I appreciate how the same priniciples are being applied to different tasks. It greatly simplifies things for me, speeds up my learning, and gives me a way to remember what to do in various situations. I hope you are getting as much out of this as we are.
I use carbide for rough turning. The carbide bit is smaller and the supporting bar is thicker, and the tool rest is closer to the wood. All three things mean less impact on me. Once it's round, I switch to a bowl gouge. Bought your bowl gouge course. Well worth the money!
I will say that when I first decided to learn how to turn on a wood lathe. I found your channel. And you're an excellent teacher. I learned a lot from your videos! Thank you for that. I watch all of your content and look forward to your vids. Thanks for all that you share.
Very informative video! What am I saying, ha ha ha! 🤣 All your videos are like this butI wish I had watched this video long ago. I caught myself trying different tools for this. My thought was to take smaller bites to start , So I strted with my 3/8 gouge with this in mind, it went ok at first , bu then I realised that it had a bit of a bend when I turned to dsharpen it. I was able to straighten it pretty good, That was a lesson learned the hard way... Love your stuff !! Keep it coming, especially these odd projects and different ideas , Like the beads bowl 🥰 I apreciate you ! 👍👍
Good tips. I would add that spending a few more minutes truing up and balancing the bowl blank prior to turning is well worth it. Use whatever tools you have: band saw, hatchet, etc. Five more minutes preparing a better starting blank can make a big difference.
That's what I was going to say. I see guys on RUclips just put a square blank on their lathe and start turning! Chunk Chunk chunk! To me, my bandsaw was one of the most important purchases I made besides the lathe itself! Cut those corners or eccentricities off first!
I have a bowl roughing gouge 3/4 inch, but the same principles apply, downward pressure on the tool rest and no inward movement. I like the weight and stability of the heavier tool. If your viewers want a bowl roughing gouge, the inexpensive way to go is to buy the tool without a handle and turn your own handle. This is easy to do and you spend about a third of the money on the tool. You also get a handle that is custom made for your hands. This principles of this video also apply when turning knotty wood with a lot of variability in density. Good reminders in this video. Thanks.
Thank you for all these precious advices. Il learn a lot from your videos. I learn, I try, I learn, I try... And as I'm a french guy living in Quebec, you make me improve my english too ! (thank you for that too, you speak very clearly)...
I work at a tech park and I get Iron wood 🪵 and Mesquite trees. I cut them round but what you are showing this morning Is the part I hate when turning! I bought a 5/8 bowl gouge from Carter and Son’s still waiting on it! 😊
Thank you for being such a great teacher! I used to working with metal lathe, just start turning wood relatively recently after getting a wood lathe from a passing relative. It’s a 14” one, but only 2/3 HP. So the blank stage is hard, with violent vibration and at least two instances, nearly ripped the tool out of my hands. This is the first time I learn that roughing gouge is not for roughing bowl blanks. Will never do that way again. Thank you!
I’ve got a similar experience. My father started me out on an engine lathe very early, and by age 6 I had mastered all major operations, turning, facing, drilling, boring, threading, knurling, and so forth. At age 71 I started using a wood lathe. In my experience, the only thing similar is that both lathes spin an object about its center. To me, the wood lathe is much more difficult to master, but with Kent’s great teaching, the mastery becomes a lot easier and the learning curve much shorter.
Thank you for this instruction video. Now i have a loth of fun at ruffing these big maple burl which are over 9 years drying in my shed.they are so hard, i could not get started on them unless i used carbide cutters,and it was tuff.now i have the control with the bowl gouge using your advices ..thank you again
Thank you for being a great teacher, only had my 1st lathe a little over a yr and have made some wonderful progress. That said i need to vent - rough turning a walnut crotch blank, I usually do a mortise, but this time I decided to go with all of the turners I watch on RUclips (how i have learned how) and do a tenon - about 2" dia. got the exterior trued up and was just making progress on the interior being careful to leave the "wings" I had a small catch and BAM there went my tenon sheared off the blank- AAARRGGHHHHH! LOL Tyler
Thank you Kent! I'm a fairly new turner, maybe 3dozen bowls. This last tip was one I needed to hear. So far I have turned madfone, maple, pink plum, purple plum, hazel nut, cherry, oak, black walnut, and laurel. Also I was given a piece of myrtle wood. It,a a beauty. I am having a ball. Thanks much for your guidance.
