Hollowing end grain bowls

[Prashun Patel]

I'm trying to make some end grain bowls. Shaping the outside was easy enough. But I'm having a devil of a time flattening and the hollowing the inside. Is there any magic to this? I'm about ready to give up. I want to make 4 of them.

[Jake Helmboldt]

Big scraper, fresh burr, light cuts. I have done minimal end grain work, but I have gotten very smooth surfaces with that.

[Sean Hughto]

I've not made full sized bowls in end grain, but have hollowed end grain for scoops, which is essentially the same operation but just involves less volume. I've had good luck using my bowl gouge to remove most - often using reverse cuts (cutting from the center out and cutting with the left side of the blade's nose). The gouge will get out a lot, but inevitably, scrapers are needed to finish and smooth the job.

[George Guadiane]

I'm trying to make some end grain bowls. Shaping the outside was easy enough. But I'm having a devil of a time flattening and the hollowing the inside. Is there any magic to this? I'm about ready to give up. I want to make 4 of them.
If you don't have a conventional end grain hollowing tool, drill the bowl blank to the maximum depth you want to achieve. Then, using your gouge, start from the center and work your way out. Focus on getting the center lower first and you will find cutting easier.

Cutting ACROSS the end grain will be much easier than trying to cut into the end grain. The tool holding position is a bit awkward, but you'll be able to make progress.
Let us know if that works for you.
G

[Prashun Patel]

Thanks guys. I'm not even at the smoothing part yet. I'm just trying to hollow. I'll give the drill boring a try.

The outside was easy enough to work.

[Ken Whitney]

Bob Hamilton has a short video on his site showing his technique using a gouge to hollow end grain in small pieces.

A bowl gouge should work fine up to a point, then it is scraper time.

Ken

[Kenneth Hertzog]

My neighbor has a ring tool which
I've seem him use on end grain.
its hollowed out in very short order
ken

[Brodie Brickey]

If you've turned regular bowls. The movements will be backwards.

On regular cross grain bowls, you work inward. On end grain you pull out. If you're actually hollowing a vessel as opposed to a bowl, I'd recommend one of the disc cutting tools (eliminator, hook, etc.). You can also use a big scraper to pull the shavings out.

[Jake Helmboldt]

If it is the actual hollowing, take a look at Jeff Nicol's homemade tool using a drill bit. I made one for pennies on the dollar and it does a great job.

He has posts here with details, and a youtube video as well. Nothing more than an Oland-style tool with a modified drill bit that has been ground to have something like a fingernail grind on it.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks guys. I'm not even at the smoothing part yet. I'm just trying to hollow. I'll give the drill boring a try.

The outside was easy enough to work.

Prashun the Oneway Temite is the best tool for it,it is a ring and also a hook tool will work well.
If you don't have one of those a spindle gouge will work, but you use it on it's side, maybe facing at 10 o'clock, and work outwards from the center.
Of course a scraper will work also but that's pretty rough working compared to a ring or hook tool.

Here's a very good website that shows how to make a hooktool yourself, but is has a lso a lot of other good turning info, it should be in your list of sites to goto, hope this helps :)

http://aroundthewoods.com/hooktool.shtml