Bowl help

[Craig Powers]

Just finished trying to rough out a 15X5 ash salad bowl.
Prior to this, my largest bowl was 8X3.
My goal was to get it 1.5 in. to dry.
Problem was trying to get the the lower inside corner
to thin out. I couldn't get my 5/8 bowl gouge to
follow the line. Tried a 1 1/4 in radius scraper and
got a huge catch. Tool rest is not curved.
Any help is appreciated.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Craig - I use a 5/8" bowl gouge and it all depends on what grind you have on it. When I get to the inside corners I rotate the gouge so that the flute is opened up - pointed more towards a 2 o'clock position until I get through the corner - then rotate back. Also, make sure your bevel isn't huge. I always grind off (round) the bottom of the bevel as it is not used and just gets in the way!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ditto what Steve said. I do the same thing. I have never been able to use a scraper inside a bowl.

[alex carey]

How long is your scraper. I mean entire length including handle. You might consider lengthening your tools.

Alex

[Jeff Nicol]

Turning ash is a tough thing as it is very fiber filled and tough, it most likely has some figured grain in it and it will change shape as you are turning it! This will give you trouble. Also just make sure you are a close to the wood with the support as possible, even if you have to keep moving it and scraping small sections at a time.Try and keep the rest a little above center to use the bur edge the best by tipping the scraper down a bit and easing it into the wood with small cuts . Another way is to put a secondary micro grind on your bowl gouge as this will let you get deeper into the bowl and still maintain the bevel rubbing. We have all had our catches and we will have them again, it is just one of the things we will always try to overcome!

Keep at it!

Jeff

[Reed Gray]

I turn large bowls (up to 18 inch diameter) and have no problems with a scraper inside or outside. However, I did have some 'learning experiences' along the way. With the outside of the bowl, no problems. You have a big solid chunk of wood, and no vibration. When you start the inside, it is different. As you remove the inside to finish wall thickness, the wood, because there is less mass, is flexable, and any pressure on it will cause it to flex. Think of a big soap bubble. So, you turn to final thickness in stages. Go down an inch or two, then do your finish cut. Another inch or two, and finish cut. All the way to the bottom. You can use either a gouge or a scraper for this. With a scraper, for roughing, you can use a scraping cut with the scraper flat on the tool rest. For your finish cut, have the scraper on its side for a shear cut (I use a pulling cut rather than a push cut here). The shear cut puts little pressure on the wood. It is not a stock removal cut, but a clean up cut, and it will take several passes to remove any marks. You can do pretty much the same cuts with your gouge.

Another part of the inside of the bowl, is that there are 3 areas to turn. The side of the bowl, the transition, and the bottom. The problem area is the transition from the side to the bottom of the bowl. On shallow bowls and platters, there is very little transition, but on deeper bowls, there is more of a transition. You need a different bevel to get through this area. A 45 degree bevel works fine for the sides, but not through the transition area. Rolling the gouge on its side helps. Grinding a secondary bevel helps some what as well, but a different, more blunt grind in the 55 to 75 degree range is easier. You can also clean up the transition with a scraper held in a shear angle. Take an old gouge (if you have one) and grind it pretty flat, and sweep the edges back only slightly and try it.

Bowl rim vibration causes a lot of catches. It is more of a problem on larger bowls, and is a problem whether the wood is green or dry. You can use a bowl steady which helps some. You can use your hand also, which is my preference. If you use your hand, two things to remember. first, round over the edges of the rim. They are like tiny razor saws, and will slice you pretty quickly. You can do this with a natural edge bowl, but I won't recomend it, extreme caution, HAZARD, professional driver on a closed course, do not attempt! Second, use only gentle pressure. Kind of like sanding, if you press too hard, you get heat, and also, if you are using too much pressure, you can make the wood vibrate/flex as well. You need to take only the lightest of cuts. Pressure from the outside and inside can make the bowl flex. It is really difficult to take a finish cut from the rim to the bottom on the inside of a bowl.

robo hippy

[Craig Powers]

Thanks to all for taking the time to respond.
The transition area is what I was trying to describe as
giving me the most trouble. Its the thickest area at this point.