End grain tear out on the inside of the bow near the rim

[Finn Posner]

I'm doing the last cuts on my umpteenth bowl, side grain oriented, and as always I'm fighting that little bit of end grain tare out near the rim. We all know that a supported cut on the outside is from the smaller diameter to the larger, that way the next fiber to cut is supported. I might be able to do that with my eyes closed. However, based on grain direction, to do the same stellar job on the inside of the bowl, we should cut from the bottom of the bowl to the rim. It's not my standard operating procedure. Start at the rim, cutting is better than scraping so I sharpen the gouge, put my thumb behind the end to keep down the skate and the rest of my finger are lightly supporting the rim to minimize vibration. However what feels like a smooth cut leaves me reaching for the 80 grit sandpaper on those two area opposite each other near the rim. The rest from there down almost doesn't need sanding. I'm willing to try new things so if someone has a better idea please let me know. Thanks.

 

[hockenbery]

cut from the rim to the bottom on the inside on open face grain hollowed bowls.
a longer fiber will support the fiber being cut.

a small gouge will improve that area

I use a 1/4” bowl gouge for the first inch or so on the inside wall below the rim.
this is a trick I learned from Jimmy Clewes.
hard to get a clean cut here with a big gouge.
I use a Michelson grind on a 1/4” bowl gouge(3/8 bar)
traditional grind works well too.

fast forward to 23:40 you will see some stair step cuts with the Ellsworth gouge. This leaves thickness in the bottom.
then I switch to the 1/4” gouge to take off a tiny bit For a clean surface Below the rim.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCZWsHB4vlM

 

[Odie]

I'm doing the last cuts on my umpteenth bowl, side grain oriented, and as always I'm fighting that little bit of end grain tare out near the rim. We all know that a supported cut on the outside is from the smaller diameter to the larger, that way the next fiber to cut is supported. I might be able to do that with my eyes closed. However, based on grain direction, to do the same stellar job on the inside of the bowl, we should cut from the bottom of the bowl to the rim. It's not my standard operating procedure. Start at the rim, cutting is better than scraping so I sharpen the gouge, put my thumb behind the end to keep down the skate and the rest of my finger are lightly supporting the rim to minimize vibration. However what feels like a smooth cut leaves me reaching for the 80 grit sandpaper on those two area opposite each other near the rim. The rest from there down almost doesn't need sanding. I'm willing to try new things so if someone has a better idea please let me know. Thanks.

Finn.......Here is a drawing that explains best grain orientation for bowl turning......look closely, and it makes some sense.



There are some unusual circumstances where one may need to cheat on that drawing, but for the great majority of best cuts according to grain orientation, this serves the best.....

-----odie-----

 

[Dean Center]

Odie's picture is really helpful. If you make a typical, open, hemispherical bowl, then all the cuts inside go toward the base. If you make a bowl with a slightly undercut rim (the picture exaggerates this situation) then ideally you go both directions. I wonder how many folks actually do, when they make a slightly undercut rim.

Regardless, we ALL have struggled with tear out there. Maybe because we can't or don't go both directions, or maybe it's inescapable right where the intersection of grain direction/widest diameter is. If you're making undercut rims and getting tear out, you're not doing anything different from the rest of us, you're just one of the club.

Now, about your rewrite of the town name...clever, but I don't think it'll sell more beer.