Turning a bowl with scrapers

[Reed Gray]

How I use scrapers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKdqiAc0jx4&feature=feedu

r (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKdqiAc0jx4&feature=feedu)obo hippy

[Bernie Weishapl]

Another nice video Reed. Looks like you have roughed one or two with that method.:D Thanks for sharing.

[David Gilbert]

Reed,

Very impressive videos! I watched both of your new videos, bowls with gouges and bowls with scrapers. I appreciate your skill with all these tools. My question is why and where would you choose to use scrapers instead of gouges for turning a bowl? Both of the bowls have similar shapes and took similar (very short) time to make. Are there shape or wood considerations or was the bowl with scrapers just a demo to show that it could be done?

Thanks,
David

[David E Keller]

Nice work on the videos, Reed! I appreciate you taking the time to share, and I really appreciate watching someone turn with such a practiced and confident technique!

[Ryan Baker]

Nice videos Reed. Thanks for posting them.

[Reed Gray]

I started playing with scrapers a number of years back, 5 or more, just to see what those who knew how to use them, knew that I didn't. I found scrapers are a superb roughing tool. The way I see it, the primary cut used for roughing bowls is a scraping cut, basically with the cutting edge at 90 degrees to the wood rotation. What better tool for a roughing scraping cut than a scraper. You can push and pull without rolling it. I use it to remove bulk and refine the shape, then take a gouge for finish cuts, then back to the scraper for a shear cut to clean up the tool marks left from the gouge (more or less depending on how good tool control is going for the day). Fine finish cuts with the gouge, and the heavy work with the scraper. I use a burr straight from the grinder. I use the D Way CBN wheels now, and had a different style matrix type of CBN wheels I used for years. Some times I burnish a burr onto my scrapers, but most of the time not.

robo hippy

[Jack Gaskins]

Hey Reed, when you were performing the sheer cut inside the bowl, was the bowl spinning in reverse? I noticed you had the scraper up high around 10-11 oclock and in the video it looked like the bowl was spinning in reverse.

Jack

[John Keeton]

So, Reed, here is the question no one has asked. I recall a clean shaven face at the AAW - are the videos Pre-AAW or is the beard a new feature since then?:D If new, you can grow a beard about as fast as you can turn a bowl!!!!

BTW, enjoyed all the videos! Thanks.

[Paul Heely]

I think the bowl going in reverse is an optical illusion caused by having just the right RPM.

Thanks for all the videos Reed. They were educational.

[Prashun Patel]

Thanks for posting this. I regret now having sold my HD scraper...

[Reed Gray]

John,
You must have been hallucinating. I haven't shaved in over 10 years, and this coming year was going to be my 10 year molt, but I am not going to do that. Shaving is an unnatural act. I looked like Grizzly Adams before there was Grizzly Adams.

The funny thing about the camera, it works like a strobe, and depending on the speed of the lathe, it looks like it spins forwards some times, backwards some times, and almost still at other times.

My shear cuts with the scraper are higher up on the bowl rather than at center. A scraping cut should be lower, a shear cut is higher. I use the 'wing' of the scraper for the shear cuts to keep the tool balanced as in the part that is doing the cutting is directly over the tool rest. No chance for the tool to roll into the cut causing massive catch, bowl explosion, and bad words to be said.

robo hippy

[Bill Bolen]

Enjoyed this well done video very much. I was also fooled thinking you were reversing the lathe at some point. Was wondering what the heck is he up to? Thanks for the re-post about just being the camera.

[Al Rogers]

Hi Robo hippy,

a couple of questions.
1) Are your scrapers made of carbon or tool steel?

2) How thick are they?

Very impressed with what you showed you can do, with a scraper!
Al Rogers

[Reed Gray]

The big one used for the roughing is one from Doug Thompson V 10 steel I think. The shear cut one is the house brand from Craft supplies. Both are 3/8 inch thick, and I think Dougs is 1 3/8 wide, and the other is 1 1/4 inch wide. The smaller one I use for the bevel rubbing cut on the bottom is also from Craft Supplies, and is 1/4 inch thick by 3/4 wide, and is way to small for serious roughing, at least at my pace, but great for shear cuts, and the bottom cut I do. I think both CS scrapers are standard M2 HSS. I use a burr straight from the grinder, D Way Tools CBN wheels.

robo hippy