How to Turn a Old 4x2 (2x4) Into a Piece of Fine Woodworking

How to create a simple wooden bowl from a construction grade 4x2 (2x4)

Here is the piece of 2x4 i used it had some holes in it which i tried to avoid and i pit glue in the cracks when gluing up so they were not visible when the bowl was finished.

First cut the 4x2 into pieces so that the with matches the length. I cut the pieces into 12 inch lengths and had 6 pieces. I then glued them up with titebond wood glue.

With the blank glues and dried i found the middle and attached the metal face plate with wood screws.

With the blank mounted i turned the lathe to 600 rpm to find the speed i turn the speed up until the lathe starts to vibrate and turn it down a fraction from there. I then true the face up so it is flat. You have to cut it down a bit because the 4x2 have rounded edges which you have to cut out.

With the back trued up i then cut the tenon. I use the bowl gouge and the skew to do this. It is important to make the tenon undercut to prevent the bowl from coming off. I cut the tenon to 50mm my jaws are 49mm so the bowl is securely held but doesn't run the risk of being marked by the jaws.

After i have cut the tenon i then use my bowl gouge to shape the back of the bowl. You can do this to whatever shape you want. With the shaping cut done i sanded from 80 to 600 grit with a drill sanding pad.

With the back done i remove the faceplate and remount the bowl. Be careful to mount so it is tight but not to tight to damage the bowl.

With the bowl mounted i start shaping the inside of the bowl. For this bowl i made it have a thin wall but you can do whatever design you want.

When you are happy with the shape sand the same way as the outside. You can use whatever finish you want. I used a friction polish but you could use a oil or polly.