Choosing the correct tool

[Rob Miller]

When turning the interior of a vessel, whether a bowl, goblet, etc., I have been using a 1/2" bowl gouge for most everything. There are some areas where catches tend to occur, however, and I'm wondering if I'm using the wrong tool for this. The most troublesome area for me is around the inside of the neck. I think this may be because the wing of the gouge is coming into contact with the inner shoulder of the vessel. A scraper seems to cause quite a bit of tearout -- I suspect this is an issue with the sharpness of the tool, though (I haven't got the appropriate rest for sharpening the scraper yet). What is the best tool to use in this area?

[Roger Chandler]

For under the neck, a gooseneck scraper is a good tool. For hollowing closed type vessels [hollow forms, vases, etc] a boring bar with a tip on it would be good or one of the hollowing tools especially made for the inside of forms...........you can only go so far with a bowl gouge and get good results!

[Steve Doerr]

Rob, one of the things that helps make turning fun and successful is knowing what tool to use when and where. One tool can not be used for all things. That's why there are so many different tools and different sizes of those tools. I would suggest that you spend some time studying the different tools, what they are designed to do and how the angle of the grind can work on the different parts of the turning. A good reading on this is "Ellsworth on Woodturning." There are also several good DVD's that would be helpful as well--Jimmy Clewes, Bill Grumbine, etc. The other thing is to experiment with the different tools and find which one's work best for you under which circumstances.
Good luck and HTH,
Steve

[robert baccus]

A new turning tool does not require justification---just like candy.

[Scott Hackler]

[QUOTE=Rob Miller;2269780]When turning the interior of a vessel, whether a bowl, goblet, etc., I have been using a 1/2" bowl gouge for most everything. There are some areas where catches tend to occur.......QUOTE]

Rob, I suspect it's not the wrong tool...but the presentation of the tool and/or the sharpness of the tool. There is no reason why you can't use a 1/2
bowl gouge to turn a bowl or goblet. That is what it's made for. The only way a wing can get a catch on a bowl gouge is when the tool is rotated too far towards the wood. When doing a push cut (rim to center) the cut is initiated with the flute at 3:00. As soon as the cut begins the flute is rotated to 2:00 (or 1:00 for seasoned turners). Then the left wing is really far away from the wood and as long as your cut line is at or slightly above center... a catch will not happen.

Plus with a gouge you are cutting, with a scraper ...scraping. There is a place for and methods for shear scraping, but it is an acquired skill.

I turn wine glass sized goblets with a 1/2" gouge only.

[Rob Miller]

This is quite the protocol I follow, except that I have a hard time getting enough of an angle on the tool to rub the bevel at the 3:00 orientation, much less to present the cutting edge, and it's quite impossible if the throat is narrower than the main cavity of the vessel. Not so bad with a larger bowl. I guess I should try a gooseneck. Thanks for your comments.

[Thom Sturgill]

Tall vessels ( goblets or vases) and those with undercut openings (some goblets, calabash bowls) can be very problematic for the bowl gouge for the very reason you mention - hard to get the bevel in contact with the wood to get started. Pretty much all hollowing tools, gooseneck or otherwise, are scrapers and as such have the same issues as regular scrapers. Depending on the steel, the 'life expectancy' of the cutting edge or burr is measured in seconds, typically 20 - 30. Once the burr loses its ability to cut cleanly, it simply pulls grain out. I suggest that getting a proper rest for maintaining a scraper might need to be a priority. Reed aka Robo Hippy sells a nice one from what I've seen, or the basic one from wolverine but modify the side near the wheel so that it surrounds the wheel.

Personally, I hone the top of my scrapers and use a Veritas device to raise a burr similar to how you would raise a burr on a cabinet scraper. On a microscopic scale it is the difference between a clean edge and a serrated edge, and seems to last a bit longer than a grinder burr.

[Rob Miller]

I'm thinking the best answer for this might be a gooseneck with a carbide tip. Thoughts?

[Dennis Ford]

If you are looking for a single tool to be used inside multiple shapes, a gooseneck shank with a small scraper cutter would be a good choice. I prefer high speed steel over carbide only because it is easier for me to sharpen. At some point, you will want and/or need more than one tool for this job but the gooseneck shank will still be used often.

[Brian Kent]

Would somebody please just tell me which gooseneck shank with a small scraper cutter I should buy? All these voices in my head are arguing with each other!!!!

[Reed Gray]

Oh, you haven't caught on yet..... Buy one of everything... You use different tools for hollow forms, at least the insides than you do for bowls. With a hollow form, the smaller the opening, the more specialized tools you need. Lyle Jamison makes some nice ones. I use the Kelton hollowers, Dave at D Way has some hollowing tools, and of course there are plenty of others. I do like the articulated hollowing systems, Monster is one. I have found them to be a bit light weight for roughing out the insides, but excellent for the finish cuts, and yes, even though you can't see the inside, you still rough and then finish. One safety note here: When hollowing, the goose necks with a lot of curve in them are used only for getting around the shoulder of the hollow form, and a short way down the side. After that, then you switch to a more straight one. The big curve can rub up against the other wall while trying to turn out the bottom part of the form, and you get a very nasty catch.

I do prefer scraper tips that I can easily resharpen. This means no carbide tipped tools for me. Getting a bevel rubbing cut inside a hollow form is next to impossible. A shear scrape is easier to accomplish, or a small tear drop type negative rake scraper. I always seemed to get nasty catches with the small tear drop type scrapers on the inside of a hollow form, and they were always at a 90 degree angle/scraping cut angle.

For a standard scraper, I prefer the burrs straight from the CBN wheels. I have tried burnished burrs (I burnish by hand with a triangle burnishing tool), honed burrs, and ones straight from the grinder. With the CBN wheel burr, it cuts as well as any of the others, and is easier to do.

robo hippy

[Robert Henrickson]

Would somebody please just tell me which gooseneck shank with a small scraper cutter I should buy? All these voices in my head are arguing with each other!!!!

Hunter, but I also like/use Kelton. But for any given brand, goosenecks usually come in at least two different 'neck bends'.

[Chip Sutherland]

I use Kelton hollowers too, for hollow work. I use in them in my Monster captured rig and with just a handle. Robo hippy has some good YouTube videos on tool use especially scrapers..