Been a while since I watched Ian 'Robbo' Roberts video on why you don't use a SRG on bowls. As near as I can tell, I am the only one who figured out exactly why he has the catch. For those that don't know him, he is an excellent turner and has more turning time than most of us. Most who view this video seem to miss the comment about how he was out in the shop the night before for a couple of hours and couldn't get the SRG to catch. What he is doing is the traditional peeling cut, which on spindles means that you rub the bevel, and slowly raise the handle until it starts to cut. On a winged bowl like he is doing, that cut will tear out the corners, pretty basic turning 101. On a solid standard bowl, that cut will work, and do a fair job of cutting. As long as you are rubbing the bevel, that cut can be controlled, but I would never attempt it. What causes his catch is he extends out too far off the tool rest and then he lowers his handle. The instant he comes off the bevel, you have an unsupported cutting edge pointing up into the spinning wood. DUH!!! Instant slam. Those who use the flutes up with their bowl gouge on the inside of a bowl have experienced this same catch if they come off of the bevel when riding that wing. That is the reason I never use that cut. This is also the same reason that when using scrapers on the outside of a bowl, you cut below center and have the handle high. If you have the handle low, and the cutting edge pointing up into the wood, it can work, but the instant you come off of the bevel, slamajama!!!! Of course, the higher your speed is, the more spectacular the catch is. I did try his peeling cut approach, at very slow speed on the face/top surface of a bowl, and as I have said, as long as you are rubbing the bevel, it CAN be controlled, but again, not a cut I would ever use.
So, why don't you have huge catches when you are using a SRG in a peeling cut on spindles. I have experimented with this one on spindles, using both scrapers, different gouges, and the skew. If you come off of the bevel rub with the peeling cut, you are scraping. In all cases I tried, on cylinders up to 3 inch diameter, I had no catches in the transition going from peeling to scraping cuts. I am guessing the reason there was no dramatic catch was because the tool rest is very close to the spinning wood, and the diameter and feet/minute speeds aren't what you would have when turning an 8 inch bowl, kind of like the one Robbo has. This gives you a huge leverage advantage on the handle side that Robbo didn't have when he overextended with his SRG.
So, here is my video on using a SRG on the outside of a bowl:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwlAb2BWHw8
Can they be used on the inside of a bowl? Well, I would not do it myself, in part because other tools do the job better. It can be done. It works better if you have a slight sweep to the nose rather than being straight across/square grind. Many of our BOB gouges have a ) shape to the nose. With the handle dropped so you are working on the lower edge of the tool, and the cutting edge is supported on the tool rest, it is a safe cut with a very high shear/slicing angle, and you can get very clean cuts.
As I have said, I won't use the SRG on bowls. Mostly because other tools do a better job. Peeling type cuts do not work on bowls because if you come off of the bevel, you have an unsupported cutting edge trying to do all the work. Not worth the risk to me.
Side note, if you ever had questions about taking apart your chucks, Vicmark and Nova, Robbo has 2 excellent videos on how to do that, and his are better than the ones from the manufacturers.
robo hippy