Roughing

Thanks, George. A photo, as they say, is worth many words. And a DVD is almost like being there. :-)

Jeff

Actually, I turn left handed most of the time so I described the method of taking small scoops out of the blank the opposite of the way I do it.

The important part is the small scoops so that if you raise a piece of grain it won't split out to the end of the blank but will stop at the next 'scoop'.

Bill

Jeff wrote:

Very much like "nibbling" with a saber/jig saw.. I find myself doing it around the outside-bottom edge of bowl blanks that aren't quite round when you get to the edge.. sort of sneak up on them a little at a time.. *g*

mac

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Jeff.. I have the same lathe and love it, though I wish it would turn a bit slower for some work...

As to more speed, I tend to do this IF the rough blank or whatever is pretty balanced... as you said, it's hard to turn accurately when you're chasing the lathe all over the shop *g*

I remember reading a section on Bill Grumbine's page about turning a natural edge bowl..

He mentioned that in some cases, he felt safer at higher speeds, because if he got a catch, the time his chisel was in contact with the wood was shorter... If anyone but Bill had said that, I'd be thinking "fuzzy logic", but since I want to be like him if I grow up, I'll believe it.. YMMV

mac

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Had my Son-in-law take a series for me. He and the daughter are over so we can put together the doors for their downstairs display cabinet. Cut the cope/mold and glue up two more every 45 minutes. Only two sets of Besseys. Black ash, and quite handsome. I do not advocate increasing speed. It will make it easier to chop the wood, or saw off with a less-than sharp gouge, as you can see in pictures eight and nine, where I grabbed a medium-dull forged gouge to show that attack angle, since you mentioned it. Picture seven shows the side scrape, which is fine for sizing tenons and such, but produces a sad surface. All taken at 650 rpm, which is fine. I use 650 for the 1/8 icecicles on ornaments, and roughing 10" bowls too, because cutting wood doesn't take a lot of energy - if the tool's presented right.

Picture five demonstrates the swing to make coves technique, and the obvious difficulty encountered when you find you're not running downhill any more. Of course, this is a chunk of red oak, which is going to show a tear if you get the slightest bit out of line. Other woods are friendlier on uphill cuts, though none of them like it..

So, look at one through four, captions come up when highlighted, and use the whittling method shown there. If you catch the guy on DiY, he gives the reasons for establishing and maintaining a downhill all along the blank. Just plain makes sense

I figure it will make buying the next lathe--one with an electronic VS drive--all that much sweeter. It's rather like a kid forced to drive a Yugo prior to getting his first real car.

I tried roughing at about 850 rpm instead of 450, and voila ! it simply worked better in all respects. Less pulsing of the tool against the out-of-round stock, faster cutting, and less tendency to catch, which had been happening periodically at 450 rpm. That said, the branch chunks I've been roughing are not too out-of-round, or 850 might have been a bit too fast.

I like the 1442 as well. For the money I think it's tough to beat. A great beginner's lathe with the ability to keep an experienced turner from complaining too loudly.

Jeff

Thanks, George. Great set of photos, and very helpful. As an aside, I tried 850 rpm instead of 450 today for roughing and everything went better. That said, my Ellsworth gouge still does a faster, better job of roughing than my 1.5" roughing gouge. I have no idea why, as I think I'm presenting each properly now, but that's just the way things seem to be. Now I have to figure out how to use a skew properly. Raffan makes it look so easy, and I'm struggling.

Thanks again.

Jeff

"Jeff" wrote in news:cfuOe.476$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net:

Now I have to figure out how to use a skew properly.

See if you can find one or more of Alan Lacer's videos on the use of the skew...

Patriarch

Both Packard and Craft Supplies sells them. Are they really that significantly better than Richard Raffan's treatise on the skew?

Jeff

A resounding YES! At least the first one, "The Skew Chisel". I haven't seen the second tape yet, "Son of Skew".

Better yet, find or make a good beading tool. Never could figure out why they aren't in the standard tool kit. Skew's a great planing tool, but at trims and beads, second-rate.

Having spent only about half an hour with a skew, I'm convinced it is worthless. Of course this assessment can mean only one thing: I have no idea how to use a skew. I can get a reasonably smooth cylinder, but attempting to face endgrain or to make beads has been less than successful. Raffan makes it look sooo easy. Could my skew be ground wrong? It is very sharp, but has some hollow aspect to the bevels. Is it absolutely necessary to hone the bevels until you've got some flats on them? And would I be better off with a slightly curved edge, rather than a straight one?

Sorry for all the questions.

Jeff

Nope, you've described the strengths and weaknesses of the skew to a "T".

With that nose hanging over, you have to cut down _and _ in nearly simultaneously to avoid a spiral. When you use it nose up, of course, you get a rougher cut than nose down, because you're lifting the fibers.

One of the things people do to protect themselves is to round the skew, providing some clearance for the otherwise unnoticed uninvolved edge. Makes it much less a planer, though, so unless you have a good roughing gouge technique, I'd tough out the learning process.

After twenty or so years perhaps you'll be where I am, wondering why in the H*ll you bother.

LOL. I believe I've already reached that point, rather from ignorance and frustration than from extensive experience. My primary interest is bowls, platters, and hollow forms, with which I've had some degree of success to date. But I decided that I'd better learn to do between-centers work if I ever aspire to be a complete woodturner. I've been attempting to learn the skew and roughing gouge on dry ash branches. I may see if I can collect some wet soft wood branches--we almost always have trees being trimmed or cut down in this area--for learning purposes. Overall I believe it is my

*patience* that need the most work, however.

Thanks for all your kind assistance, George. And to all the others as well.

Jeff

Jeff... I can't tell you about technique, but I have a lot of experience with impatience...

It's taken me years to learn to do 2 things:

When it stops being fun, go do something else for an hour or so.. your subconscious will be working on it and will bring you back to the project with a better mind set..

When I was "younger", I was always in a hurry to finish things.. if a step involved waiting for something, I'd skip it.. Now, when I'm up against something like glue setting or a finish drying, I go play on the computer, mow the lawn, beat the grand kids, whatever.. just to force myself to wait... as a reformed control freak, it's been an uphill battle.. lol

I really haven't learned patience as much as the ability to recognize my impatience and deal with it.. group hugs help, too.. *g*

mac

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My impatience is innate, and I, too, struggle with it. Skew chisels have become my nemesis. They leave such a lovely surface when used correctly, and catch all too frequently. I've even put a slight radius on my larger skew--I'll try that for a while and see if it eliminates some of the catches. If not I'll straighten it out again.

It's difficult to see DVDs of pro turners using skews with the same skill I possess with a fork when feeding my face and not get impatient. I too recognize my impatience while being generally unable to eliminate it. (sigh)

Jeff

I've suspected that ash is probably not the best wood on which to learn the skew. But I have so darned much of it, and I also concluded that if I could master the skew on dry ash I could use it on almost anything. Faulty reasoning, probably. Sadly I chose to forego taking some branches from my neighbor's apple tree, which he just cut down last week.

Jeff

Lots of good suggestions. Thanks, Tom.

I have a Wolverine system, but without the skew jig. I find I'm able to grind them quite well on the flat plate included with the system. Today I put a slight radius on my larger (1") skew, and I've not had quite the number of catches I had earlier, but haven't eliminated them entirely. I'll try the radius for a while and if I gain some skill I may straighten it out again. Skews produce such a nice surface--I wish they were simpler to learn.

I never thought of ripping 2x4s--definitely will give that a try. And I ordered Alan Lacer's DVD today.

Jeff