In his book 30-minute Woodturning, Mark Baker tackles this challenging project
Goblets are fun things to make and they come in all shapes and sizes. Nowadays they are mainly made as ornaments to show off a turner’s skill or a nice piece of timber. This is a spindle-grain project that will push your technical ability a little bit further to also hollow out the end-grain section.
So, don’t panic. Just remember that the stem has to support the cup. If you’re going to use the goblet, don’t make the stem too thin and make sure the base is wide enough that the item won’t topple over. Everything has to look right, so you must concentrate on getting all of the elements proportionally working well together.
I chose ash (Fraxinus excelsior) for this project. It is not brittle and will be resilient to breakage on the stem. Close-grained hardwoods that can hold some fine detail also work well. Maple (Acer spp.) is also a good timber to try this project on.
Food-safe
If you intend to use any items with food or drink, choose a food-safe finish.
Alternative designs
Goblet cups and shapes vary considerably (opposite page). As with candlesticks, the bases need to be wide enough for them to be stable and not easily toppled.
Plans & Equipment
• PPE & RPE as appropriate
• Chuck
• Drive spur
• Revolving centre
• Spindle roughing gouge
• Spindle gouge
• Beading and parting tool
• Thin parting tool
• Skew (optional)
• Abrasives, down to 320 grit
• Finish of your choice
The making
5. Now, either use a drill chuck with a small drill bit in it to bore a hole just shy of the finished depth, or use a gouge to bore a hole. Then, use gentle arcing pull cuts to remove the waste.
6. Keep creating those arcing pull cuts to rough-shape the internal form of the cup.
7. Once you have it close to the finished form, use a scraper to refine the shape, working from the lower section and pulling the blade upwards and along the curved inner wall mimicking the external curve. The most delicate of light cuts are required with a very slightly trailing blade cutting on or just above centre to get the best finish. Once shaped, sand the inside.
8. To support the inside – and this is a must to minimise vibration and breakage risk when turning the lower sections later – I packed tight a lot of paper kitchen towel in the internal cup, then brought up the tailstock centre. Whether you are using a ring-type or point revolving centre, the tailstock centre needs to bear onto the paper without marking the wood. Once the piece is supported and everything is locked in place, refine the shape of the head, making sure you rotate the gouge into a scrape cut when you get near the solid timber section.
9. Using a spindle roughing gouge, remove the bulk of the waste wood, being mindful of where the base will be – leave this section alone as it will be shaped later. Reduce the stem section down to about 1in (25mm) thick.
10. Take a spindle gouge and start to refine the area where the cup head meets the stem. There is a slight bird’s beak/V-cut where the bottom of the cup meets the stem, which creates a crisp raised point before gently arcing along the stem, getting thinner as it works back towards the base.
11. Now use your spindle gouge to start reducing some of the waste wood to get to the stem diameter you want. Note in the dimensioned diagram where the narrowest section of the stem is. It is typically close to one quarter to a third of the way down the stem before it then gradually gets thicker again as the stem meets the base section.
12. Take many light cuts, ensuring the bevel rubs and always cutting downhill to ensure the smoothest cut possible.
14. Use a spindle gouge to create that little undercut V-type cut to delineate the stem from the base. Note that the gouge is rolled over here to create a scrape cut.
15. Start creating the ogee-type curved top of the base area. A spindle gouge is ideal for this. Work from the highest area down to the stem/base intersection. Make multiple light cuts and make as clean a cut as you can.
16. Refine the stem further, then create either a flat or slightly downward-sloping cut on the outer edge of the base. Use a thin parting tool to cut in about 1in (25mm), then make a parting cut by the side of this to widen the slot cut.
17. I didn’t think the lower part of the stem was the right size so I refined this further. As long as you have enough support you can usually backtrack and adjust things. Of course, at this stage altering the inside of the cup would not be possible, but it’s OK to alter the lower section of the stem and base area.
18. My adjustment required the stem to be thinned down a bit so everything looked in proportion. Note that I am using a bowl gouge here. I find that with an extended over-reach of the rest, a bowl gouge will sometimes give me better support and more control. The choice is yours.
19A/B. When you’re happy with the shape, sand the stem and the cup, working through the grits to as fine a grit grade as you choose. Do not apply too much pressure and keep the abrasive moving so you do not create radial scoring.
20A/B. Use a parting tool to undercut the base. You have already determined the base rim thickness with your first parting cut. This undercut helps if the wood ever moves by making it easier to sand an undercut surface than a flat one. It also creates a relatively even wall thickness at the base, helping to minimise the risk of cracking if you are using damp or wet wood. Take the cut down to about 1⁄8 in (3mm) but do not sever the goblet from the waste material. Now stop the lathe, remove the tailstock and cut with a carving tool and carve and sand the underside and apply your finish.