Curved Bowl Rest

[Jack Lilley]

I have an S curved toolrest but I found it worked ok with a scraper but not as well with a bowl gouge, the opposite end of the S gets in the way of the handle. I just got the J toolrest from Robust and I do like it for bowls, especially larger bowls that I can't get into well with a straight rest.

[Roger Chandler]

I use my Robust inside and outside curved rests reguarly, and also a 14” J-rest. I also have their comfort and low profile rests in 6 & 9 inch lengths. To me they are invaluable resources to help with the great variety of forms I do.

[Brice Rogers]

I use my "Rogers" small curved rest for both inside and outside of smaller diameter vessels. Then I use my "Rogers" larger curved rests for larger vessels. I like being able to have minimal overhang. I also use one of my "Rogers" platform or box rests when I need to get deep inside a vessel and minimize overhang. All of these were hand made. I don't use them all that often but when I need them, they're there. My favorite two rests are my large and small copies of the Robust comfort rests.

[Reed Gray]

I used to use the curved rests on the outside of a bowl, but don't as much any more. The inside rest from Oneway was okay, as long as you didn't turn all the way out to the tip, because if you did, it would start to bounce. The first inside rest from Robust worked okay, and was solid all the way out to the tip. Both the Oneway and Robust were the arc type, as in round with the post on the end. I found them very awkward to position and they required a lot of moving around, and considering that, I can understand why turners like Stuart Batty and Glenn Lucas didn't like them. The J rest from Robust is better, but still not quite there. My favorite was the old blue cast iron one from Craft Supplies, a slight radius on both ends, and a fairly good sweep/straighter part in the middle. I never even considered using one of the ones that is like a big S. The curves are just wrong, and one may fit, but the other is in the way.

robo hippy

[roger wiegand]

I recently bought a Robust curved rest for the inside of bowls. I found it made for a much better support where before I would have had 4-5 inches of gouge hanging out off the rest and now 1" or less. I think the utility is a pretty strong function of the size and shape bowls you make-- I got by for years without one, but now turn bigger, deeper bowls where I find it a great help.

[Dan Gaylin]

I use a curved rest all the time for the inside of bowls. Particularly smaller one. I can generally get the same results with a straight rest but it takes more fiddling to get the straight rest set properly. The work goes quicker with the curved rest

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I’ve got the Robust inside and outside curved rests and a Oneway inside curved rest...mostly they gather dust. I do use the outside rest once in a while, but prefer the low profile strait rest better for the way I turn. I’ve found the long Robust J-rest to be the most helpful inside the bowl - good combination of strait section with a curve at the end that is easily positioned to get the dreaded transition area from sidewall to bottom.
Probably more a function of my style and what I turn most - open form, shallow larger bowls - rather than the utility of any particular rest design. I find that inside rests with the post offset to the end interferes with getting a good sweep through the transition to the bottom with the handle down slightly as I generally have it.

[tom lucas]

I'm a new turner. I find the transition region from side wall to bottom is the most difficult to get a clean cut with a straight rest. A scraper is fine, but gouges always feel a bit out of control through the curved transition. For that reason, I want a curved rest and have plans to get the long j-rest as a one-size-fits-all inside bowl rest. Am I wrong in this thinking? Should I just practice more? Or do I need multiple curved rests?

[Prashun Patel]

I see beginners make the transition between 'side' and 'bottom' abrupt. I think you'll have an easier time if you start with gradual transitions between bottom and top. To that end, a curved rest can really help you with the shape: you just concentrate on cutting the bowl so it's equidistant from the rest. With a straight rest you have to rely on your judgment (which can be beneficial in some ways). However, if you are making abrupt transitions between bottom and wall, a straight rest will be necessarily far away from that transition. In addition to requiring a swift roll of the gouge at that point, the distance exacerbates the potential for a catch.

You have to roll the flute from vertical at the top of the bowl to away from you as you approach the bottom of the bowl. That's a nice, gradual roll with a gradual transition. With the abrupt transition, you have to almost flip the flute.

(unsolicited advice alert): One thing I wish I did as a new turner is learn to use a skew chisel on a spindle. With that tool on a tubular surface of a spindle, you are working in a single plane, which really allowed me to understand cutting geometry and the effect of the edge being presented flatter vs vertically skewed. With a bowl, both your surface AND your tool have multiple dimensions. But if you understand that basic cutting edge vs surface interaction at a point, it becomes intuitive how you should present your flute, how far back on the wing you should cut, and how dropping /raising the handle will affect not only the efficiency of your cut, but the quality of the surface finish that is possible. (Um, don't use a skew on the interior of a bowl...)

[John Hart]

One thing I'd like to add to this is concerning the "practice " aspect. Whether you're using a gouge or a scraper or a hollowing tool, it doesn't hurt to take a few minutes just practicing by taking shallow cuts and just feeling the curve. Limit your possibilities of catches and feel what the tool can do. Same with the skew on the outside....small cuts near the tip rather than full blade....getting a feel for shearing rather than scraping...eventually widening the cut for confidence.

[Dan Gaylin]

I think (not sure) that one thing to mention here is that this will vary with your lathe. I have a decent but not great Nova Comet 2. One of the issues with it is the banjo base is kind of stubby/chubby. So it can start to bump up against a piece. Other lathes I have seen have more elegant banjos. So the curved rest gives me more and better angles for getting the rest close to the inside curves of the bowl.