Sweet spot

[Russ Braun]

At the risk of sounding a touch novice, I was cutting with my 5/8” bowl gouge and I hit a spot on the tool positioning/ bevel where it cut effortlessly, like a dream! Being a large count Segmenter, my time at the lathe with a tool on wood is very limited. Man was that a nice cutting experience; what was it I did, lol!! I want more of that!!

 

[john lucas]

I've noticed over the years that if you rotate the flute just ever so slightly one way or the other you can find that sweet spot where it cuts effortlessly. It doesn't take much. A very subtle adjustment usually does the job.

 

[Donna Banfield]

I've taught woodturning since 2006. Teaching made me a better turner, because I had to 'reverse think' how I did every movement, with my body and the tool. This practice made me more aware of what I did, how and why, so that I could explain it to another student, in a 'language' they understood.

When I was learning, many of the books, and club members talked about the position of the tool being at (for example) 45 degrees. I'm math impaired, so that was always a puzzling description for me. I found another way, using an analog clock. I place the gouge on the tool rest with the flute facing straight up. I tell the student that position is 12 o'clock. I rotate the tool three times slightly to the right, and each rotation puts the flute at 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock and 3 o'clock. It's a visual aide that they can see and is familiar to the majority of people. I return the flute back to 12 o'clock and do the same thing rotating the tool to the left; 11 o'clock, 10 o'clock and 9 o'clock.

The next time you are turning, and find that sweet spot, pay attention to the position of the flute. You now have a visual aide of what to look for in your tool position and it will be easier to find that sweet spot again. Eventually that will become muscle memory; you will no longer consciously think about where the sweet spot is, your body will find it on its own.

In a group setting with 6 or 8 students, I need to pay attention to a lot of things simultaneously. I'm working with one student, glancing at another, and listening to the sounds that all the tools are making. I can hear when a student is close to getting a catch and reminding a student on the other side of the room to put their flute at 10 o'clock, sometimes keeps them from making that bowl fly off the lathe.

 

[Odie]

Eventually, a turner will be able to hold their gouges with a very delicate grip. When that is the case, your senses are enhanced in the ability to know how well the tool is cutting.

-----odie-----

 

[hockenbery]

what was it I did, lol!! I want more of that!!

You’ve got it.

rotate the flute just ever so slightly one way or the other you can find that sweet spot where it cuts effortlessly.

hold their gouges with a very delicate grip

The bottom line is
You let the tool do the work. Now to do it every time- combine the two suggestions and maybe drop the tool handle a bit.

Float the bevel, rotate the tool and drop the handle to find the sweet spot, then let the tool work with the handle aha set your side.

Finding the sweet spot With the Ellsworth grind the bevel angle changes
nose 60 degrees
Wing 25-30 degrees
Front of the wing 40-45 - the leading edge off the wing

The sweet spot is the leading Edge of the wing. It has a nice bevel angle higher shear angle
It makes an effortless slicing cut.

 

[John Hicks]

Eventually, a turner will be able to hold their gouges with a very delicate grip. When that is the case, your senses are enhanced in the ability to know how well the tool is cutting.

-----odie-----

I'm not supposed to use a pipe wrench?!

 

[Brian Gustin]

You’ve got it.





The bottom line is
You let the tool do the work. Now to do it every time- combine the two suggestions and maybe drop the tool handle a bit.

Float the bevel, rotate the tool and drop the handle to find the sweet spot, then let the tool work with the handle aha set your side.

Finding the sweet spot With the Ellsworth grind the bevel angle changes
nose 60 degrees
Wing 25-30 degrees
Front of the wing 40-45 - the leading edge off the wing

The sweet spot is the leading Edge of the wing. It has a nice bevel angle higher shear angle
It makes an effortless slicing cut.

Also, don't forget tool rest height. I have found, all things equal , even a very slight adjustment up or down can make a BIG difference in cut quality as well.

 

[Dennis Weiner]

What everyone said and note the position where shavings are leaving the gouge.

