Help with turning bowls

[mattkemp]

Hi I haven't done much turning with bowls I have a piece of spalted beech which I am trying to turn I made sure I had sharp tools before I started and had the speed about 900rpm to turn it round (was cut on bandsaw to a rough round) but all I keep getting are nasty catches I tried it on a slowest speed and tried it on other speed but just keep getting catches can anybody offer me any advice is it the angle of which I am sharpening. Angle of holding chisel I have only turned one bowl that was oak. I am on a big learning curve and had no real tuition.

Thanks in advance


Matt

 

[Woody]

Sounds like you may have a few soft spalted spots that need to be stabilized are there any white patches on the blank if so extra thin ca will harden them up

 

[Bill Mooney]

What Woody said. Try turning up the speed a bit. 1200-1500 rpm. As long as there's no vibration you should be ok. The higher your rpm the easier your tool cuts. Don't do anything you're not comfortable with.

 

[21William]

What tool are you using?

 

[mattkemp]

Scraper or bowl gouge there are some large white patches on wood seem solid but will put some ca glue on them and try again

 

[Phil Dart]

By catches Matt, I presume you mean that the tool digs in and either jarrs your hand or stops the piece from turning. Alternatively, do you really mean tearout, where you end up with rough patches in the cut surface of the grain. The only reason I ask is because you refer to speed and tool sharpness as if they are contributing factors.

Tear out can be dealt with in various ways depending on why it's tearing out, but if you really do mean catches, I'm afraid it has nothing to do with the type or condition of wood or the speed of rotation, but is all to do with technique and tool presentation.

 

[Penpal]

Mission impossible by description mate so many possibilities. In our Wood guild thirty or more years ago there was a guy who scooped the pool every year with all the major prizes, it tumbled out as these things do years later he used huge bridge used timber and only a scraper, a mate of mine would go round and sharpen it now and then. Withour labouring the point another master turner I observed travelling interstate at a Turnaround fest with fifty turners for three days a Dutch guy was turning huge platters using only a 3/8 gouge taking heaps of time turning slow speeds his average monetery turnover was in three figures and above. The Hare and the Tortise until the race rules become obvious mate.Small bites.

Peter

 

[wm460]

What Woody said. Try turning up the speed a bit. 1200-1500 rpm. As long as there's no vibration you should be ok. The higher your rpm the easier your tool cuts. Don't do anything you're not comfortable with.

What Bill said.

 

[Winemaker]

You have your answer in there some were

 

[mattkemp]

I forgot to mention that I had the head stock swivelled round but after salvaging a bowl from it I managed to turn it over the bed with no problem will post pictures when I get it finished

 

[Penpal]

Good luck Matt waiting for the unveiling.

Peter.

 

[mattkemp]

Well this is the finished article

 

[Woody]

Well done that is a very nice bowl

 

[mattkemp]

I finished it with acrylic gloss laquer

 

[Penpal]

Real effort mate great job .

Peter.

 

[wm460]

Great looking bowl Matt.

 

[Bill Mooney]

A nice looking bowl Matt.

 

[woodhacker]

it turned out well in the end. nice one

 

[21William]

I turned a simple bowl the other day almost entirely with a carbide tool. My heart wasn't really in but it's something I've been meaning to do for someone for some time and it turned out well.

 

[Dalboy]

Looks like you got there in the end. I think this would have been better with a semi gloss finish which would help show off the grain better.