(Q) How to modify a roughing gouge to cut bowl interiors, Sorby Hollowmaster and Tool Rests

Check the following. They have impressive charts showing the different angle for different woodturning tools. CMW Turning Tips - August 2002 from Michael O'Donnell's Tools of the Trade

Thanks - This is perfect information for grinding my own custom tools! Seems he specializes in the same things I am interested in turning.

Greg G.

If your bowl/vessel/container is only a couple of inches deep, the standard tool rest would probably work just fine. The real problem is in your choice of turning tools. You need to invest in a good quality 3/8" bowl gouge with a side or fingernail grind, then learn how to use it.

Get a good book/video, take a class or find someone to give you a few lessons. It's very important to "get started right" and not develop bad habits that you will have to unlearn later.

I admire your tenacity for using a parting tool to clear the waste from the interior of your bowl, but there are much better ways to do it. Even a sharp 1/2" roundnose scraper would be better than a parting tool.

A roughing gouge really has no place in bowl turning. You might be able to get by roughing the outside of a small bowl or vessel with one, but even then, it's better done with a bowl gouge. Good luck.

Barry

Yes, I discovered that almost immediately! I subsequently used what I had at hand. I have been studying bowl gouges and grinds this night. Being a newbie, I have a limited number of tools in my arsenal.

I'm still trying to figure out what this LDD thing is everyone is making clandestine references to...

I plan to, as soon as the library opens. It's Sunday here - nothing's open. I have enough "bad habits" as it is. ;-)

It took a while & seemed rather inefficient - but I had one. :-\

It worked fine on the straight exterior but is a definite no-no on the inside/endgrain. This was actually a lidded vessel, not a bowl.

Thanks,

Greg G.

Greg G. wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Elixer of Life.

L 'but one' D

Good info, I actually saved the contents to the hard drive, as sites sometimes disappear without warning.

Not sure if I'm ready for 3/4" wide boring cuts in either end-grain or cross-grain. But in time...

I am primarily interested in reducing/eliminating the possibility of catching/hanging while clearing out interiors. I found that to be a most disconcerting experience - and one that could destroy a piece, and possibly body parts as well.

Greg G.

I had never seen a shortcut to a Newsgroup message, before. I duplicated what you did with a message from another newsgroup but had to copy to Word and add News: to the front. Is there an easier way of doing it?

Thanks,

Bob Darrah West Linn, Oregon

It's an option in XNews and many other newsreaders. AFAIK not in Outhouse, however.

Not really recommended, as some newsreaders, notably Outhouse, choke on it - or it forces a "retrieve all message headers" command, which on a dial-up, could take quite a while.

FWIW,

Greg G.

OK, I figured it out. Hardly fits your definition. ;-)

So that would make you just "Liquid Detergent", eh?

Greg G.

Greg,

To add to what others have said......

Buy the Keith Rowley book: "Woodturning: A Foundation Course". Consider Richard Raffan's book: "Turning Wood". Both are excellent references. Consider a bowl-turning video or two: "Bowl Turning" by John Jordan and Del Stubbs' bowl video are excellent. Consider these other reference items too: "Turning Green Wood" by Michael O'Donnell and "The Aesthetics and Properties of Wood" video by John Jordan. Finally, for hollow turning, consider David Ellsworth's video #3 on hollow turning and John Jordan's "Hollow Turning" video.

If you live near a town with an AAW (American Association of Woodturner's - assuming you are in the USA) chapter, you should join and get the veterans there to give you assistance. I have rarely met a woodturner that didn't want to help. If you live near a Woodcraft store, go there and take lessons. If you join the AAW, you will get a roster of members and you may find someone close by to offer assistance. There is hardly any reason to go it alone.

Finally, be careful. What you described as your initial efforts scared the dickens out of me. Don't let your enthusiasm get yourself hurt. If you don't have the correct tool, be patient and wait until you get it. Using the wrong tool can be dangerous - especially without knowing why particular tools are designed the way they are. Also, don't attempt to turn with a tool until you have been taught (video, book or real person) how to use it. You have a life time to turn. Make sure it is a long one. :-)

Joe Fleming - San Diego =================================

"Bob Darrah" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Never noticed that before! Apparently my newsreader does it automagicaly.

LD

Greg G. wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Thanks for pointing that out. I'll be changing the configuration.

LD

Or just slippery!

Second the opinion on Rowley's book! He also has a video of the same name as the book (IIRC), but he does get a wee bit monotonish and I have nodded off a cuple times when watching it. Raffan's books and videos are also good. If you can buy one book, buy Rowley; good solid, safe, fundamentals.

LD

Thanks for the pointers, guys!

Greg G.

Thanks, Joe, I'll look into the books. I'm not big on videos, but if the local library has a copy, I'll look at those as well. I tend to buy things that serve as permanent reference material - and borrow the others.

Scared me as well - but I only tried it once. It was quite obviously the incorrect tool and method to use. I stay clear of the "throw zone" - hard NOT to do when clearing interiors. It's a small Jet mini-lathe, so the probability of serious injury should be somewhat reduced. I did have the sense to keep the rest properly positioned, and to steer clear of obvious dangers. I just didn't think about the edge profile causing a catch on end-grain. I do understand the concepts of positioning the angle of the tool so that hangs are deflected out of the work, and not into it.

And yes, it took me a minute to figure why certain tools are designed the way they are. I guess you can't outdo 200 years of experience and tool evolution in 10 minutes.

Thanks again,

Greg G.

I'm in Atlanta, but I don't know of him. ;-) I hope you don't now refer to him as one-eye... :-\

This is true. This is a mini-lathe turning small vessels, so forces would be reduced somewhat over large pieces and more powerful lathes. But I suppose I should try a standard bowl gouge before moving on to custom mods.

Thanks,

Greg G.

Greg,

The degree of injury is related to the speed of the lathe and the mass of the object thrown, not the size of the lathe. IIRC, the Jet mini has a speed range of about 500-3000, so you are working in the same speed range as much larger lathes. The prime difference between the mini and larger lathes is the size of object that can be turned. But, a 4-6 ounce chunk of wood flying off a mini running at 3000rpm has the same injury potential as the same size chunk flying off a larger lathe at the same speed.

Someone once said that the difference between a table saw and a lathe is the lathe can kill you. I've got an old face shield I keep as a reminder of the dangers of turning. It has a nice gouge from a 4 ounce or so chunk of bowl right about where the edge of my scalp would have been had I not been wearing it and even with the protection, the impact was enough to make me dizzy - like getting hit with a bullet while wearing a bulletproof vest.

I don't want to rattle you, but you need to be as concerned about safety on your mini as you would on a larger lathe. The safety habits you build now will last you forever.

Have fun, but have fun safely!

LD