 

[Dean Center]

When I was learning, many of the books, and club members talked about the position of the tool being at (for example) 45 degrees. I'm math impaired, so that was always a puzzling description for me. I found another way, using an analog clock.

In a group setting with 6 or 8 students, I need to pay attention to a lot of things simultaneously. I'm working with one student, glancing at another, and listening to the sounds that all the tools are making. I can hear when a student is close to getting a catch and reminding a student on the other side of the room to put their flute at 10 o'clock, sometimes keeps them from making that bowl fly off the lathe.

When's the last time you saw a clock with hands on it? Young people today have no personal experience of "clockwise". Even modern wristwatches don't have hands. I can't imagine how a nurse checks the patient's pulse--oh, yah, they're hooked up to a beeping monitor and all the nurse has to do is look at the screen. We are dinosaurs.

BTW, after years of helping high school shop students, I totally get what you're saying about hearing a disaster about to happen 5 lathes down the row. Hard to describe, but you know it when you hear it.

 

[Tom Albrecht]

I've taught woodturning since 2006. Teaching made me a better turner, because I had to 'reverse think' how I did every movement, with my body and the tool. This practice made me more aware of what I did, how and why, so that I could explain it to another student, in a 'language' they understood.

When I was learning, many of the books, and club members talked about the position of the tool being at (for example) 45 degrees. I'm math impaired, so that was always a puzzling description for me. I found another way, using an analog clock. I place the gouge on the tool rest with the flute facing straight up. I tell the student that position is 12 o'clock. I rotate the tool three times slightly to the right, and each rotation puts the flute at 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock and 3 o'clock. It's a visual aide that they can see and is familiar to the majority of people. I return the flute back to 12 o'clock and do the same thing rotating the tool to the left; 11 o'clock, 10 o'clock and 9 o'clock.

The next time you are turning, and find that sweet spot, pay attention to the position of the flute. You now have a visual aide of what to look for in your tool position and it will be easier to find that sweet spot again. Eventually that will become muscle memory; you will no longer consciously think about where the sweet spot is, your body will find it on its own.

In a group setting with 6 or 8 students, I need to pay attention to a lot of things simultaneously. I'm working with one student, glancing at another, and listening to the sounds that all the tools are making. I can hear when a student is close to getting a catch and reminding a student on the other side of the room to put their flute at 10 o'clock, sometimes keeps them from making that bowl fly off the lathe.

Donna, thank you for that wise discussion item. The clock positioning is a very practical piece of advice. I am going to use it in my High School classes starting next week.

 

[Donna Banfield]

When's the last time you saw a clock with hands on it? Young people today have no personal experience of "clockwise". Even modern wristwatches don't have hands. I can't imagine how a nurse checks the patient's pulse--oh, yah, they're hooked up to a beeping monitor and all the nurse has to do is look at the screen. We are dinosaurs.

BTW, after years of helping high school shop students, I totally get what you're saying about hearing a disaster about to happen 5 lathes down the row. Hard to describe, but you know it when you hear it.

Unfortunately, I don't have many young students. But I have a large analog clock hanging 5 feet from the headstock of my lathe.

 

[Donna Banfield]

Donna, thank you for that wise discussion item. The clock positioning is a very practical piece of advice. I am going to use it in my High School classes starting next week.

It helps if there's an analog clock in the room that the lathes are in.

 

[Bill Blasic]

There are analog clocks on 3 of my 4 walls in my shop and the analogy of hand position is used frequently. But also identified with that is the explanation that with practice, practice, practice you will find movements of the second hand will make the cut even better (meaning small adjustment in the cut will achieve better results).

 

[Dan Olsen]

It helps if there's an analog clock in the room that the lathes are in.

Donna - I like your clock analogy. "flute at 45 degrees. . . " doesn't make much sense if you don't know 45 degrees from (vertical, horizontal, etc.?). Whereas, the analog clock is always positioned with noon/midnight at the top. You can even say "1:30" to indicate "45 degrees" for more precise measurements.