My First Attempt at Bowl Making

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 12:46 pm

That is beautiful and awesome, Fred! Thank you!!

I feel kinda bad taking it as the wood was a very inadequate thanks for picking up and storing the Sawsmith RAS until I could pick it up. That said, I'm really looking forward to getting the bowl. It will encourage me to do more turning.

friscomike · Post by **friscomike** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 10:23 pm

Thanks so much for posting your progress. I have a bunch of stumps waiting for me to get started. Your photos have encouraged me to get with it. ~mike

friscomike · Post by **friscomike** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 10:24 pm

Thanks so much for posting your progress. I have a bunch of stumps waiting for me to get started. Your photos have encouraged me to get with it. ~mike

terrydowning · Post by **terrydowning** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:50 am

Don't wait too long on those stumps. At least get the pith out and seal the ends or they will check beyond usefulness.

da fixer · Post by **da fixer** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:18 pm

...stole my thunder too...I was thinking of finishing off the inside so you could eat ice cream out of it!

fredsheldon · Post by **fredsheldon** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 6:36 pm

I purchased a set of East Start Carbide Tools when they were on special a few weeks ago to see how they work. After turning two complete and two incomplete bowls I have yet had to turn the square cutter to a new position. It still cuts like a hot knife thru butter. Normally I would have had to sharpen my round nose cutter a dozen times to perform the same amount of work. Are they worth the money? Yes, if you don't want to spend half of your turning time sharpening your tools. The only problem with the set I purchased are they are much too short. They are only 12.5 inches long. You can turn the outside of the bowl round and begin turning the interior down to about 2 inches in depth. After that it becomes a real challenge. That's why I stopped turning my last two bowls when I reached a depth of 2 inches. I will remount them after I purchase a proper set of carbide tools, at least 20 inches in length.

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This is as far as I'm going on these two and on the rest that I will be turning today until I obtain a more robust set of carbide tools. This 12 1/2 inch starter tool is great for turning the outside of the bowl round and for turning the tenon, but not so good for the interior of the bowl.

Mike907 · Post by **Mike907** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 10:30 pm

Fred -

I think that you would be very impressed with a good bowl gouge instead of scraping tools. It seems that Shopsmith has discontinued their bowl chisels, but any good quality HSS gouge would serve you well. The SS bowl gouges were fine quality, but there are many more out there - Sorbey, Oneway, Thompson, etc.

Try one, I think you'll like it.

Mike

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Fri Jul 05, 2013 12:04 am

Mike907 wrote:The SS bowl gouges were fine quality, but there are many more out there - Sorbey, Oneway, Thompson, etc.

Try one, I think you'll like it.

Mike

The Thompson can be found here.

http://www.thompsonlathetools.com/default.asp

fredsheldon · Post by **fredsheldon** » Fri Jul 05, 2013 12:20 am

Mike907 wrote:Fred -

I think that you would be very impressed with a good bowl gouge instead of scraping tools. It seems that Shopsmith has discontinued their bowl chisels, but any good quality HSS gouge would serve you well. The SS bowl gouges were fine quality, but there are many more out there - Sorbey, Oneway, Thompson, etc.

Try one, I think you'll like it.

Mike

Mike, I have a set of the SS Bowl gouges but I haven't mastered them yet. I keep getting a snag and damaging my work. I've watched videos but still can't seem to get the hang of it yet. I have much better control with the scrapers with my limited experience. I hope to attend a class some day where I can get some hands on instruction. I also haven't mastered sharpening the bowl gouges. At this point in my bowl turning experience, which is just 6 months, I'm more comfortable with the carbide tools. Thanks for the advice. I'm sure I will master the gouges in the near future.
Fred

Mike907 · Post by **Mike907** » Fri Jul 05, 2013 12:44 am

Fred -

I have less experience than you do, but I have taken a couple of classes from my local woodturning club. Maybe this club has classes in your area. I learned quite a bit in the few classes that I attended, including the joy of a sharp bowl gouge.

I also recommend Woodturning, a Foundation Course.

Beeg - I have a couple of the Thompson chisels - they are beautifully made and competitively priced, even with having to buy or make your own handles.

Mike