Inspired by what I see in the gallery I decided to learn how to use the built in indexing on my lathe to add some decoration to my work. First attempt attached - 9" elm with 12 3/8" holes. Nothing fancy but the holes along with the two beads does I think help a lot. There's a handy index chart in the manual that gives info on how to get different configurations and seems straightforward. The part that I think I need to focus on is drilling the holes straight, clean and in line with the bowl axis. I used a very sharp forstner bit with careful and slow approach to start the hole and drilled partially through from outside and inside before punching through to avoid hole chipping. I finished my turning and NR scraper work before I drilled the holes. I drilled the holes while on the lathe.
Questions - better to finish turning then drill holes or drill then do a final pass of turning? Maybe drill from outside before you even turn the inside? Tips on making sure holes are in line with bowl axis? Drill holder jigs?
Questions - better to finish turning then drill holes or drill then do a final pass of turning? Maybe drill from outside before you even turn the inside? Tips on making sure holes are in line with bowl axis? Drill holder jigs?