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Thread: Smoothing the inside curves

  1. #1

    Smoothing the inside curves

    And another one:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlEfNb9A1Ac

    robo hippy

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Chicago Heights, Il.
    Posts
    2,136
    Very well done Reed. It always amazes me how many Pro turners purpose is more on entertaining and "Wow" factoring than breaking down the fundamentals of techniques of cutting. You are teaching and diffinitly not on a " ego trip". This information you are providing is essential in learning to turn. I find many of those I help trying to cut the curve on the bowl by sliding the tool down the rest. I now use a magic marker on the rest to limit the sliding of the tool and emphasize the hips and driving the right hand into the bottom of the bowl. Thanks for the grat tutorials you are providing.
    Member Illiana Woodturners

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Central PA
    Posts
    56
    Love the vids always, Reed...thank you.

  4. #4
    Thanks! I enjoyed watching the video. It was quite helpful.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Haubstadt (Evansville), Indiana
    Posts
    1,294
    Your videos are a great help to me as a novice turner. Great information and well done. Thanks Reed.
    When working I had more money than time. In retirement I have more time than money. Love the time, miss the money.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Vadnais Heights, MN
    Posts
    1,607
    Reed,
    Where did you get the tools you used? Or are they your own grind?
    I'm looking for something to give me a better finish on the inside of my bowls...
    Tanks!
    Doug Swanson

    Where are John Keeton and Steve Schlumpf anyway?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Logan, Ohio
    Posts
    100
    Good stuff
    Thanks Reed

  8. #8
    Doug,
    All the tools are pretty much my own grinds. One is a spindle/detail gouge from Oneway. I use it when I am taking off 1/8 inch or more. The fluteless gouge is from Doug Thompson. It is for taking very fine cuts. I have a few that are half round flutes as well, one from Thompson, one from Craft Supplies. Mostly for the very fine finish cuts I have a 70 degree bevel, and very little sweep to it. 60 degrees is also a common bevel angle for these tools, and some gouges. There are a number of 'bottom feeder' or BOB (bottom o bowl) tools from a number of manufacturers.

    robo hippy

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Vadnais Heights, MN
    Posts
    1,607
    Reed,
    Thanks for the replies. With all your videos out there, do you have any that show how you do your custom grinds? You had one showing how you sharpened the fluteless gouge but what about turning a fingernail grind into a traditional?
    Sorry for all the questions but I'm selling more bowls now and I need to spend less time using the 80 grit gouge!
    Doug Swanson

    Where are John Keeton and Steve Schlumpf anyway?

  10. #10
    Well, I do have one up on platform sharpening, and it is kind of a commercial. It was very quick, and I need to update it and get a bit more detailed.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ7w6yFhw4c

    I am still experimenting with cutting. Most of the time, on the outside, I use a 45/45 gouge, so 45 degree bevel, and 45 degree sweep. Stuart Batty and Mike Mahoney use a 40/40, which I tried, but it was just too pointy for me. You can not get that grind with any jig. On the inside, I have been using a fingernail grind at 60 degrees, but some times start with the 45/45. Across the bottom, I use 70 degree bevels, and several different types.

    The big 3 for me in all woodturning is first, sharp tools. If they aren't sharp, they won't cut clean which equals more sanding. Two is presenting the tool to the wood, which is how to stick sharp metal into a spinning piece of wood so it cuts clean. Also here is preventing catches and sending things all across the shop. Third is being able to move with the tool so you get nice smooth curves with little or no bumps and dips. This is probably the most difficult, and I talk about it some in the Bowl Turning Ergonomics clip. If your steering wheel is loose, you have more sanding to do. The shear scrape is where you take down a lot of those little tool marks.

    Mike Mahoney said he starts at 80 grit almost every time. I try to avoid it because some times the 80 grit scratches are worse than my tool marks, but 120 on a good day, and some times 80. I have been retired from show business now so I don't turn as much as I used to. I have been focusing on trying to perfect my cutting skills. Clean cuts start with sharp tools, and a high shear angle. To get that high shear angle, most of the time I use a more open flute design, and roll the tool over on the side so I am cutting more with the nose. Some times one tool works, but not the other, then the next bowl, just the opposite, just because.

    Are you having problems with tear out, or smooth curves, or both...

    Hope this helps.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Vadnais Heights, MN
    Posts
    1,607
    Thanks for the info, Reed.

    Mostly, I'm having problems with tear out. I can get smooth curves without much a problem but sometimes I get a fair amount of tear out. Most of the wood I've been turning lately is dry. I wish I had more green wood but I'm running low on that so I've resorted to using dry wood.

    For the inside of bowls, I use a standard 1/2" fingernail bowl gouge and hollow in steps. Then the last few passes I will make one continuous cut with that gouge to even things out. Depending on the curve, then I will use a 3/8" fingernail bowl gouge (with a relief bevel). This seems to help but I still get some end grain tear out on some woods.

    Thanks!
    Doug Swanson

    Where are John Keeton and Steve Schlumpf anyway?

  12. #12
    Will some one please invent the transporters.... Beam me aboard. Hard to say. Two things come to mind. One is the wood. Generally, medium hard woods cut best like fruit woods or madrone. Softer woods like big leaf maple and cottonwood can leave a lot of very stringy tear out, and harder woods like black locust can be problematic too. Other than that, if the gouge is freshly sharpened, you may be cutting faster than the wood can cut, and that for sure contributes to tear out. Some times on really dry wood you need to wet it, water oil, finish, then let it sit for a minute or so, then take angel hair thin cuts to remove the wet wood. I had some 10 year old Koa blanks that were tearing out horribly. I had to wet and cut a couple of times to get it cut out. It wasn't a tool problem, it was the wood. The high shear angle helps, which is why I like a spindle or detail gouge with a ) nose profile, and roll it to 70 degrees vertical. Some times that helps. I had some butternut once that had a lot of string left when done cutting, and just had to 80 grit it out. Not as much help as I would like to be, but it gives you a few things to try out.

    robo hippy

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    lufkin tx
    Posts
    2,054
    Doug, try a scarey sharp bottom feeder. Makes it easy usually.

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