Catches none stop please help

[Bret Schaffner]

OK newbie here
been doing spindle work (walking canes) around 8 and bowls from 2" be 1" deep up to 9" by 4" around 8 and some pratice stuff thing were going well for surprisingly for the last 4 months work with pine, birch, holly, ash, and walnut

than all for the sudden last Wednesday a bowl I was working on bowl 9" x 4" every thing had been going great with it over the last few days then had nothing but major catches and blow out the blow sides so I switched to spindle work stuff around 6" long X 2 same thing switch type woods pine , ash, britch, both green and dry did same thing with small bowls none stop MAJOR catches tried 4 different spindle gouges and 3 different blow gouges. sharpened them same thing?????

HELP what I'm I doing or not doing all the sudden???????

ANY and all comments tips are welcome.

Thanks Bret

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bret... a couple of things immediately come to mind... height of your tool rest and sharpening of your tools. Lots of things lead to catches... such as moving the tool in the wrong direction, cutting too much above or below center and forcing the tool into the wood as opposed to having the tool cut the wood. A little more explanation would help us to narrow down some pertinent advice.

[Roger Chandler]

One of the best things you could possibly do is to get with experienced members of a turning club and have some one on one mentoring........that will show you correct tool presentation, and help you learn how the different tools cut, and cut your learning curve by miles and miles.

Save yourself mountains of grief, and make the effort.........you will never regret it as long as you have a teachable attitude!

[William Bachtel]

You need to join a club, and go to the meetings, someone there will help you.

[Mark Hubl]

Agree with the clubs sentiment, but if that is not easy, get some books or dvds. YouTube can help but there is some pretty shakey stuff there. Stop your lathe, grab your tool and position your tool how you would cut. Turn the lathe by hand and study the relationship between the bevel and the wood. This should help you see how the tool cuts. It is important to use the bevel and the cutting edge correctly to minimize catches. Watching in slow motion can help to realize the best position for the cutting tool. Good luck and be careful.

[Jim Burr]

Some places have clubs and some don't. We have one advertised, but try to find anyone...forget it! You don't note your location so alternate help isn't possible. Try DVD's and Youtube for stuff that's not to bad. Sharpen stuff up and look into a shear cut for a useful, easy cut.

[Bret Schaffner]

Not sure even what I doing different in a matter of seconds know I get a catch.

here is a question most of the time I have my tool rest about 1/8 " to a 1/16" below center with the gouge so it touches the surface a bite above center?

I also run at a low speed 500-900 rmps shower for the bigger sizes is this to slow?

I've set the to center and vertical of center.

Not what changed all the sudden so I decide to assume I had 4 months of dumb luck and it just ran out

[Mel Fulks]

What are the tool brands?

[Bret Schaffner]

Love to go to a turners club time and energy is a big issue there. know of a retired gentleman across town I need to see if he'd have time.

been watching stuff on U Tube.

could I have some suggestion for links or dvd some that show turning in slow motion, and detail on tool placement, bevele, etc...

I'm in Raleigh NC

[Scott Hackler]

OK I am going for the "over the top / simple" suggestion. Where is the flute of the gouge in relationship to the inside wall as you are cutting? Catches primarily happen when the left wing of the flute come into contact with the wood. Try rotating the gouge to the right more. It should be angled in the direction of the cutting path. Also, I would lower the tool rest a bit and try to hold the gouge so that the handle is lower than the tip and yet the cutting edge is traveling close to the center line. A good tool position and cut will track itself through the cut. The left hand is barely doing anything.

+1 on finding a club or mentor. I wish I had done that. It sure would have saved me a year of teaching myself things like "ouch that hurt" and "well that obviously ISNT the correct angle".

Good luck.

[Mark Hubl]

Many will chime in with their favorite instructional dvds, for bowls I liked starting out with Bill Grumbines DVD's. I have many others, but these were my favorites. Another advantage to a club is that most have a library with books and dvds.

[Rodney Walker]

Have you made any changes to your sharpening routine? If your bevels get too far off it will lead to catches.
Rodney

[Joe Bradshaw]

Bret, there are many turners in the Raleigh, NC area. I live in Cary. I am sure that any of us would be willing to spend shop time with you. As a side note, the Woodturners Guild of NC meets this Thursday at the NC State Crafts Center at 7:00-9:00 pm. Visitors are always welcome.

[Jim Burr]

Bret, there are many turners in the Raleigh, NC area. I live in Cary. I am sure that any of us would be willing to spend shop time with you. As a side note, the Woodturners Guild of NC meets this Thursday at the NC State Crafts Center at 7:00-9:00 pm. Visitors are always welcome.

Bret...you sir are a lucky man! Take the offer and run!

[Bret Schaffner]

Bret, there are many turners in the Raleigh, NC area. I live in Cary. I am sure that any of us would be willing to spend shop time with you. As a side note, the Woodturners Guild of NC meets this Thursday at the NC State Crafts Center at 7:00-9:00 pm. Visitors are always welcome.
I'm in cary also if you wouldn't mind like to talk?

[Joe Bradshaw]

Bret, shoot me an email. diverjo@bellsouth.net.
Joe