• Beware of Counterfeit Woodturning Tools (click here for details)
  • Johnathan Silwones is starting a new AAW chapter, Southern Alleghenies Woodturners, in Johnstown, PA. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Paul May for "Checkerboard (ver 3.0)" being selected as Turning of the Week for March 25, 2024 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Finishing Details

Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
52
Likes
0
Location
Kentucky
Need some help from anyone willing to share. I have been working very hard with all of my tools. I've gone from blowing up every other bowl to finally getting some complete projects. I have begun to focus on the finished project and seeing the flaws within each piece, wanting to get much better at the details.

Here is where I am struggling. I have gotten much better at the overall finish, but, I still can see slight "lines" in my finished projects. I start with roughing out the bowl or vessel and move to a bowl gouge, and my last tool is a scraper, taking off the slightest bit, to get a final finish. I'm not rushing, trying to "feel" for the ridges, but, I still have some showing up. It has become obvious that I can't sand them out (at least I don't think so, doing the sanding by hand).

Any tips would certainly be appreciated. I can send pictures but I have a feeling many of you have been there and know what I am speaking about.

Thanks in Advance for any help
 
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
115
Likes
0
Location
Tampa, FL
Congratulations on your progress. It can sometimes be frustrating. I have gone through the same things, as has every other turner out there.

These may be obvious things, but:

Make sure that your tool rest is very smooth and allows your tools to glide across the top without getting "hung up" anywhere.

When scraping inside a bowl, try sweeping, rather than sliding the tool. You have to establish the correct arc in order for the very tip of the scraper to just swipe the top layer of the concave surface of the bowl. That should take the surface to a consistent level, without leaving anything but a bit of tear out and almost no tool lines.

Try shear scraping with a scraper that has been freshly sharpened, or burnished to raise a nice (but not too big) burr. Check the many excellent videos out there on this topic. Shear scraping, at least for me, is probably the last step before sanding on most of my projects.

Other much more masterful turners will surely chime in.

Good luck, and just keep practicing. It's an art, not a science.
 

hockenbery

Forum MVP
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
8,590
Likes
4,885
Location
Lakeland, Florida
Website
www.hockenberywoodturning.com
Scott,

Really difficult to know what you need help with.

Ridges usually sand off. Little dips don't. cutting with the tip creates a washboard effect.
Excessive bevel pressure can compress the fibers to where they appear different in the finish and may in rare occasions pop up a bit if they swell during the finish process.
That is just a few of a dozen problems you might have.
Most likely it is some combination of gouge sharpening, tool presentation, body movement, and tool pressure. The tool needs to float over the wood in a smooth curve.

Get some coaching! take some of your pieces to an AAW chapter meeting. Find a good teacher near you.
Consider treating yourself to a class a arrowmont or john c Campbell. Many of their classes are suitable for beginners. Take a weekend with David Ellsworth in PA. he is excellent teaching beginners as well as experts.

Have fun,
Al
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
184
Likes
16
Location
Riverside Ohio
I have had the same problem so don't feel like you are the Lone Ranger in this. I found that I had to give it a gentler touch with the scraper and I also had to modify my round nose scraper so that it cut some from the side. As said before by others it takes a little time for the feel to come to you, but it will. Another step that I took was power sanding. There is a thread here on this and I learned a lot from reading how to power sand and one was to go to Harbor freight and buy one of their angle drills. Then I bought a disc sanding kit from Woodcraft. My problem was not being able to get end grain smooth enough until I started to power sand. Note that the end grain takes a little more time to get smooth and you have to have your lathe turned off to do this but a steady sanding and slow hand rotation of your bowl will get this accomplished. I'm very surprised and pleased with the results when I apply the finish and there is no marks show up.
Man I hope this helps you I know how frustrating this might be, but there is hope in the future. Good luck and enjoyment in your turning.:D
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
Messages
5,435
Likes
2,792
Location
Eugene, OR
Best info I can give is to find the nearest club. Hands on instruction is best, and most clubs have mentors. You have to be careful with scrapers on the inside of a bowl. Never use one flat on the tool rest once the bowl had been mostly hollowed out. 'There was this strange screeching and howling sound, and then the bowl blew up'. You can sweep the scraper back and forth across the bottom of the bowl without it making too much of a mess. For cleaning up all the ridges, you use a shear scrape, which has the scraper or gouge up on its side, you do not rub the bevel, and make several light passes to remove the washboard. I have some clips up on You Tube if you type on robo hippy. I show most of this.

