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I use dividers to take the measurement of the recess that I turned into the inside surface of the top and transfer the measurement to the top face of the bottom.

 

Figure 11:  Marking out the recess

 

 

The hollowing of the recess is exactly the same as turning out the center of any bowl, although if you are in the habit of gauging wall thickness by feeling with your thumb inside and fingers outside while the lathe is running you had better break the habit before turning one of these.  I aim for a wall thickness of about ¼” and about 3/16” in the bottom over the chucking recess.  This means that the inside lip will be undercut somewhat in order to leave a good gluing surface for the top.

Here the bowl is ready for sanding.

 

 

Figure 12:  Recess completed and ready for sanding

 

 

And here the sanding is complete and the finish has been applied and buffed.

 

Figure 13:  Finish applied and buffed out

 

 

At this point I am ready to glue the top on.  It is a good idea to wipe the mating surfaces down with mineral spirits prior to gluing to remove any wax that may have inadvertently gotten on to the gluing area.  I use a polyurethane glue when I glue these together and let them set overnight before completing the turning.

 

Figure 14:  The top is glued and clamped to the bottom

 

 

Once the glue has cured the potpourri can be remounted for turning the outside of the top.

 

Figure 15:  Remounted on the lathe after gluing.

 

 

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