Thank you Kent. Your videos have taught me so much about woodturning. I recently joined the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) and I read their safety document, and the AAW safety document says not to wear gloves or rings or anything that could potentially get caught in the lathe. So, after I read that information from AAW, I stopped wearing gloves. I was only wearing gloves because that is what I was seeing other people do on RUclips videos - I thought it was for safety. But in fact, wearing gloves or long sleeves or rings is dangerous while woodturning. I would venture that even wearing fingerless gloves is an unnecessary risk - parts of a fingerless glove or that velcro strap sticking up provocatively could potentially get stuck in the lathe and that would be a serious problem. I wouldn't laugh it off and think it could never happen, because accidents that you think could never happen sometimes do happen. I mean, if we think it's not going to happen because they are fingerless gloves, that doesn't even seem like a worthwhile risk to take, does it? Why not just turn wood without wearing gloves? I have had no issues with my hands going gloveless while woodturning, and I've turned many bowls. I am uncertain why anyone should wear gloves while woodturning as it seems like an unnecessary risk for no particular reason. Is there an added benefit to wearing gloves that outweighs the risk? If wearing gloves is for comfort, I'd venture that comfort is not worth the risk. If wearing gloves is for preventing splinters of wood from cutting your hands, I'd also venture that a splinter and some bleeding is way less risk than the potential for the glove to get caught in the lathe. As for my intent with this comment, I am writing this comment because I worry about your hands whenever I see you turning with gloves on, and so I wanted to tell you that and voice my concern. If someone was in my shop turning wood, and they started by putting gloves on, I would ask them to please take their gloves off before using the lathe.
Hi Kent, I was turning a bowl a while back and was doing exactly what you said not to do, I was pushing the bowl gouge into the work and consequently having a hard time, mid cut I remembered a previous video where you mentioned pushing down on the rest instead of forward and the difference was like night and day! I was amazed how much easier the cut became. So I would like to thank you for that as well as all the other fascinating and informative videos you regularly put out. Jane ♥
To save wear and tear on you and your tools, you might want to try debulking the high spots using your band saw especially on bowl blanks is big as the one you were turning.
I broke a roughing gouge today. Broke just inside the top of the handle. Wish I had sen this earlier!! Scared the CRAP out of me and ended up ruining a beautiful cherry blank.
As always your inspirational way of enthusiastic teaching sharing and nurturing the wood turner in many. I am now a five year student of the turning world. At 61 it has given me a new purpose in my shop and wood lot. I have learned many many tricks and treats from your schooling. Thanks for being a dedicated master who shares. It takes a village to raise a wood turner. Your a village all into your own.
Hi Kent, thanks for your videos I have been turning pens and other little bits. I'm just starting in the world of bowls lol. My wife got me a Nova G3 chuck for Xmas and I got my first oak cake to turn my first bowl. Now I really appreciate this video, because I have a degenerative disk disease in my neck and lumbar regions of my back. I can't work on the lathe for too long without a break. Just wanted to say thank you from Yorkshire in the UK. ;-)
Good information. I would also stress that you need a very sharp tool and re-sharpen it often during the shaping process. Dull tools lead to more thumping than shearing.
Man I needed this video. I'm a new turner and don't have any bowl gouges yet but you have answered a ton of issues with rounding blanks. Hopefully Santa will drop off a couple of Bowl Gouges by my shop but, for now, I have been turning small bowls and stuff with spindle gouges and carbides. One thing for sure, my woodturning is making me an excellent sharpener🤣🤣.
