What am I doing wrong???

[Tim McClelland]

I first got my lathe (mini Rikon) for the sake of turning pens. I have had a lot of fun doing so. Have given many out as gifts and have sold a few to people who have asked. I also did a couple of bowls and found that they too are fun. I gave my wife the last one I made out of cocobolo (filled it with M&Ms:)) She liked it enough to ask me to make two more as Christmas gifts for our daughter's in-laws and our son's in-laws to be. My problem is that I always get catches which does a lot of damage. What am I doing wrong?:confused: I am a lefty so I do do some of my work from the backside of the lathe. I have tried angling my tool up, down, straight and anything else I can think of. I have a bowl gauge but it is worse than the spindle gouge I end up using. I have a bowl sitting on the lathe now. I stopped because I was getting a bit too angry to continue out there. So I stopped and vacuumed all the shavings and dust that have been accumulating. The good part is that I now have a clean shop:). I should probably take a course somewhere like the local Woodcraft or something like it but $$$ is at premium right now. Help!!! By the way Steve, beautiful mapel bowls!!!

[Matt Newton]

I would recommend finding a local turner who would be willing to check your technique. I'll bet with just a little tweaking you will be churning out bowls no problem. If you are looking for other means of instruction, Bill Grumbine's videos are a huge help. Good luck and don't let the catches get you down. If I did, there wouldn't be anything coming out of my shop but swears.:)

[curtis rosche]

you cant ever use a spindle gouge on the inside of a bowl. from what it sounds like, your toolrest is either to high or to low. the cutting edge of the tool should always be above the center by a bit, between 0 and 3/16''.

[Tim McClelland]

Thanks for the input. I will try to both adjust the height of my tool and see if I can find a bowl turner in the area.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree with the tool rest height. Also it could also be just the way you present the bowl gouge to the wood. I would not use a spindle gouge on a bowl as if you do get a catch it could snap the tang and that isn't a good thing to do.

One DVD I would recommend is Bill Grumbines Turned Bowls Made Easy. He shows you a lot of cuts and how to do them. Excellent DVD.

[Dennis McGarry]

Also make sure your tools are SHARP. :)

I didnt do any bowls, but I noticed when I first started that as I made more pens I could tell when the tools were getting dull, Once I sharpened them the cuts were easier and less and less catches..

[Mark Hix]

You mentioned that the bowl gouge is worse than the spindle gouge. After you get some pointers from the videos or hands on, take your good blank off the lathe and chuck up a 2x4 or firewood (the neighbors fence post)....something you won't worry about. Turn it smooth and then practice with the gouge. Work on the tool presentation. Practice each cut like it will be the final cut. See what happens when you change the angle of the tool just a little.

Hang in there! You will never completely eliminate the catches but you can minimize them.

[Tony Pridmore]

Tim,

Check out http://www.woodturner.org/community/chapters/LocalChapters.asp for local clubs affiliated with the AAW. Lots of good resources at the clubs I've encountered.

Don't let the catches discourage you too much.

Tony

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Tim,

First off....we have all been there and done that. It's part of learning the craft/art so don't be too hard on yourself and don't get discouraged.

2nd. You have got some good advice here so far

Tool presentation....very important.......tool rest height....very important for tool presentation.

Tool sharpness....Extremely important....a sharp tool will cut fiber where a dull one might catch it....

I live in a remote area and I learned by watching Bill Grumbine's video "Turned Bowls Made Easy". Great learning tool.

The one thing I haven't seen anyone explain yet....the #1 mantra for a turner.....ride the bevel......ride the bevel..... that works with almost all tools unless you are doing some very specialized cuts.....

Good luck and don't give up!

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Welcome! Hang in there, keep trying. I get catches all the time. Some are pretty spectacular.

Did anyone mention Bill Grumbine's DVD yet? :) It's a good DVD. Buy/rent/borrow both of them. You can also try You Tube, there are a lot of videos, some junk, some are pretty good. Sorby site has a few.

[Jim Underwood]

Those heart-stopping spectacular catches?

They're usually caused by letting the wing of the bowl gouge get into the side of the bowl. Keep the gouge well heeled over and the flute pointed toward the center of the bowl until you get more practice. The moment you let the thing get too far over....