robo hippy
 

Bill Boehme

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Messages
12,886
Likes
5,168
Location
Dalworthington Gardens, TX
Website
pbase.com
Everybody has offerded some great advice..The good news is that each of us has gone through the same ledarning process and suffered the agony of defeat a few times.

.... I start with roughing out the bowl or vessel and move to a bowl gouge, and my last tool is a scraper, taking off the slightest bit, to get a final finish ...

Perhaps some clarification here would help me understand what you are doing. The way that I read it, you are starting with some unidentified tool then going to a bowl gouge and finally to a scraper. I am wondering if you really are using some other tool prior to using the bowl gouge. If so, what are you starting the process with.

BTW, it is OK to sand with the lathe running or to use a power sander. As you get better, less sanding with coarse grits will be needed. I got so frustrated in the beginning that I "turned" a bowl almost exclusively with 40 grit sandpaper so don't let anybody try to tell you that sandpaper is not a turning tool. :D
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
52
Likes
0
Location
Kentucky
Thanks to all of you for the replies. Very good info. I watch a tremendous amount of videos but one thing for me is that I find it hard to see the technique in a lot of the videos. Things like what type of pressure, angle of the tool, how the tool meets the wood, things like that.

Bill, you had asked my process so here goes, I will use my last project as reference. I cut a blank from a cedar tree that was approx 10 by 5. First thing I did was use my Easy Wood Tool rougher to get it to round. From there I used D-way's bowl gouge (U Shaped) to smooth the outside a bit. I continued with that tool to work on the bottom to get the shape I wanted. I then used my cheap 1/8 parting tool to create a cut in the bottom for my chuck to grab. Before mounting it on the chuck I used D-ways 1 1/4 inch scraper (not sure I know the diff between shear scraper and scraper) to smooth the bottom. I hardly put any pressure on the tool, letting it do the work.

Once I have the piece on the chuck I go back to the bowl gouge and rough out the inside of the bowl. From here I mainly use the D-way gouge and maybe my Sorby fingernail bowl gouge. The last step is to again turn to the scraper and go over the inside and outside.

It's odd. By touch and sight, everything looks great but when I put on my finish, these slight lines show up. One thing I am wondering is if I am truly sharpening the tools ofter enough. I never complete a bowl without hitting the sharpener in the process.

Again everyone, thanks so much for the help. I have learned so much and having so much fun. I just gave as a gift my first turning (that I thought looked good enough as a gift). My mother, God Bless Her, who is living with Alzheimers, was the recipient. She was so appreciative. Made my day.
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
184
Likes
16
Location
Riverside Ohio
Scott if you would post a picture on here. I think you are experiencing the same thing I was and sanding will take that out. I think but like I say if we had a picture we might be able to pin point it.;)
 

hockenbery

Forum MVP
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
8,590
Likes
4,885
Location
Lakeland, Florida
Website
www.hockenberywoodturning.com
By touch and sight, everything looks great but when I put on my finish, these slight lines show up. One thing I am wondering is if I am truly sharpening the tools ofter enough.

A couple of comments here. I usually do sanding later in the day. Sometime I don't see as well with the light fading. When we are older or more tired we don't see as accurately as we did earlier.

Two ways to help the eyes catch things they miss
1. I usually put on a thin shellac as a sanding sealer before sanding with 320. While this is wet any imperfections are going to show.
2. I have a pair of optivisor magnifying glasses. If I can't see imperfection wearing those I'm satisfied.

One possibility is You may be creating lots of tiny torn fibers with your scraping technique
These are absorbing finish at higher rates than the surrounding wood.

Al
 
Last edited:
Back
Top