Odie's crazy idea #19

[odie]

Fellow turners........

I've only had this "profile viewer" for about a month now......and, I've been so pleased with it, I decided to share the idea with all of you here on this forum.

I've always had troubles seeing the profile of my bowls real clearly as I'm final shaping....until now. This "profile viewer" is something I wish I had years ago! I now have no trouble seeing exactly the profile shape of bowls in progress.

It was made from a few scrap pieces of pine 2x4's, a piece of white shelving material, and a few drywall screws......cost was $7 for the shelving material, and everything else was already on hand. I drilled a hole and installed some rope to hang it on the wall next to the lathe......that's important, as this contraption is rather bulky and needs to be out of the way until needed. Something else that's good to know, is you'll have to position your lathe lamp strategically, in order to take full advantage of the viewer's usefulness. This is especially critical with very light colored woods......dark colored woods naturally have the advantage!

It's easy-on, and easy-off.....it wedges in between the bedways, and can be installed or removed without tools, or removing the mounted bowl. I made sure it was the right size to handle any size diameter bowl my lathe can handle, up to 7" thick.

If anyone decides to make one of these, you'll have to custom make it to fit the specifications of your lathe.

(As anyone can see, the shape of the Ash bowl in the photo needs some refining......the profile looked pretty good to me, until I took a better look with the "profile viewer"......and, this is why I made it!)

I'll be headed back to the shop now.......good day!

otis of cologne

 

[Brian Hahn]

Great idea Odie.

I have white walls behind my lathes that serve the same purpose. Sometimes I'll hang a piece of black poster board on the wall to get a better view of a very light colored piece of wood.

 

[odie]

Great idea Odie.

I have white walls behind my lathes that serve the same purpose. Sometimes I'll hang a piece of black poster board on the wall to get a better view of a very light colored piece of wood.

Thanks Brian........

Having a white wall behind the lathe would work, too........you know, I toyed with the thought of painting the wall behind my lathe while I was contemplating what to do about solving this particular problem. It seems a white wall would certainly work for the purpose as well. I wonder if the distance would effect the application....?.....probably not, but I'd be interested to know.

In my previous shop, I had the lathe out in the middle of the work area, and in that case, anyone who has a similar circumstance would not have the luxury of the choice. (Having the lathe out in the open space sure is great for cleaning up, though! )

Good comment Brian......and, I'm certainly glad you've responded to this thread......giving your own solution to the problem......thanks.

otis of cologne

 

[bob elliott]

Fellow turners........

It's easy-on, and easy-off.....it wedges in between the bedways, and can be installed or removed without tools, or removing the mounted bowl. I made sure it was the right size to handle any size diameter bowl my lathe can handle, up to 7" thick.

Otis,
I've used a piece of foam core to do the same thing but I like your solution to mounting the profile viewer. Thanks for the tip.

 

[odie]

Otis,
I've used a piece of foam core to do the same thing but I like your solution to mounting the profile viewer. Thanks for the tip.

You bet, Bob.....

I'm sure there are many turners who have dealt with this particular aspect of bowl turning in a variety of ways......obviously, I'm not the only one who has had problems with his vision! heh,heh,heh!

otis of cologne

 

[Brian Hahn]

It seems a white wall would certainly work for the purpose as well. I wonder if the distance would effect the application....?.....probably not, but I'd be interested to know.

Odie,
The amount of light hitting the wall is more important than distance. I often aim my lathe's work light at the wall instead of the piece to increase the contrast between the piece's profile and the wall.

 

[John Nicholas]

Profile Viewing

My lathe is against a garage door. The inside of the door is white so that works. When the weather is nice, I open the garage door. As the sun goes down, I can take a look at the profile with the sun behind the object. Takes the grain and color out of the object and just leaves the shape. A takeoff of Raffin's advice to spray paint items black for examination.

John

Another option would be to install a white roller shade behind your lathe. Then you can just pull it down when needed.

John

 

[rsser]

Good idea Odie.

May I add another tip?

Take chuck and bowl off and sit them upright for a final check on the form. They look different upright

 

[Steve Worcester]

I would add to leave the lathe running and squat down to view it. That way the grain and figure won't distract from the shape in your analysis. Thanks to David Ellsworth for that part of it.

 

[rsser]

Yeah, 'cept if you have strong and varying figure you see lines across the form, and I find that distracting.

Could always fog up the glasses I guess :cool2:

 

[odie]

Odie,
The amount of light hitting the wall is more important than distance. I often aim my lathe's work light at the wall instead of the piece to increase the contrast between the piece's profile and the wall.

Absolutely right, Brian......the light source is an important factor on this one. Poor lighting will definitely obscure the shape.

A takeoff of Raffin's advice to spray paint items black for examination.

Another option would be to install a white roller shade behind your lathe. Then you can just pull it down when needed.

John......Come to think of it, I do remember seeing Raffan spray paint some turned items black in his video. Maybe he should have tried some of the methods discussed in this thread instead! Ha!

I really do like your "pull down window shade" idea......excellent! Thanks for adding that. I may have tried that one, if I already hadn't solved this in another way!

Good idea Odie.

May I add another tip?

Take chuck and bowl off and sit them upright for a final check on the form. They look different upright

Correct, rsser.......final analysis should be as they are to be viewed by everyone. That is an important tip for everyone to consider.

I would add to leave the lathe running and squat down to view it. That way the grain and figure won't distract from the shape in your analysis. Thanks to David Ellsworth for that part of it.

Thanks for the input, Steve........Yes, this is true. When I'm using the "profile viewer", my bowl is usually spinning anyway......as, it is being used while the bowl is being shaped.

Many of my bowls start out so badly shaped, and lumpy, that the grain can't hide it! Grrrrrr! Heh,heh,heh!.......it just takes perseverance and a lot of refining on my part to get what I want!

The more wild the grain pattern and coloring, the more important David Ellsworth's tip will become. He has added much to the lathe turning community........especially his "Ellsworth grind"!



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Thanks to everyone that contributed to this thread.......and making it thought provoking.

otis of cologne




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[rsser]

Another Raffan tip:

Run your hand up and down the form .. you'll often feel irregularities more quickly than you see them.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Another Raffan tip:

Run your hand up and down the form .. you'll often feel irregularities more quickly than you see them.

Absolutely. Touch is going to be more sensitive than sight.