Do My Wood Shavings Look Normal Or Do I Need To Change Something?

[Dom Garafalo]

I have a newbie question about the shavings I'm producing as I work on hollowing out a kiln dried cherry bowl blank.

I'm using a 1/2" Benjamin Best bowl gouge with moderately sweep back wings ground with a 45 degree bevel with a spindle speed of about 800 rpm.

I've quickly discovered, at least for me, that turning dry wood does not produce those long wide beautiful shavings that cut like butter. Instead, I've attached a couple of photos of the short curly shavings I'm producing as I hollow this dry cherry blank.

My question is whether the shavings look normal based on my description of the wood and gouge I'm using or does the size and curly shape suggest a problem with the way the bowl gouge is ground or my technique?

I appreciate any comments or feedback.

Thank you