BANG!:eek:

The deal is, as with any catch, the cutting edge must be supported by the tool rest. The moment you let the pressure of the cut be unsupported, then you have a catch.

I like to think of the tool as a teeter totter. If the force on each side of the fulcrum is the same, then you have control. Once the pressure on one side is greater, then that side is going down. The only difference is that you're moving the teeter totter (the tool) around to balance the forces on the fulcrum (tool rest). Maybe that visual will help...

[Tim McClelland]

A lot of good stuff. I'll have to re read and then try them out on Monday when I get back from Pennsylvania. Again thanks for the info and the encouragement. I am very excited.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

one other comment. As well as making sure that you ride the bevel, look into putting the IRISH/ Elsworth grind on your bowl gouge. It will make the process MUCH better. Also, as you get to the corner where the side and bottom meet, utilize a round nose scrapper to blend them together.

Hope it helps,

Bruce

[Steve Schlumpf]

Tim - lots of good suggestions! One additional bit of advice - when you decide to start your cut - be firm. You don't have to apply a lot of pressure when using a sharp tool but you need to start the cut and then keep the pressure the same throughout the cut. If you back off the forward momentum a little bit - it is easy to get a catch if you are not paying attention when you start moving forward again.

Hope you can get with a local turner that can show you some basic techniques. It will save you a lot of time if you don't have to figure it out for yourself!

[Steve Mawson]

One other comment on the tool rest. Keep the rest as close a possible to the work. As mentioned before its like a teeter totter and your bowl gouge is much easier to control when the rest is close to the work. I believe Bill Grumbine talks about this in his DVD. Keep at it, it gets better.

[Chris Stolicky]

All of the above advice is very good.

One observation, you are cutting cocobolo, a very hard wood! Chances are your tools are not staying sharp for very long. It is also a difficult wood to practice on. Practicing on softer woods ("firewood", above) is definitely a good way to go.

Good luck.

[Mike Minto]

tim, are you using a 'standard' or 'fingernail' bowl gouge? i use a fingernail grind, and was having some of the same problems as you until i spoke to an aquaintence, Bill, who ownes the WoodCraft in Virginia Beach, VA. He told me to hold the gouge horzontal, with the flute turned at a 90 degree angle (being a righty, that meant the flute was open facing me). it worked wonders for me, and i learned how to bring the technique into my own. just keep the upper edge off the blank, and cut with the lower. hope this helps, mike

[Jeff Nicol]

Tim, If you could get someone to take some pictures of how you are presenting the gouge to the wood it would give me, at least, a better idea of your setup with the tools and wood. Everyones suggestions are great but by not being able to see what is happening at the time of the catch and where the catch is occurring we are all in the dark. The best suggestion is to get in touch with a more seasoned turner to show you some tips.

For Curtis, You can use whatever you want where ever you want so long as you have become competent with the tool in the situation you are choosing to use it in. Many people will use a spindle gouge inside a bowl for certain things so don't count things out with such certainty! For we have to go from stickmen to the Mona Lisa and to get there use everything inbetween!

Jeff

[Bob McClurg]

Sounds like you tool rest is too high or low. Also you need to find the bevel on the tool, approach the wood with the bevel high on the wood and slowing bring the tool into the wood by keeping the bevel on the wood. Practice on some cheap wood. You are most likely getting a catch when you allow the bevel on the tool to drop down below center into the wood. Ride the bevel and do the woodworker dance by moving you body not the tool. Sound hard but it's not - you'll get it. No matter whether right or left hand. Right handed wood turners learn to turn with their left so that they can turn either right or left and verse for left handed turner. GOOD LUCk!!

[chris ormsby]

I have just gotten into turning to the point that I fely I was fighting more than enjoying my shoptime. I have learned a ton throuhgh this site and joined the Central Ct Woodturners. I think I have learned more talking to experienced turners face to face than all the books and articles I have read. I would strongly suggest you attend one of our meetings. It be a great help to you I am sure.

[RL Johnson]

Tim
There is a woodturning club in East Hampton and another in Bethel, you seem to be in the middle between the two. I would suggest you find when they meet and go watch a demonstration. Most club have demonstrations and you can get so much better with some experienced instructions. Check out their websites for more information.
http://www.ccwoodturners.org/
http://www.nutmegwoodturners.com/NWT/