Eucalyptus Fruit Bowl

[Brian Kent]

I found some marvelous grain in this piece of Eucalyptus. It is from a trunk section that had sat out for a year. Too big for the band-saw so I had to wait until I could chainsaw it down to size. Finished piece is 9" wide.

[charlie knighton]

very nice Brian

[Dennis Ford]

Very pretty, nice work.

[Allan Ferguson]

I like the coloration.

[Harry Robinette]

Love the grain and the color of the wood.The shape is really great but the inside looks like there's a edge were the side and bottom comes together instead of the smooth flowing curve you have on the outside.

[Brian Kent]

You are seeing correctly, Harry. I have been struggling with my inside-the-bowl gouge technique. So this time I ended up getting fixated on taking passes down the sides and then across the bottom. I ended up with too deep a transition. At least the passes were smooth on the sides and bottom.

This is one of the reasons I am really looking forward to setting aside time for some lessons from an experienced turner. It just seems like there are some basics in tool work that I do not understand. I can tell you how to change the angle on the bowl gouge based on the times it has worked and videos I have watched, but I really need an experienced turner guiding me through.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Brian,
From the shape of this bowl I believe you are experimenting with sort of a calabash shape. That's one of my favorite bowl shapes. Making the wall thickness even and avoiding the corner on the inside is a bugger. As you try to make the swing from the side to the bottom the shaft of your tool hits the rim stopping you from swinging smoothly through the corner. Then you are forced to come off the bevel through the transition area. Been there done that!! The solution is stop cutting with your normal grind gouge before you are forced off the bevel and switch to a tool ground to a much steeper grind. That will allow you to maintain bevel contact and avoid the "inside corner". Buy yourself an inexpensive 1/2" bowl gouge and grind a conventional grind (not swept back) at about a 65 degree angle. In other words, if you stood the tool on it's cutting edge with the bevel flat on a table the tool would only lean 15 degrees from perpendicular to one side. That should allow you to zip right around that tight radius inside the bowl and finish from there to the middle of the bottom. It takes practice but that's how I do it.
faust

[Alan Arnup]

Very nice result Brian, the colours in the wood really
bring it to life.

Experiment as mentioned by Faust with a different technique
of getting around the dreaded "inside corner" and all will be ok.

Allan

[Brian Kent]

Thank you Faust. I am using up my Thompson bowl gouge. Maybe I'l get a new one now, re-grind the current one, and use it specifically for that purpose.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Brian,
If you already have a V shape tool, I suggest you try something else, maybe a parabolic shape, like D-Way sells. Let me know when you get it and I will send you a picture of how I grind my tool for that purpose.
faust

[Eric Holmquist]

Beautiful wood, and nice job on balancing the heart wood so that the two "eyes" on the inside appear pretty symetrical.

I'll start with more basic advice, go back to a more shallow profile bowl which is easier to match the inner/outer profile and begin gradually reducing the radius of curvature until you start to struggle. This should help you focus on your problem area. This way you can experiment with technique and grinds until you grow comfortable and then continue on to the profiles you really want.

[Robert Henrickson]

Buy yourself an inexpensive 1/2" bowl gouge and grind a conventional grind (not swept back) at about a 65 degree angle. In other words, if you stood the tool on it's cutting edge with the bevel flat on a table the tool would only lean 15 degrees from perpendicular to one side. That should allow you to zip right around that tight radius inside the bowl and finish from there to the middle of the bottom. It takes practice but that's how I do it.
faust

If you are grinding at 65 degrees, the difference from perpendicular would be 25 degrees.

[Marc Himes]

The transition area is the most difficult for this type of bowl. Using a bowl gouge with a very blunt nose can certainly get the job done well once you master the technique, but round nose scrapers can also work and with a negative rake, or the correct angle of presentation, can have minimal tear out. There are some good articles about scrapers in the AAW journal.

I like the shape and the grain pattern on your piece, especially the orange colored heart wood portion. Nice work.

[robert baccus]

Try what Faust suggested and don't be afraid to go to 70-75 deg for a true bottom feeder. The U shaped bowl gouge or a spindle gouge works well. Works well on platters and any flat surface--a go too gouge.

[Thomas Canfield]

Thank you Faust. I am using up my Thompson bowl gouge. Maybe I'l get a new one now, re-grind the current one, and use it specifically for that purpose.

You should have a long shaft on the "bottom" gouge since it will likely have the greatest need for reach and length. A stubby tool will limit its use and life.

[Dick Strauss]

This is an area where a secondary bevel on your bowl gouge might help as well regardless of the grind angle. By grinding a secondary bevel, it moves the pivot point (the primary heel) closer to the cutting edge and allows you to go around tighter corners (it is kind of like a making a 1/2" wide bandsaw blade cut the equivalent radius of a 1/4" blade by adding the extra bevel).

Nice work by the way...you've got the grain lines nicely balanced from side to side. This is one of the harder shapes to get right at the transisition.

[Brian Kent]

I think you have something there. I use a 6" grinder and sometimes I think that makes it a little more difficult to work in parts of the bowl.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Brian,
It seems I am always answering from my office where I can't take a supporting picture for you. I grant you most turners would prefer an 8" grinder but a 6" will do fine for now. Try something. If you use a Oneway jig or similar for your sharpening jig, after you sharpen, put a piece of 3/4" thick wood in the tool pocket. That will simulate your jig being 3/4" closer to the wheel. Now put your tool back on the grinder. The closer proximity to the wheel will grind away the lower portion of the tool (the heel) leaving a much shorter bevel. That's the "secondary bevel" Dick is talking about. 1/16" or so of bevel is all you need for tool support and removing the heel allows the tool to turn corners better.
However, for a bowl whose rim is narrower that the major circumference, you still need a "bottoming gouge". In fact, I even use a steeply ground tool on open rim bowls. I feel like it handles the end grain better.
faust

[Prashun Patel]

Nice bowl, Friend!

IMHO, the angle of your gouge makes very little difference. I have a 6" grinder too, and I have made shallow and steep grinds. It just doesn't matter that much.

The real thing you (I'm pointing to myself too) have to master is the a gradual, smooth, continuous sweep. To that end, I find the trick to doing this is to stop thinking about your bowl as having a bottom. Let it be all one big 'side'. This means that the inside of your bottom will not be flat, but rather will continue to deepen almost until the vertex, at which point it has to flatten in order to avoid making a point.