Hot Pinky!!

[Josh Bowman]

I've been meaning to ask this. What causes the shavings on a dry bowl to come off hot? They are hot enough to make the old pinky finger very uncomfortable. I'm using a sharp 1/2" bowl gouge on hard maple. I haven't noticed that it is wood specific. I do tend to get the speed up to about 1100-1200 on a 6" piece.

[Joe Shinall]

Interested to hear the answer on this one. I too had it happen with some dry locust I did a month ago. Bout burnt my hand.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I turn about the same speed and that is why I use open fingered weight lifting gloves.

[John Keeton]

Simple friction! When that gouge edge cuts the wood, it is rubbing both sides of the edge against the wood. At 1000rpm, that is a lot of heat buildup. Just think about rubbing your hand quickly across a piece of hardwood. And, try touching the tip of the gouge after a run of those hot shavings!

[Fred Perreault]

I would imagine that it is simply friction. And if the wood is wet, the water has to be burned off first. If you are not sure, take the turning chisel after holding it against the blanck for a few seconds, and lay the cutting tip against your arm....ouch! The harder, tighter grained wood probably is hotter due to the required effort versus a more porous, less dense, softer wood. At least I think that is the case as I remember my general science from 50 years ago in our 2 room schoolhouse.

[Joe Shinall]

I figured friction but also figured there'd be some kind of technological term for it besides that. Only had it happen on one piece of dry wood but multiple times on wet wood.

[Allen Neighbors]

It's caused by the speed of the wood, passing over the cutting edge.... friction, as was already said. Slow the speed, and it won't be nearly as warm... Speed it up, and they'll get hotter again... Speed is our friend, so...
I wear gloves... the thin ones with rubber on the palm side... they're thin enough that I can still feel things, but thick enough to take the heat for me. :D

[Steve Schlumpf]

Yup - gets warm! I wear a buckskin glove on my left hand for that very reason. Neat thing when hollowing out a form in green wood is that you can watch the tool fog over from the steam being generated from the cut!

[David DeCristoforo]

"I figured...there'd be some kind of technological term for it..."

There is. "Heatishness". I thought everyone knew that...

[Joe Shinall]

"I figured...there'd be some kind of technological term for it..."

There is. "Heatishness". I thought everyone knew that...

I didn't know that one yet. I'm only on my D's in the Taunton How to speak like a Woodworker book. I was thinking Damnthatshot was probably too broad of a term.

[Josh Bowman]

So to summarize the friction of the tool to the wood causes heatishness and this is normal and should be expected. So I’m not doing anything wrong.:D:D:D

[John Keeton]

So I’m not doing anything wrong.:D:D:DJosh, I wouldn't go that far!:D Apparently, you are placing the smaller of the digital appendages on your hand in the direct flight of the heat infused particulate matter being produced by the heatishness, without application of an OSHA approved appendage applied heat shield device!:eek::cool:

Now that you know, I doubt the heatishness inspectors will be quite as forgiving!;):D

[David E Keller]

I thought woodturning was supposed to be painful both mentally and physically... heatishness and anguishation are two common themes in my work.

[Jim Underwood]

You can add "abrasivity" to the list of technical terms...:D

I roughed out 16 green bowls in a couple days, and at the end of the session the skin was worn off the finger that was in the way of all those shavings...:eek:

It caused a great deal of anguishation.... But the funnishness of turning alleviates much of that...

[Jake Helmboldt]

I figured friction but also figured there'd be some kind of technological term for it besides that. Only had it happen on one piece of dry wood but multiple times on wet wood.

I think the wet wood probably holds more heat (i.e. the water in the wood) as it comes off the cut. The dry shavings probably dissipate the heat more quickly as they fly off the cut.

[neil mackay]

I turn about the same speed and that is why I use open fingered weight lifting gloves.

Thats what I use or something very similar.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...heatishness and anguishation are two common themes..."

As is "frictionosity"...

[Tony Kent]

OH and all this time I thought it was the
mass x the rpm x the diameter of tool x the moisture in the wood x the force directed on the wood x pi divided by the space time continuum x the dilithium crystals exploding and oops the warp core just exploded, hate it when that happens.....where's Data and Wesley Crusher when ya need em?
Of course just kidding, I have been meaning to ask about gloves since I seem to be working with kiln dried wood lately and ouchy sometimes. Wasn't sure of the safety factor there. Me thinks I will sacrifice my golf gloves finger tips since I can't golf anymore. Great answers guys serious and the funny ones.
Tony