Bowl turning ergonomics...

[Reed Gray]

This is the latest, more to come...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djX9vRlkcK8

robo hippy

[Justin Stephen]

I'll throw this link here as it is relevant to the beginning of the video. They are interlocking, which does mean (as Robo points out) that wood shavings will probably get in the seams a little, but the price sure is right:

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-anti-fatigue-foam-mat-set-94635.html

[Ralph Lindberg]

We have a set of those floor-mats, mostly only use them in winter. But they do work well

[Wes Ramsey]

Great video Reed! Question - why do you use a scraper for all your shaping? Almost every demo-er I've seen uses a bowl gouge for shaping. Some use only a bowl gouge for bowls. It obviously works for you and I'm gonna go try it out tonight, but just wondering. Thanks!

[Bill White]

Great tutorial Reed. I always enjoy your vids. Keep 'em coming.
Bill

[Reed Gray]

Wes, I am the curious type, and years ago, I was pondering what turners knew about scrapers that I didn't. They could turn bowls with just a scraper, and the finished product didn't look any different than mine, so I started playing around with them. I have found the scraper to be a more efficient tool for heavy stock removal. If for no other purpose, you never have to take the cutting edge off the wood, push, then pull back, then push. Yes, the finished shape has a rough finish, but that is why it is called a 'roughing' cut. One pass with the gouge, and you are done. I do recommend that beginners do more finish cut practice with gouges as that is a refined skill, and you need repetition to get better. Scrapers are pretty easy to use, as evidenced by the popularity of the carbide tipped tools. The main reason so many find them easy to use is that they are smaller than standard scrapers. I prefer 5/16 to 3/8 thick, and no more than 1 to 1 1/4 inch wide. I can easily stall my lathe (3hp) with a scraper. Any more steel than that is a waste. A round nose scraper is great if you only have one. I prefer one that is swept back to the left side, also called an 'inside' scraper. Excellent, and better as far as I am concerned for shear scraping the outside of a bowl, than gouges.

I have lots more coming....

robo hippy

[Dave Cullen]

Thanks, Reed. I will refer to that one again before I start my next bowl.