Turning Wooden Vases

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Turned wooden vases are end-grain hollow forms: you mount a spindle blank with the grain running along the bed, shape the outside, drill a hole to set the depth, then hollow the inside through the opening. A small bud vase is the best first project. Because wood moves and most finishes are not made for standing water, fit a glass liner or test tube if you want to use fresh flowers.

This guide covers blank choice, mounting, shaping, drilling, hollowing and finishing, with safety advice from the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) Safety Guidebook for Woodturners. Hollowing puts tools far over the rest, so start small and shallow.

Three kinds of wooden vase

Start with a bud vase. It teaches outside shaping, drilling on center and finishing, without deep hollowing.

What you need

• Lathe: a midi lathe handles most vases; see our best midi wood lathes.
• Four-jaw chuck: to hold the blank by a tenon. See our best wood lathe chucks.
• Drill chuck on an MT2 arbor and a long drill bit or Forstner bit, to set the depth.
• Spindle roughing gouge and spindle gouge for the outside.
• Hollowing tools for the inside.
• Calipers (double-ended or wall-thickness calipers).
• A full face shield. The AAW says full face shields provide the protection needed for vessels and any turning with chucks.

Hurricane's set includes one straight and two curved hollowing tools on 1/2-inch bars, each with a 9 mm round carbide insert. Our carbide lathe tools guide compares other options.

Safety for vases and hollow forms

• Sound wood only. The AAW says turning stock should be free of cracks, splits, checking and ring shake, and that defects can be hidden. Hollowing exposes and stresses them. Discard cracked blanks rather than gluing them.
• Speed. The AAW's spindle chart suggests 1,500 RPM for 3-inch stock and 1,000 RPM or less for 4 inches and larger. Start lower for out-of-round blanks.
• Tool rest close. Keep the rest as close to the opening as possible. Long overhangs inside a vessel magnify catches.
• Check the chuck. The AAW says to check chuck jaw tightness frequently through the session.
• Clear shavings often with the lathe stopped. Packed shavings make tools grab.
• Remove the rest to sand, and apply finish with a paper towel, never cloth.

How to turn a wooden vase: step by step

1. Choose and mount the blank

Use a dry hardwood square, with the grain running the long way. For a bud vase, 2-1/2 x 2-1/2 x 7 inches is a good size. Mark the centers and mount between centers.

2. Rough round and cut a tenon

Rough the blank to a cylinder with a spindle roughing gouge. At the base end, cut a tenon sized for your chuck's jaws with a parting tool, with a flat shoulder so the blank seats squarely.

3. Remount in the chuck

Switch off, remove the blank and mount the tenon in the four-jaw chuck. Bring the tailstock up for support while you shape the outside.

4. Shape the outside

Shape the outside with a spindle gouge, working from the top (tailstock end) toward the base. Classic vase shapes have a defined shoulder, a narrower neck and a foot that is narrower than the widest point. Leave extra wood at the base for strength until hollowing is done.

5. Drill to depth

Remove the tailstock center and fit a drill chuck in the tailstock. Drill a center hole to the depth you want the inside to reach, marking the bit with tape. The AAW's drilling tips: seat the taper fully, extend the quill only far enough, lock the tailstock, and use a small pilot hole or a brad-point bit so the drill does not wander. Withdraw often to clear chips.

For a bud vase, this hole is the interior. Size it to fit a glass test tube if you want to hold water.

6. Hollow the inside

1. Set the tool rest across the opening and as close as possible.
2. Start with a straight hollowing tool, working from the drilled hole outward.
3. Switch to a curved tool to reach under the shoulder.
4. Work in stages: hollow the upper section to final thickness before going deeper.
5. Stop often to clear shavings and check wall thickness with calipers.
6. Keep the wall even. An even wall dries and moves evenly and is less likely to crack.

7. Refine the outside

With the inside done, you know the wall thickness, so refine the outside shape and blend the foot.

8. Sand and finish

Remove the tool rest, sand the outside through the grits and as much of the inside as you can reach safely. Apply finish with a paper towel. Let it cure fully, following the finish maker's instructions.

9. Part off and finish the base

Part the vase off near the chuck, leaving a small nub. Reverse it onto a jam chuck or a cushioned drive to finish the base, or carve and sand the nub off by hand.

Making a wooden vase hold water

Wood swells and shrinks with moisture, and most turning finishes are not designed for standing water. For fresh flowers:

• Fit a glass test tube in a drilled bud vase. Size the hole to the tube and leave a little clearance.
• Use a glass or metal liner in an open vase.
• Use the vase for dried flowers, grasses or as a decorative form.

Choosing a blank for a vase

For a first vase, choose dry, straight-grained hardwood: maple, cherry and walnut all turn cleanly on end grain. Look at both ends for checks, and cut an inch off each end if you see any; checks often start in the end grain. Turning squares such as 2 x 2 x 12-inch spindle blanks are a convenient size for bud vases. See our wood blanks for turning picks.

Figured or spalted wood makes striking vases, but hollowing exposes every defect. The AAW advises beginners to avoid bark inclusions, knots and irregular shapes until they have more experience, and to stop the lathe often to inspect the blank as material is removed.

Wall thickness and drying

For a dry-wood vase turned in one session, an even wall of about 1/4 to 3/8 inch is a practical target for beginners. If you turn green wood, rough-turn with thicker walls, let it dry slowly, then finish-turn, as with bowls. Our bowl turning guide covers rough-turning and drying in more detail.

Finishing ideas

A bud vase holding dried flowers can take any finish you like, from friction polish to oil. For vases with a glass liner, a durable wipe-on varnish protects the outside from damp hands and condensation. Apply it with a paper towel and let it cure fully before fitting the liner.

Common mistakes

• Starting with a hollow form. Begin with a drilled bud vase.
• Hollowing without a depth hole. You will go through the bottom.
• Long tool overhang. Move the rest in close.
• Packed shavings. Stop and clear them.
• Thin rim, thick bottom. Finish each section before going deeper.
• Expecting wood to hold water. Use a liner.
• Cracked or bark-inclusion blanks. Discard them.

Related: see our best hollowing tools guide.

FAQ

Next steps

Find suitable spindle squares in our wood blanks for turning guide, and pick up a drill chuck from our wood lathe accessories list. For hollowing tools, see carbide lathe tools.