tool presentation....

[Rasmus Petersen]

I have taken a course with an old turner this weekend. And old turner been turning for a very long time. My problem is that he teaches an other technic that the teacher at my club... been reading and watching videos. what i need very much now is : pictures of the right way to present a bowl gouge with an irish grind to the inside and outside of a bowl. close up pics or drawings would be soooooo help full.

the reason is that im completly confused right now

hope somebody can help my with this....

[Jim Becker]

You will get what you need with either (or both) Bill Grumbine's first video and David Ellsworth's video. The way you present the tool with this grind changes frequently, so it would be hard to demonstrate with static diagrams or pictures. There is wrist action involved, particularly for hollowing the inside of a bowl.

[David Walser]

Rasmus,

There are two basic ways to use a bowl gouge on the outside of a bowl: a "push cut" and a "pull cut". I'll try to describe both cuts and their advantages below. Either cut will produce acceptable results and turners should have both techniques in their arsenal. In some situations, a pull cut (or a push cut) just isn't an option -- say the headstock is in the way.

Push cut: This is where the tool is oriented to the direction of the cut as follows: The tip of the tool is moving forward into the cut with the handle of the tool following. The tip of the tool is pointed towards wood that is about to be cut. This is basically the same cut that is used to hollow out a bowl. This type of cut, properly done, should leave a very clean surface. The tip of the tool is shearing off the wood fibers and the wings of the tool are cleaning out waste material. This type cut can remove a lot of material while leaving a clean surface with little torn grain. For a lot of turners, using this cut makes it more difficult to control the profile of the bowl -- you just seem to be at the mercy of following the bevel around the bowl rather than controlling the bowl's shape. Stuart Batty is an advocate of this technique. It's what Dale Nish taught in the class I took from him.

Pull cut: This is where the tool is oriented to the direction of the cut as follows: The tip of the tool follows the handle into the cut. The tip of the tool is pointing at wood that has just been cut. The turner is pulling the tool across the surface of the bowl. This type of cut is easier for most turners to learn. It can remove a lot of material. It is also easy to control the shape of a bowl with this cut. The wood fibers are not as well supported with this type of cut as they are in a push cut. For this reason, a heavy cut will frequently leave torn out grain. Light pull cuts -- almost a scraping action -- can clean up the surface. Bill Grumbine and Mike Mahoney are two of the better known turners using this cut. (I recommend Bill's videos on bowl turning. Well worth the price.)

You might consider Mike Mahoney and Stuart Batty's video, Two Ways to Make a Bowl. They discuss the two different types of cuts.

I hope this helps.

Hope this helps.

[Rich Souchek]

EVERONE OF US HAS A DIFFERENT BODY AND MUSCLES, DIFFERENT LATHES, TOOL REST, TOOLS, ETC.
Because of that, what works for one may not work for another.
Find out what works for you, and do that. Then improve on it.
Rich S.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Rasmus I agree with Jim B. When I started turning I got confused just as you did by watching 3 different guys turn. When I got Bill Grumbine's first DVD Turned Bowls Made easy things came together. I also have watched David Ellsworth's DVD which answered a lot of my questions. Bill G. shows you step by step and shows them in close up so there is no question of how to present a gouge to the wood. Not affliliated just a happy customer.