What is the solution

[Phillip Bogle]

I am turning about my 4th bowl. This is in Pacific Myrtle wood. The wood is fairly hard and takes a nice smooth cut, except the end grain always seems rougher than the rest of the stock. When I finish the pieces they seem to have a whiteish sort of look to the one end grain spot. The other end grain is not as bad as the other. Sort of like the one direction gets cut better than the other. Is this normal so live with it, or is there a special treatment that I am missing?

[David Walser]

Phillip,

It sounds like you have some tear-out of the end grain. (It's not unusual for the end grain to cut more easily from one direction than another, which is why you are seeing it only in one side of the end grain and not the other. On one side, the lathe is rotating the wood in the "right" direction. In the other it's not.)

Solutions?


Try the standards: use a sharp tool and a very light cut.
Try lubricating the cut by applying a little paste wax (or the finish you plan on using, such as lacquer) to the wood immediately before taking the finish cut.
Try reinforcing the end grain by applying some thin CA glue before your final cut.
Try a light "shear" scraping cut. With a freshly sharpened scraper, hold the scraper on its edge on the tool rest so wood the leading edge of the tool approaches the wood at about a 45 degree angle (rather than the 90 degree angle it would be at if the tool were held flat on the tool rest). This should produce very light, fine, fuzz-like shavings with no tear-out.
If all else fails, try your 80 grit gouge!

Hope this helps and good luck!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Phillip - looks like David covered all the main points. It would help if you included photos of the problem areas.

[Bernie Weishapl]

One thing I have did that works is take a spray bottle of water and spritz the end grain tearout and then hit it with light cuts of a freshly sharpened gouge. I use a P & N gouge with a conventional grind.

[Phillip Bogle]

I appreciate the tips. I printed them out and keep them in my shop notebook. I know, my teachers and parents couldn't get me to keep track of anything, but they weren't tracking woodworking subjects.:D

Anyway the wax helped, plus I noticed that I was using my tools in only one direction --right to left. So I switched -- left to right using a Spindlemaster and wax. I also boosted the speed one step. I tried each item separately and got progressively better. All items together made a nice looking piece. I notice the speed increase seemed to make the biggest single improvement.

I bought all these tools when I retired, and thought I would remodel the cabinets since I like cabinetry. I bought the lathe "just in case" now I am hooked! My concern is that my son gave me a couple rolls of new Henry Taylor carving tools and that is fun too. Except the cuts; I have more holes in my hands than a colander.

Thanks again for the pointers. BTW: I don't have an 80 grit gouge. I have 60 and 100's but no 80!
Phil

[Gene O. Carpenter]

Phillip,
Isn't it simply amazing the thousands of dollar you can blow on tools when you retire!:eek::eek:
You might want to check into a pair of Kevlar gloves made for carvers to prevent those hand holes..:) I've seen them in one of the catalogs but don't remember which one it was..:confused:
Gene

[Steve Knowlton]

Phillip, I have the same problem with Myrtlewood. Turning a higher rate of speed is the best solution plus sharp tools.