I finally got around to trying to turn some bowls. The first was a 6" diameter lace-wood bowl with a bowl gouge. I muddled through it (the bowl turning class at NCSU was cancelled; not enough participants) and got a reasonably smooth bowl. The problem is the end grain areas. I can not get those areas to sand smooth. Second bowl is cherry turned with Easy Wood carbide tools. (I bought the carbide inserts and made the rest) I am experiencing the same problem with the end grain.
I started with P100 grit, then 150, then 180, 240, 320 and even went to 400 on the cherry. No luck. Decided to go back and try 50 grit, and then go through the other grits. No luck; just have a lot more scratches everywhere to sand out.
Suggestions?
David Turner
North Raleigh
P.S. You would think with the last name of Turner, I would be good at this turning!
So there are a handful of issues I see here. The first thing that you need to know is that tools are secondary to your understanding of the problem. The end grain has likely torn or broken out. The issue you are dealing with is that you are attempting to sand down to the deepest level of the tear out and while it can be done, it is laborious and no the best approach. Everyone has suggested good things to you, and all should go into your mental toolbox. Regarding the end grain though, what really needs to be done is to cut the entire vessel down to the surface depth of the worst part of the visible end grain issue. Use the tool you are most confident with, and turn at the highest rpm you feel safe with. This will be a finishing cut, which is the thing most new turners struggle with. The key to getting it right is for
you to move slowly and lightly while the machine moves the material quickly. Put another way, you need to take a light depth of cut and use a very slow feed rate with the tool.
Regarding the tool itself it doesn't matter. You can use a gouge, a carbide chisel or a scraper. They all do the same thing they simply achieve the cut by different means. You have to find the tools and techniques that are right for you. The thing for you to master is understanding where and how the tool cuts and how to make sure it's sharp. There are a thousand tools and a thousand ways to keep them sharp, everyone will have opinions on tools and sharpening equipment. I have turned for more than 20 years and in large part make my living doing it. My advice to you is to invest in a
couple of good quality tools like Easy Wood Tools, Thompson gouges, Henry Taylor, Robert Sorby, Carter & Sons, etc. My go-to basic bowl turning kit includes an Easy Wood Tools Mid-Size Finisher, an Easy Wood Tools Mid-Size Rougher, a Thompson 3/8" bowl gouge, and a Henry Taylor round nosed scraper. I keep them
very sharp with new carbide regularly and I use a Oneway Wolverine sharpening system with a slow speed grinder and cool white wheels.
I invite you to come visit the shop anytime if you want some pointers or would like to join us for a class. If you have more questions feel free to text or call me at 252.916.8226