Hi Kent thank you for your wunderful detailed and calm explainations. Thoug I knew most of this by making my own bad expetiences, it was important to watch and learn what these heavy vibrations do to your body and material. Cheers from northern germany Stefan
as a noobie, I think it's also worth pointing out understanding the limitations of your lathe. I mistakenly thought that having a bench mounted lathe (bolted down) with just over a 6" clearance meant I could turn up to a 12" bowl blank. That was until I tried to turn a rough blank that was 10" in diameter and the lathe darn near took off! Don't underestimate the forces involved of an unbalanced spinning lump of wood
You're right, and although it's another issue, it relates to it. An unbalanced blank requires low speed, thus more 'air'time between 'hits', thus more time to push the gauge inward, causing the phenomenon of this video. A rough blank though can be quite balanced, and still be bumpy to rough out. Higher speed (don't go crazy) gives the momentum to rough out with more ease, especially if you're minding Kent's advice. Good luck, stay safe!
My #1 roughing tool is the Big Ugly tool, which is a 1 inch wide scraper, and the metal/cutting edge is tantung. Biggest reason for getting beat up, to me, is not having the tool rest close enough to your work. It is a leverage thing. That piece of wood had too many cracks for me, I would have tossed it.
Another great video. I am learning a lot. I have watched other turners and noticed they have different techniques and methods of turning wood. Some i noticed is the opposite what you have shown in this video. Some i noticed used same as yours but take sharper or deeper cuts with the tools. I guess with experience and reading the blank one gets to know how to turn a good finished piece of work. Thanks for what you show.
Great video-as usual. Subscribed for awhile now,and really improving from your helpful instruction.My question: Do you find that cutting bowl blanks as almost perfect circles is a most important step to avoid getting beat up? I have a substantial lathe and can't fathom how turners can just cut the corners off and start turning a bowl. I find that very slow and not much fun. Thanks!
Should/could the blank be shaped a bit more? That is, remove any high spots. When I cut the logs to prepare a blank (as per your video), I found rough shaping the sides by trimming off excess timber instead of turning them down improves the balance and offers more than 2 high spots as shown in this video. My lathe is fabricated and not a cast iron body, hence minimising the out of balance reduces the wobbling.
Hello Kent, first, let me say I really enjoy your videos. Thank you for your instructions. Secondly, the mesh screen behind you. Where did you get this. Can you put the link? Thank you.
I think the mesh screen you asked about is sold as a "screen door" for a garage door. I bought one online to help keep the flying bugs out of my garage when I have the door open for ventilation.
love clips like this, as I progress on my wood turning adventure, I would however like to see the finished bowl at the end of these to demonstrate the what can be achieved.
I will be placing my order for the hurricane HTT kw M2 5/8'" gouge with the Irish side grind from Amazon. I already have a 1/2 " Sorby bowl gouge. Is the above # correct?
I followed you untill you started talking about muical interment. I have two lathes and neather have musical insterments on them. It is like making boxes an a lathe the only round boxes I know of are hat boxes and cheese boxes. I perfer to call what I make that is smaller then a bowl jars. Jars have been around for three or four thousands years. Any time some comes up with this I think they are too stupid and lazy to find out the real name.
I appreciate how the same priniciples are being applied to different tasks. It greatly simplifies things for me, speeds up my learning, and gives me a way to remember what to do in various situations. I hope you are getting as much out of this as we are.
I use carbide for rough turning. The carbide bit is smaller and the supporting bar is thicker, and the tool rest is closer to the wood. All three things mean less impact on me. Once it's round, I switch to a bowl gouge.
Bought your bowl gouge course. Well worth the money!
Thank you kindly! Happy Turning!
I will say that when I first decided to learn how to turn on a wood lathe. I found your channel. And you're an excellent teacher. I learned a lot from your videos! Thank you for that. I watch all of your content and look forward to your vids. Thanks for all that you share.
Very informative video! What am I saying, ha ha ha! 🤣 All your videos are like this butI wish I had watched this video long ago. I caught myself trying different tools for this. My thought was to take smaller bites to start , So I strted with my 3/8 gouge with this in mind, it went ok at first , bu then I realised that it had a bit of a bend when I turned to dsharpen it. I was able to straighten it pretty good, That was a lesson learned the hard way... Love your stuff !! Keep it coming, especially these odd projects and different ideas , Like the beads bowl 🥰 I apreciate you ! 👍👍
Thank you, JDD. Glad this helped. All the best to you and Happy Turning! Kent
Yet another great and informative video Kent
Thank you, Peter!
