# A quick re-work



## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

I was embarrassed the other day when I was asked the thickness of my bowls and how consistent the thickness was. I decided to re-work the first bowl that I made which I was happy with at the time but now realise just how thick and uneven the walls were. Here are the results.


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## karateed (Feb 7, 2006)

Wow Harry,

You certainly do learn from your small errors, very nice rework.

Ed......


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Harry, 

those weren't 'inconsistencies' in your original bowl, those were artistic elements!

Both bowls look great!


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Doug, a few weeks ago I might have believed you, but I'm learning fast, thanks guys.


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## Glenmore (Sep 10, 2004)

Harry really getting along looks great.


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

Show off!! I'm jealous!


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI Harry
Very nice looking , it will not be long b/4 you will need to have a craft show and sale  , I only have one or two left of the ones I turned along time ago when I was into turning, the duds didn't sale, so I put them in a box and the Boss has one for paper clips that she has on her desk.. 

But I do recall it was fun turning them but I don't dare to get the bug aging, just no room now for them or the lathe...  it makes me think of all the picture frames I have in the garage in boxes, must be over 100 or so...at one time I was cutting glass like the hardware store...  LOL LOL..


But I sure like your turning 

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harrysin said:


> I was embarrassed the other day when I was asked the thickness of my bowls and how consistent the thickness was. I decided to re-work the first bowl that I made which I was happy with at the time but now realise just how thick and uneven the walls were. Here are the results.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Very well done Harry. Consistency looks good. Beautiful bowl Harry.


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## Hamlin (Dec 25, 2005)

Hi Harry,

Your turnings are quite wonderful my friend.


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Nice rework job there Harry.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks again guys, tomorrow I hope to have a go at re-working the Jacaranda bowl, I think that I may be able to thin the walls without wrecking it (fingers crossed, not very technical I know, but it does seem to help on occasions!)


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## oldnewbie (Sep 18, 2006)

harrysin said:


> Thanks again guys, tomorrow I hope to have a go at re-working the Jacaranda bowl, I think that I may be able to thin the walls without wrecking it (fingers crossed, not very technical I know, but it does seem to help on occasions!)


Harry; Isn't it rather difficult to work the lathe and tools with your fingers crossed?

Neal


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

I thought it looked great before but looks wonderful now! Nice job Mr. Harry!

Corey


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

"Harry; Isn't it rather difficult to work the lathe and tools with your fingers crossed?"

It's surprising Neal what a little practice can achieve!

Thanks Corey for your kind remarks.


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

*Best work.*

Yeah Corey. He does his best work when his fingers are crossed.


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## karateed (Feb 7, 2006)

Yup, that's true, that's how he gets those crazy spirals.....

Ed......


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## Mitch12 (Mar 29, 2008)

Harry
Very nice bowl, well done and you learned something on this bowl, something you want to do on every turning. Looking at your photo shoot I am interested in the tool you use but am a little confused by it. Correct me if I am wrong, but is that a tear drop scraper on one side and a round scraper on the left side ? What confuses me is why two tools in one and isn't it cumbersome like that? It obviously works very well because you make some beautiful turnings with it, but I just think it would be difficult to use on larger vases with small entry holes for instance. Please don't think I am criticizeing the tool Harry, it's just my curiosity is aroused and I think I told you the past few months I have ben into making different turning tools for myself, just for the satisfaction. Keep up the fine work, Mitch


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Mitch12 said:


> Harry
> Very nice bowl, well done and you learned something on this bowl, something you want to do on every turning. Looking at your photo shoot I am interested in the tool you use but am a little confused by it. Correct me if I am wrong, but is that a tear drop scraper on one side and a round scraper on the left side ? What confuses me is why two tools in one and isn't it cumbersome like that? It obviously works very well because you make some beautiful turnings with it, but I just think it would be difficult to use on larger vases with small entry holes for instance. Please don't think I am criticizeing the tool Harry, it's just my curiosity is aroused and I think I told you the past few months I have ben into making different turning tools for myself, just for the satisfaction. Keep up the fine work, Mitch


