Bowl #4, still lots to learn

[gketell]

Well this one didn't blow apart so that is some improvement. It is a Walnut Bowl turned from a chunk of old rotting root ball that a neighbor brought over to me. It is 4-1/2" tall and 6-1/2" diameter and the wall thickness it between 1/8" and 3/32" thick. It is finished with 2 coats of sanding sealer and then 6-8 coats of Deft Gloss Lacquer.

The outside sides turned out pretty well. The foot Almost cost me the bowl again so is really rough and the inside is atrocious.

Some of it is due to the wood being punky, I'm sure (I hope). The inside was turned with really sharp tools (1/4" bowl gouge and 3/4" bowl gouge (**) (the only gouges I have right now)) but I still got a ton of tear out. Any suggestions on how to get a smoother finish?


(**) Interesting detail I just discovered. The 3/4" gouge is a Thompson and is measured based on the diameter of the shaft. The 1/4" is a Robert Sorby and they measure based on the width of the flute. If I go on the diameter of the shaft the Robert Sorby is a 3/8" gouge. Seems like the difference in measuring methods would make it really hard on those who order on-line. Kinda like a box of chocolates, you never know what your are going to get until you open the package.

GK

 

[jimbob91577]

Tool Presentation

When I enter my cuts while hollowing a bowl, I enter so that the flute of the gouge is pointing towards the inside of the bowl. After I get the cut started, I twist it back so that the flute is pointing up. I seem to get better results this way. I also sometimes use a sharp bowl scraper to do finishing cuts.

I still have some tearout though and I invariably end up sanding to correct it, but doing it that way reduces the amount of sanding for me anyway.

 

[VisExp]

Greg, that looks pretty good. I like the shape, it reminds me of a calabash bowl back in Africa Very cool.

The difference in the gouge size is because the American and British measure the gouge differently.

They also drive on different sides of the road :biggrin:

 

[Dario]

As mentioned ask what standard they are using before buying (British or American).

If you want less tearout, turn your gouge clockwise on your finishing cuts. The cut will be less aggressive.

A heavy duty (thick) scrapper can do wonders too. Position your toolrest with top to the center on the lathe, cut at the centerline...this way, the scraper will be pointing downwards a bit when cutting.

Good job btw! I too like the shape.

 

[rlharding]

You can make a scraper out of a heavy flat file.

 

[Rcd567]

Very nice. You guys are killing me with the bowls. Man I need to get to work.

 

[TellicoTurning]

Greg,
Pretty bowl.. good tips on the inside.. I'm still working on getting my insides cuts smoother too.... I use a Don Pencil hollowing tool, scrapper, plus the bowl gouges from PSI.. I think they are Benjamin Best...

I think I'm getting a hair better each one I do.

 

[JimB]

Ditto about the scrapers for the inside bottom. The bowl gouge never seems to get it smooth. Sometimes I use a round nose scraper and other times a square scraper. Either works better than the bowl gouge for those final cuts. The suare scraper is best for getting rid of the center dimple.

 

[gketell]

Thanks for the nice comments and for the suggestions. I'll have to reshape one of my scrapers for this. I have 2 that are semi-round but have sharp corners so I couldn't get near the edges of the bowl without gouging it.

Ruth, how do you get the file smooth so it doesn't eat your tool-rest? I tried to make a hollowing tool out of a rat-tail file and it ate grooves in the tool rest really badly.

GK

 

[nava1uni]

I like the shape of the bowl. I also like the outside of the bowl a lot because it shows the texture of the wood.