My wrists feel better already. Thanks.
Good tips. I would add that spending a few more minutes truing up and balancing the bowl blank prior to turning is well worth it. Use whatever tools you have: band saw, hatchet, etc. Five more minutes preparing a better starting blank can make a big difference.
That's what I was going to say. I see guys on RUclips just put a square blank on their lathe and start turning! Chunk Chunk chunk! To me, my bandsaw was one of the most important purchases I made besides the lathe itself!
Cut those corners or eccentricities off first!
Kent thanks you have such an easy way of explaining the proper way to use our bowl gouges.
Thanks Kevin. Happy Turning!
I have a bowl roughing gouge 3/4 inch, but the same principles apply, downward pressure on the tool rest and no inward movement. I like the weight and stability of the heavier tool. If your viewers want a bowl roughing gouge, the inexpensive way to go is to buy the tool without a handle and turn your own handle. This is easy to do and you spend about a third of the money on the tool. You also get a handle that is custom made for your hands. This principles of this video also apply when turning knotty wood with a lot of variability in density. Good reminders in this video. Thanks.
I just want to thank you for giving everyone your knowledge. Just beginning and there is so much to learn.
Turned out real nice. Excellent narrative. Very helpful. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for all these precious advices. Il learn a lot from your videos. I learn, I try, I learn, I try... And as I'm a french guy living in Quebec, you make me improve my english too ! (thank you for that too, you speak very clearly)...
I work at a tech park and I get Iron wood 🪵 and Mesquite trees. I cut them round but what you are showing this morning Is the part I hate when turning! I bought a 5/8 bowl gouge from Carter and Son’s still waiting on it! 😊
Lots of good info in this video...thanks!
Thank you for being such a great teacher! I used to working with metal lathe, just start turning wood relatively recently after getting a wood lathe from a passing relative. It’s a 14” one, but only 2/3 HP. So the blank stage is hard, with violent vibration and at least two instances, nearly ripped the tool out of my hands. This is the first time I learn that roughing gouge is not for roughing bowl blanks. Will never do that way again. Thank you!
I’ve got a similar experience. My father started me out on an engine lathe very early, and by age 6 I had mastered all major operations, turning, facing, drilling, boring, threading, knurling, and so forth. At age 71 I started using a wood lathe. In my experience, the only thing similar is that both lathes spin an object about its center. To me, the wood lathe is much more difficult to master, but with Kent’s great teaching, the mastery becomes a lot easier and the learning curve much shorter.
Hey, been there - got the trophy! Trying to work smarter, not harder. Lol!
Thank you for this instruction video. Now i have a loth of fun at ruffing these big maple burl which are over 9 years drying in my shed.they are so hard, i could not get started on them unless i used carbide cutters,and it was tuff.now i have the control with the bowl gouge using your advices ..thank you again
Fantastic! It's amazing what a little knowledge can do. I'm so glad you've seeing success! Well done! Happy Turning!
Thank you for being a great teacher, only had my 1st lathe a little over a yr and have made some wonderful progress. That said i need to vent - rough turning a walnut crotch blank, I usually do a mortise, but this time I decided to go with all of the turners I watch on RUclips (how i have learned how) and do a tenon - about 2" dia. got the exterior trued up and was just making progress on the interior being careful to leave the "wings" I had a small catch and BAM there went my tenon sheared off the blank- AAARRGGHHHHH! LOL Tyler
Hi Kent thank you once again great advice you always learn from your videos
Regards
Steve UK London
Thank you so much for all your videos. I've learnt a lot.
My pleasure. Happy Turning!
Thanks for the insights on this, Kent. I liked your reference to AB and "unitaskers". Your videos are always informative and fun to watch.
