tear-out trouble

[George Conklin]

I'm having a little trouble with tear-out:mad: . Have any of you guys tried something like a sanding sealer or a shellac mix to help with this?
Tools are sharp;) .

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Afternoon George. Without any more information, I'm going to guess that you're turning "Punky/Soft/Spongy" wood. If this is the case, Wood stabilizer will do the trick. Check out the wood in my post "Final Chapter - Andy's wood"." This wood was REALLY punky!

Bruce

[George Conklin]

Afternoon George. Without any more information, I'm going to guess that you're turning "Punky/Soft/Spongy" wood. If this is the case, Wood stabilizer will do the trick. Check out the wood in my post "Final Chapter - Andy's wood"." This wood was REALLY punky!

Bruce

Thanks for the reply, Bruce and sorry for the lack of info on my part:o .

The wood is not punky at all, It is a piece of maple that has a lot of different stuff going on it it. A little burl, some curl and some plain stuff. The wood is hard. My tear out is only on the end grain.

I'll check out your final chapter thread:) .

[Jim Becker]

George, you may need to use shearing finishing cuts for the kind of material you are describing...something that can easily be done with a side-grind gouge held 45 degrees from vertical with the handle down and closer to the lathe. (David Ellsworth teaches this technique and others also use it) The high angle of the edge to the workpiece lets you slice off very fine amounts of material without picking up the figure or punk in the process. A little beeswax or sanding sealer/turps mixture can also help when you apply it to any end-grain or figure, but be aware this may affect your finish later on.

[Andy Hoyt]

A 50-50 mix of sanding sealer and turpentine has worked well for me in the recent past. Be sure to coat all surfaces (not just the tear out area) and make fresh cuts throughout while the stuff is still wet.