Temple Blackwood was recently faced with the challenge of copying an existing 20″ antique serving platter, which had been damaged, onto a mahogany blank. For the November 2021 issue of Wood News Online, describes his turning process.
The challenge of turning large diameter, thin disks on the lathe is to adequately support the work during the turning and flattening process. Because the wood is flexible, the turning must proceed from the outside in and must be supported throughout the process. With the bottom of the blank already flat, it was fairly simple to set up a jam-chuck arrangement using my oversized (18″) plywood-with-cushion faceplate to provide the support, center and mount the work with a heavy live-center on the tailstock.
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