiar" with a lathe, yet who want to walk up to it and start turning a bowl? If they aren't familiar with a lathe they aren't even going to be able to attach the wood to the lathe in the first place. Doesn't make any sense.

[@patrickwillson8354]

Don't take this the wrong way but the wood peices which just have the unadulterated wood as the star of the show are beautiful, but the gold leaf and leaves are awful and look so cheap and nasty ...what a waste of some beautiful turning and beautiful wood....ditch the gold leaf bra.

[@davedowding5883]

Beautiful wood, a very nice demonstration on turning burl (can be tricky stuff), and a peasant narrative. As always David a pleasure to see you work. I’m very glad to see you pared up with the Wood Whisperer from time to time. Thanks for your web site URL. Hope to see your final version on the burl bowl!