Thank you Kent! I'm a fairly new turner, maybe 3dozen bowls. This last tip was one I needed to hear. So far I have turned madfone, maple, pink plum, purple plum, hazel nut, cherry, oak, black walnut, and laurel. Also I was given a piece of myrtle wood. It,a a beauty. I am having a ball. Thanks much for your guidance.
Thank you Kent. Your videos have taught me so much about woodturning. I recently joined the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) and I read their safety document, and the AAW safety document says not to wear gloves or rings or anything that could potentially get caught in the lathe. So, after I read that information from AAW, I stopped wearing gloves. I was only wearing gloves because that is what I was seeing other people do on RUclips videos - I thought it was for safety. But in fact, wearing gloves or long sleeves or rings is dangerous while woodturning. I would venture that even wearing fingerless gloves is an unnecessary risk - parts of a fingerless glove or that velcro strap sticking up provocatively could potentially get stuck in the lathe and that would be a serious problem. I wouldn't laugh it off and think it could never happen, because accidents that you think could never happen sometimes do happen. I mean, if we think it's not going to happen because they are fingerless gloves, that doesn't even seem like a worthwhile risk to take, does it? Why not just turn wood without wearing gloves? I have had no issues with my hands going gloveless while woodturning, and I've turned many bowls. I am uncertain why anyone should wear gloves while woodturning as it seems like an unnecessary risk for no particular reason. Is there an added benefit to wearing gloves that outweighs the risk? If wearing gloves is for comfort, I'd venture that comfort is not worth the risk. If wearing gloves is for preventing splinters of wood from cutting your hands, I'd also venture that a splinter and some bleeding is way less risk than the potential for the glove to get caught in the lathe. As for my intent with this comment, I am writing this comment because I worry about your hands whenever I see you turning with gloves on, and so I wanted to tell you that and voice my concern. If someone was in my shop turning wood, and they started by putting gloves on, I would ask them to please take their gloves off before using the lathe.
HI Kent thank u for super good advice.
Hi Kent, I was turning a bowl a while back and was doing exactly what you said not to do, I was pushing the bowl gouge into the work and consequently having a hard time, mid cut I remembered a previous video where you mentioned pushing down on the rest instead of forward and the difference was like night and day! I was amazed how much easier the cut became.
So I would like to thank you for that as well as all the other fascinating and informative videos you regularly put out. Jane ♥
To save wear and tear on you and your tools, you might want to try debulking the high spots using your band saw especially on bowl blanks is big as the one you were turning.
I broke a roughing gouge today. Broke just inside the top of the handle. Wish I had sen this earlier!! Scared the CRAP out of me and ended up ruining a beautiful cherry blank.
Stay safe. I'm glad you know now. Happy Turning!
As always your inspirational way of enthusiastic teaching sharing and nurturing the wood turner in many. I am now a five year student of the turning world. At 61 it has given me a new purpose in my shop and wood lot. I have learned many many tricks and treats from your schooling. Thanks for being a dedicated master who shares. It takes a village to raise a wood turner. Your a village all into your own.
Thanks for the tips!
As always, great video, thanks.
Good luck, stay safe.
PS: beautiful wood!
I'm glad you are feeling better. You make it look so easy. I'm learning but it's a slow go.
You can do it! Happy Turning!
Great information as always! Thank you!
Hi Kent, thanks for your videos
I have been turning pens and other little bits. I'm just starting in the world of bowls lol. My wife got me a Nova G3 chuck for Xmas and I got my first oak cake to turn my first bowl.
Now I really appreciate this video, because I have a degenerative disk disease in my neck and lumbar regions of my back. I can't work on the lathe for too long without a break.
Just wanted to say thank you from Yorkshire in the UK. ;-)
Thanks for this!
My pleasure!
Good information. I would also stress that you need a very sharp tool and re-sharpen it often during the shaping process. Dull tools lead to more thumping than shearing.
Agree with having sharp tools.
I don’t agree with the the other reply on “telegram” and think it’s a scam. Hopefully Kent sees and deletes it.
