Wet wood is a staple for turners because it's cheap and easy to come by. Twice turning is a way to use wet wood and still turn wood bowls perfectly round, a technique master turner Dave Hout demonstrates with student Lucy Scott.When a bowl is turned wet, by the time it is completely dry, the wood across the grain often shrinks, leaving the wood uneven in form (figure A). When this happens the bowl is put back on the lathe and re-turned, turning away enough wood to make the bowl completely round and symmetrical.
Materials:1/2" Spindle gouge
3/8" Spindle gouge
Parting tool
Wet wood blank Steps: 1. A wet blank is put on the lathe between centers, with the bottom of the blank facing the tail stock, allowing it to be turned with the grain direction of the wood. - Note: When turning a side grain bowl you should cut from smaller diameter to larger on the outside. On the inside, cut from larger to smaller. If you are turning an end grain bowl, you would turn exactly the opposite. This will ensure that you are cutting with the grain and result in a smoother surface.
2. As the blank turns, it will look lopsided, and the tool will initially bounce because of the uneven surface, but it will quickly turn round (figure B).3. To turn away the top edge of the uneven blank, the tool direction is reversed, and turns from the top down. By reversing direction, the cut is downhill on the fibers; if the cut was up, cutting off the face of the blank, the tool would run into end grain and the wood would splinter (figure C). 4. If the tool does bounce excessively, its position can be stabilized by applying firm hand pressure on the top of the tool (figure D).
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