George Vondriska

Separating a Bowl Paper Glue Joint

George Vondriska
Duration:   3  mins

Description

Paper joints provide a great way to fasten sacrificial or dummy boards to the back of a bowl blank. There a number of benefits. The dummy board provides a place you can drive screws from the faceplate, without having to put the screws directly in the bowl. That means no screw holes in the bottom of your bowl, and you don’t have to worry about hitting screws as you hollow the bowl.

The technique

There are tricks and tips for separating paper glue joints. It’s a race that goes to the slow and steady, not the swift. You’ve got to be patient, and slowly work your way around the bowl. A wide bench chisel is the best choice of tool for convincing the bowl is should separate from the dummy board. The direction the bevel on the chisel faces is very important, as is the general approach you take to using the chisel. It’s all about wedging, not prying.

Creating the paper joint

If you’re interested in using paper joints on your bowl turning projects, but aren’t sure where to start, we can help you out. There are a number of tricks in this process that will help contribute to your success. A great companion to this video on separating paper glue joints is our video that covers creating paper joints for bowl turning. You’ll learn the best methods for setting up and using a paper joint on your bowl turning projects.

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One Response to “Separating a Bowl Paper Glue Joint”

  1. Bill Hoffman

    Ironic. I just purchased a lathe last week and turned my first project.(Gavel for the local Masonic Temple). In the mean time, I paper glued four 1" x 10½" blanks together. I am planning on turning a heart shape in the wood and then separating them with your demonstration with the chisel. I will permanently re-glue the pieces and turn the piece to smooth the edges. Hopefully it will turn out as a Christmas ornament. Or like in high school in trying to make a gun case, I put a groove in it and it ended up as all my school projects; an ash tray. I have a 4' x 4' CNC engraver and two Laser engravers. They open up all sorts of doors for enhanced projects. Just a hobbyist enjoying retirement.

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