Man I needed this video. I'm a new turner and don't have any bowl gouges yet but you have answered a ton of issues with rounding blanks. Hopefully Santa will drop off a couple of Bowl Gouges by my shop but, for now, I have been turning small bowls and stuff with spindle gouges and carbides. One thing for sure, my woodturning is making me an excellent sharpener🤣🤣.
Hi Kent thank you for your wunderful detailed and calm explainations. Thoug I knew most of this by making my own bad expetiences, it was important to watch and learn what these heavy vibrations do to your body and material. Cheers from northern germany Stefan
Have to have a clean and flat tool rest for this.
Very good tips !
as a noobie, I think it's also worth pointing out understanding the limitations of your lathe. I mistakenly thought that having a bench mounted lathe (bolted down) with just over a 6" clearance meant I could turn up to a 12" bowl blank. That was until I tried to turn a rough blank that was 10" in diameter and the lathe darn near took off! Don't underestimate the forces involved of an unbalanced spinning lump of wood
You're right, and although it's another issue, it relates to it. An unbalanced blank requires low speed, thus more 'air'time between 'hits', thus more time to push the gauge inward, causing the phenomenon of this video.
A rough blank though can be quite balanced, and still be bumpy to rough out. Higher speed (don't go crazy) gives the momentum to rough out with more ease, especially if you're minding Kent's advice.
Good luck, stay safe!
My #1 roughing tool is the Big Ugly tool, which is a 1 inch wide scraper, and the metal/cutting edge is tantung. Biggest reason for getting beat up, to me, is not having the tool rest close enough to your work. It is a leverage thing. That piece of wood had too many cracks for me, I would have tossed it.
Another great video. I am learning a lot. I have watched other turners and noticed they have different techniques and methods of turning wood. Some i noticed is the opposite what you have shown in this video. Some i noticed used same as yours but take sharper or deeper cuts with the tools. I guess with experience and reading the blank one gets to know how to turn a good finished piece of work. Thanks for what you show.
@WoodBowl who are you?
@WoodBowl are you a scammer?
Yes that was a scammer!
Great video. Do you have a video showing how to mount a bowl blank? especially a blank that is not symetrical?
You do a great job of explaining….I just wish I could transfer it to my attempts to turn a bowl…
great xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Great video-as usual. Subscribed for awhile now,and really improving from your helpful instruction.My question: Do you find that cutting bowl blanks as almost perfect circles is a most important step to avoid getting beat up? I have a substantial lathe and can't fathom how turners can just cut the corners off and start turning a bowl. I find that very slow and not much fun. Thanks!
Should/could the blank be shaped a bit more? That is, remove any high spots.
When I cut the logs to prepare a blank (as per your video), I found rough shaping the sides by trimming off excess timber instead of turning them down improves the balance and offers more than 2 high spots as shown in this video.
My lathe is fabricated and not a cast iron body, hence minimising the out of balance reduces the wobbling.
Hello Kent, first, let me say I really enjoy your videos. Thank you for your instructions. Secondly, the mesh screen behind you. Where did you get this. Can you put the link? Thank you.
I think the mesh screen you asked about is sold as a "screen door" for a garage door. I bought one online to help keep the flying bugs out of my garage when I have the door open for ventilation.
@@mrp-in-co that’s what I was thinking. Thank you Mr. P
Thanks Dennis, Check out this video for the answer in detail ruclips.net/video/svt-Rrf550s/видео.html Happy Turning!
You made a video on how to get the most from your wood. You cut a half log into 3 pieces. I can't find it. Helllp
love clips like this, as I progress on my wood turning adventure, I would however like to see the finished bowl at the end of these to demonstrate the what can be achieved.
I will be placing my order for the hurricane HTT kw M2 5/8'" gouge with the Irish side grind from Amazon.
I already have a 1/2 " Sorby bowl gouge. Is the above # correct?
I followed you untill you started talking about muical interment. I have two lathes and neather have musical insterments on them. It is like making boxes an a lathe the only round boxes I know of are hat boxes and cheese boxes. I perfer to call what I make that is smaller then a bowl jars. Jars have been around for three or four thousands years. Any time some comes up with this I think they are too stupid and lazy to find out the real name.
Always great information. Thanks!