Remember that “knotty” log that decided to spin off and hit me in the shoulder? Well, it was time to show it who was really the boss.
I was as little smarter this time and cut off part of the knot that was causing a majority of the unbalance. That made it much better right from the start. I also made better holes for the drive chuck to center on as opposed to just mashing it onto the drive with the tail stock.
![](https://knottypleasures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20210418_140449-768x1024.jpg)
This is the first time I’ve used the drive chuck and not had it either spin freely at some point when I got too aggressive with my cuts or go flying off for one reason or another.
What’s even better was that I was able to rough out the shape in what felt like record time.
![](https://knottypleasures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20210418_142503-768x1024.jpg)
Once I turned it around for hollowing I did have it pop off the chuck once, but that was totally my fault for not re-checking how tight a grip was on the tenon. I made sure to check the grip every time I stopped drilling the center with the Forstner bit and tried opening up the top a little more to fit the drill chuck. ( I haven’t picked up an extension yet…)
![](https://knottypleasures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20210418_151929-768x1024.jpg)
It took longer to drill out the center than I thought it wood. Every few millimeters I had to pull the bit out and clear it and the hole. If I didn’t the hole started smoking. Patience was certainly a virtue here.
I knew it was time to stop widening the mouth when I realized that it was getting easier and easier to see into the vase itself. I was getting the wall thickness a little too thin in one spot and sunlight was coming through. To add to the effect I did work a little more on either side of the area after adding some CA glue to the area to help reinforce it.
![](https://knottypleasures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20210418_151938-1024x768.jpg)
Pulling it off the lathe and sawing off the tenon, it was time to think about finishes. I opted for Howard Product’s Feed-N-Wax and I think it was the right call. I’ll add a few more coats in the days to come.
In the end, I think it was a decent job and I showed that piece of wood who was really in charge.
![](https://knottypleasures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20210418_153042-768x1024.jpg)
![](https://knottypleasures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20210418_153029-768x1024.jpg)
![](https://knottypleasures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/IMG_20210418_153125-768x1024.jpg)