Turning a Platter: A Beginner-Friendly Project

A platter is a great alternative to a bowl, requiring less material and allowing for better balance when turned on the lathe. This project is suitable for beginners, with the skills required ranging from beginner to advanced depending on the level of detail added.

## Choosing the Right Blank

When turning a platter, it's essential to choose the right blank. A platter can be made as large as the lathe capacity allows, and kiln-dried lumber can be used to keep the turning blank in better balance. Wide lumber is often leftover from past projects and can be used for this purpose.

| Blank Size | Thickness | | --- | --- | | 14″ in diameter | 1 1⁄2” thick |

The walnut platter made in this project is about 14″ in diameter, and the blank was about 1 1⁄2” thick. The turning skills required for this project fall in the relatively easy range.

## Workholding Strategy

When turning a platter, a different workholding strategy is needed compared to turning a spindle. A common strategy is to hold the stock with screws and a face plate mounted on the lathe headstock. The face plate is usually fastened to the intended top of the work, and the live center is often used to help hold and stabilize the work while the initial outside shape is roughed out.

## Start Turning

To start turning the platter, the blank is mounted on the lathe's headstock with the face plate secured in the center of the blank's top. The live center is brought up to further secure the work, and the tool rest is set to just below the center of the work. The lathe is started on slow speed, and the speed is slowly increased to a medium-slow range. The bowl gouge is used to make the perimeter a true circle, and the cut starts on the face of the blank and continues across the thickness.

## Shape the Bottom

Turning the bottom of the platter is a relatively simple matter. The outside edge profile is formed by making a series of cuts at the platter's perimeter, and the rest of the bottom is turned by making a few light cuts starting close to the center. The remaining work on the bottom is near the center of the platter, so the tailstock is moved out of the way. To finish up this side of the platter, a dovetail-shaped shallow recess is turned to hold the work when it's reversed.

| Recess Size | Depth | | --- | --- | | 2-5⁄8” in diameter | 3⁄16” deep |

The recess is cut to a depth of about 3⁄16” using a thin parting tool, and most of the waste is removed with the bowl gouge. The last bit of waste is removed in the corner with a spindle gouge.

## Reverse & Turn the Front

The platter is removed from the face plate and mounted on the chuck, and the live center is brought up to secure the work. Turning the platter's front is similar to turning the back, with the outside 3″ being made flat using the bowl gouge. The grooves are cut with the narrow parting tool to a depth of about 1⁄8”, and the first groove is about 3⁄8” from the outside edge.

| Groove Size | Depth | | --- | --- | | 3″ in diameter | 1⁄8” deep | | 2 1⁄2” in diameter | 1⁄8” deep | | 1 1⁄4” in diameter | 1⁄8” deep |

## Dish it Out

The waste is carved to lower the center field of the platter by making a series of cuts with the bowl gouge from the center toward the rim. The transition point between the rim and the dished area is established, but the shape of the transition is not perfected until the dishing is completed. The center is sufficiently lowered, and the transition between the rim and central field is worked on. This is an important profile detail that needs to be a fair curve.

## Sand & Finish

The platter is sanded while it's still mounted on the face plate and easy to access. The sanding is done with an angle drill and a soft, spongy pad, and the lathe is run in reverse at a relatively slow speed. The sanding is progressed through the grits up to #220 or #340.