Sometimes when I'm working on a bowl, my bowl gouge makes a horrible screaming noise. I don't know how to describe it. It's like the sound a pool cue makes when your putting chalk on it except really loud. I don't know if I'm riding the bevel too hard or what. Any ideas?
-
Congratulations to Bernie Hyrtzak, People's Choice in the January 2026 Turning Challenge (click here for details) -
Congratulations to David Croxton for "Geri's Basket Illusion" being selected as Turning of the Week for February 2, 2026 (click here for details) -
AAW Symposium demonstrators announced - If the 2026 AAW International Woodturning Symposium is not on your calendar, now is the time to register. And there are discounts available if you sign up early, by Feb. 28. Early Bird pricing gives you the best rate for our 40th Anniversary Symposium in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 4–7, 2026. (There are discounts for AAW chapter members too) For more information vist the discussion thread here or the AAW registration page
-
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.
screaming bowl gouge
- Thread starter Jason Ledbetter
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2004
- Messages
- 9,310
- Likes
- 6,088
- Location
- Lakeland, Florida
- Website
- www.hockenberywoodturning.com
What are you cutting when this occurs?
Most likely this is the wood vibrating.
The cause may be too much bevel drag on a thin piece. Some thing you can do to reduce bevel drag.
sharpen the tool which also cleans the bevel of any resin,
take lighter cuts,
don't press the bevel against the wood let the bevel float over the surface,
Use a smaller gouge or
put a secondary bevel on the gouge will reduce the amount bevel contact.
Also be sure to cut from thin to thick. Vibration can get really bad if you get the wall of the bowl thin near the base and then try to work on the rim. I always turn the wall thickness in 2" increments from the rim to the bottom. That way there is thick wood between the cut and the supprting headstock. The rim may still vibrate but it is out in thin air and won't make much noise.
hope this helps,
Al
Most likely this is the wood vibrating.
The cause may be too much bevel drag on a thin piece. Some thing you can do to reduce bevel drag.
sharpen the tool which also cleans the bevel of any resin,
take lighter cuts,
don't press the bevel against the wood let the bevel float over the surface,
Use a smaller gouge or
put a secondary bevel on the gouge will reduce the amount bevel contact.
Also be sure to cut from thin to thick. Vibration can get really bad if you get the wall of the bowl thin near the base and then try to work on the rim. I always turn the wall thickness in 2" increments from the rim to the bottom. That way there is thick wood between the cut and the supprting headstock. The rim may still vibrate but it is out in thin air and won't make much noise.
hope this helps,
Al
Yup, Al's right. What you're experiencing is vibration in the wood. This can come from a variety of specific factors but is basically the wood repeatedly letting go and then recatching on the chisel. Same effect as driving on washboard surfaces.
Solutions are as Al said. Also, when turning a bowl relatively thin, turn a little on the rim, bring to the point where it's ready to sand, then turn the next little bit. This avoids making a cut way out on thin wood with only thin wood below it also. Kinda like stairstepping it.
Make sure you're using the bevel and cutting shavings, not using the tool as a scraper. If you get chatter (the other name for it), back off the cut till you're on smooth wood and redo it with a very light touch. Hard to eliminate the chatter starting at a point that is already chattering.
Worse comes to worst, pad you fingers with a soft cloth or leather glove and give a little support on the outside/inside of the bowl as you make the cut on the reverse surface.
Good luck,
dietrich
Solutions are as Al said. Also, when turning a bowl relatively thin, turn a little on the rim, bring to the point where it's ready to sand, then turn the next little bit. This avoids making a cut way out on thin wood with only thin wood below it also. Kinda like stairstepping it.
Make sure you're using the bevel and cutting shavings, not using the tool as a scraper. If you get chatter (the other name for it), back off the cut till you're on smooth wood and redo it with a very light touch. Hard to eliminate the chatter starting at a point that is already chattering.
Worse comes to worst, pad you fingers with a soft cloth or leather glove and give a little support on the outside/inside of the bowl as you make the cut on the reverse surface.
Good luck,
dietrich
You are correct
Your ear is telling you that something isn't quite right. A fight is going on between your tool and the wood. I am an expert at this because I have made almost all the mistakes - and I am still working on the few mistakes I have missed.
Al Hockenberry taught me the trick of "secondary bevel on the gouge will reduce the amount bevel contact." A secondary symptom of this being the problem is the wood being bruised and glazed over on the lower part of the bowel. Generally this shows up only after a finish is applied. If you are seeing glazed streaks, it is definitely a sign of the back of the bevel near the tip of the gouge being forced into the wood as you make the final sweep into the center of the bowel.
Good luck.
Your ear is telling you that something isn't quite right. A fight is going on between your tool and the wood. I am an expert at this because I have made almost all the mistakes - and I am still working on the few mistakes I have missed.
Al Hockenberry taught me the trick of "secondary bevel on the gouge will reduce the amount bevel contact." A secondary symptom of this being the problem is the wood being bruised and glazed over on the lower part of the bowel. Generally this shows up only after a finish is applied. If you are seeing glazed streaks, it is definitely a sign of the back of the bevel near the tip of the gouge being forced into the wood as you make the final sweep into the center of the bowel.
Good luck.