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

by Regan Leatch

24K1668

Intro: 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)

STEP 1: Getting the 4x2

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.

STEP 2: Cutting and Glueing Up Blank

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.

STEP 3: Attaching the Face Plate

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

STEP 4: Truing the Back

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.

STEP 5: Making the Tenon

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.

STEP 6: Shaping and Sanding the Back

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.

STEP 7: Removing the Faceplate and Remounting

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.

STEP 8: Shaping the Inside

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.

STEP 9: Sanding and Finishing

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.

6 Comments

seamster 8 years ago

Hey, this is excellent! Very nicely done.

GermanLatheDude 8 years ago

The bowl turned out great!

Is the bowl foodsafe ?

Regan Leatch 8 years ago

Thanks, the bowl is food safe as long as you use a non treated wood and a good safe finish. This one was untreated and the finish becomes good safe after 28 days