Here's a useful cutting tip

In making bowls, most of the cuts are made from the top side of the blank, cutting clockwise. Sometimes, however, you need the bottom of a ring to be a particular size, as when making a flared top for a vase, and aren't sure what the top diameter should be. The easiest way to handle this situation is to turn your blank on its face, draw the size ring you need, allowing a generous margin all around, and cut along the line at whatever angle you're using, going COUNTERCLOCKWISE. Then you can turn your wood over, face side up, and proceed as usual.