End grain solution for inside bowl walls

[Chip Sutherland]

I need to see a discussion on handling end grain tear out on the inside of bowls. I have several bowls 9.5"x3.5 deep to dig out. The side walls will be fairly straight 3/8 thick. The wood is african mahogany and dry. I'm looking for a couple of solutions to try.

One I've heard but haven't tried is using a cabinet scraper. I have both straight and curved varieties. I fairly adept at using these for flatwork but...something about using them on a bowl seems daunting....if not dangerous with spinning lathe.

I have both fingernail and Irish grind 1/2 bowl gouges and a 3/8 Irish grind. I also have a 1.25 heavy round nose scraper. I'll consider regrinding it for a side grind if you guys tell me, too. I have a side grind scraper but it's not a heavy duty version and has thus far been a horrible tool to put to the african mahogany on such a big bowl.

Thanks for the education.

[John Hart]

I'd have to vote for the side grind scraper Chip, only because that's what I've had my best success with. Generally, with light cuts, I bring it from the bottom outward. It seems to work well for me anyway.

[Jerry Clark]

I think using a cabinet scraper inside of a turning bowl would be very dangerous-:eek: - better to use a heavy scraper.:cool:

[Jim Becker]

1) Very sharp tools
2) Ride the bevel
3) You can take a much finer cut with an Irish/side-grind/Ellsworth gouge than you can with a "standard" bowl gouge grind because you can work with a very small portion of the tip. Very fine finishing cuts will shear cleanly
4) Particularly nasty wood may require some "lubrication" at the entry points for the end-grain on a faceplate-oriented turning. Some people use bees-wax, some use a mixture of turps/sanding sealer. some use mineral oil, some use...
5) If you choose to use a heavy scraper (and never use a light-weight one in a larger bowl) the best cut is going to be a shearing cut. That requires you to hold the scraper a little differently...it's not flat on the rest. 'Takes practice. And remember, just because it's called a "scraper" doesn't mean you are actually scraping...the tool must be prepared properly so it has the keen edge necessary (and burr) so that it cuts cleanly. It's a very fine cut, but it's still a cut.

[John Hart]

...5) If you choose to use a heavy scraper (and never use a light-weight one in a larger bowl) the best cut is going to be a shearing cut. That requires you to hold the scraper a little differently...it's not flat on the rest. 'Takes practice. And remember, just because it's called a "scraper" doesn't mean you are actually scraping...the tool must be prepared properly so it has the keen edge necessary (and burr) so that it cuts cleanly. It's a very fine cut, but it's still a cut.

I forgot to mention....My side grind scraper is one that I made myself and the shank is round. This allows me to rotate my approach to the wood. 'Course then, it also allows the tool to spin easier, so I use a tighter grip and make lighter cuts.