When hollowing and you can't see the tool tip, you have to cut by feel. I recall reading an article (by Lyn Mangiameli?) which introduced a word I had not heard before which describes the condition of "knowing where the tip of the tool is even though you can't see it". It's related to phantom limb, I think. Can anyone remind me of the word? It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't find it.
"Mark Fitzsimmons" wrote: (clip) I recall reading an article (by Lyn Mangiameli?) which introduced a word I had not heard before which describes the condition of "knowing where the tip of the tool is even though you can't see it". (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yes, it was Lyn, and I cant think of the word either, right now. (It will probably come to me right after I hit "send.") BTW, the application was controversial. There were those that insisted that it applies to the positioning of body parts, like finger tips, but not to extensions, like tool tips.
Precisely. It's a stretch to believe that you have proprioceptive sense with disparate lengths of handle, etc, but for lack of a better term, it'll do.
The muscle feedback circuitry is why you want to make your entry cut with locked small muscles, pivoting with your whole body. Gross "balance" rather than fine muscle feedback, which is faulty and slow until you're established in the cut. Same principle as using the far end of the gouge to make fine adjustments to the working end. A perceptible half inch there will make an imperceptible 32nd of an inch adjustment to the cutting edge.
Huh. Interesting thread- it's not all that often I get to learn a new word!
Closing your eyes is a good way to do lots of things- when I was working as a sawyer and training new guys to cut single pieces by hand, I suggested that they close their eyes and use their finger tips to align the ends of the cut peice and the one they are trying to match- there is a perceptable difference between the sensitivity of your fingertips that way. Cutting off one or more senses tends to focus the others, at least in most people.
While I can see Leo's statement about being "deaf and blind in a way." having some merit, I'd have to say that what I use is "proprioception" and hearing- it may be a matter of the hollowing tools I use, but I've found that the best way to tell what kind of cut I'm making is by listening to the wood shear away from the interior wall- different cuts make different noises. That intangible location of the tool tip is just there, but it's noticably there- I can hollow things awfully thin, and never poke through the side or bottom.
On another hollowing related note, I had some luck with a new hollowing tool I ground when I turned a vase last sunday- Basically, I used a bit of M2 punch tooling that was .5" diameter, ground three sides flat (the "top", the bottom, and one side.) to about 1" back, and then ground a large radius on the side. Basically, it is a scraper that has a profile similar to the tip of a butterknife, with the sharpened bit on the curved edge.
It was not all that great when I was using on the toolrest, but oddly enough, I decided to slide the handle into a 3' section of black pipe and try it out freehand, and I was able to get the walls of the inside smooth enough to finish without sanding. The bottom was another story entirely, but end grain is always a challenge to cut. Getting the walls that smooth was a real victory!
Sounds like a negative rake scraper a la Stuart Batty. I beleive the old Ivory turner used this type of tool.
Serendipitous, no?
Okay ... pony up. How's about a picture of the tip grind?
Bill
The only word that comes to mind is "GUESSING" :) Tom
No camera (Oh, how I wish I could get one and use it- but they hate me!) I'll draw it up, and post a .jpg to ABPW. (To answer the inevitable question, ABPW is alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking)
It'll be under the header "Hollowing Scraper (from rec.crafts.woodturning)"
Just a note, for this and future reference- here's a link to a site that posts (at least some) of the pictures from ABPW. I don't know how often they refresh it, but something is better than nothing if you are accessing this group from Google or some other web-based forum, and don't have access to binary newsgroups.
"Mark Fitzsimmons" wrote: (clip) Can anyone remind me of the word? It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't find it. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Tastebud.
I'd add the word - EXPERIENCE
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