Mitch, I bought that hollowing tool at the Perth woodshow in August just gone, the guy who makes them in three sizes (mine is the smallest) was actually selling them. Talking to a guy who is now a good friend and lives close by, it is a great bowl turning tool and he demonstrated it to the crowd. He advised me to bend the left side to give better access, which I have done. The HSS steel cutter is indeed pear shaped and can be turned 360*, during the turning of my bowls I rotated it several times, especially on the rework. Being of square steel, it sits on the tool rest making it easier for a beginner like me to control. A simple jig came with it to assist in sharpening. When I can wean myself away from the lathe I'll try to make a hollowing tool or two.

I'm just about to post a few shots of the Jacaranda bowl being reworked.


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## Mitch12 (Mar 29, 2008)

Harry
I know now , after your explanation of your tool, how it works. It has the tear drop shape, or pear shape as you describe same as the one I recently made and use often just for work like your doing to thin the sides of bowl to a pretty consistent side wall thickness. Works wonders and like you said the flat bottom of the body makes it so much easier to control the tendency of the round tools to turn downward and cause problems. Is there a flat side on this cutter also? That is for flattening the bottom of the bowl from the sidewall to the center of the bowl I made an Oaland tool today for hollowing. All it is is a piece of one half inch galvanized pipe drilled with two 5/16'' holes tapped and 5/16'' set screws set in the hole. Bought a metal cutting cutter 1/4''x1/4''x21/2'' for a couple dollars and sharpened it and installed in the pipe. This baby hollows out a form quickly but there is a slight learning curve with this tool but if a guy is going to get better needs to learn how to use all tools. If your thinking of maybe making a tool or two an easy one to make and one that hollows out well is a half round scraper. I made one out of an old 11/2'' file. All you do is set the grinder to the proper angle and grind this shape and in a short time your hollowing a bowl smooth as can be. Going to look at your latest rework now. Mitch


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

"All you do is set the grinder to the proper angle and grind this shape"

Mitch, should a photo have accompanied this post to show the shape to grind a file to ?


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## Mitch12 (Mar 29, 2008)

Harry
Not really, a photo of a file that has been sharpened to a certain angle still won't tell you what that angle is. A scraper tool is usually sharpened to 40 to 45 degrees. I believe you recently got a Tormek grinder? Look in the manual, it tells you the angles that turning chisels are ground to. Set your grinder table and go. Best way to do it though is to have a scraper of any kind and blacken the profile with a sharpie, set the file on the grinder and fit the profile to the wheel. Turn the grinder on and touch the file to the wheel, if you see a grind mark the length of the grind it is set right , sharpen it. Do this every time you sharpen and you will have a grind that is always repeatable and always the same. With a file sharpened to a half round profile. you will be amazed how fast you can hollow them small bowls and the quality of the grind. If you don't want to make one buy a good hefty one . I always sharpen the side slightly on mine too so I plunge the half round profile into the work and drag it along the sides coming back out. Cuts nice. Harry, I am saying this just to make you think about there being many ways and tools to make the same cuts. Don't get stuck in a rut using the same tool all the time. Your not learning anything if you always repeat the same procedure with the same tool. I am not saying you do this , neither am I not saying you don't , all I want to do is encourage you to think about different options you have, even if you never use these options. Pictures are great but sometimes reading the manual and memorizing the grinds is better. Mitch


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Mitch are you sure about the bevel angle on a scraper. All the scrapers I have bought or used have a 80 deg bevel. My Tormek angle for the scraper is set at 80 degs. I would think with a 40 to 45 deg bevel that would be asking for a big catch or dig in. I don't use a scraper on bowls. I can't get a consistent smooth surface.


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## Mitch12 (Mar 29, 2008)

Bernie
Yes, your absolutely right, most scrapers come from the factory ground at 80 degrees and it does tell you that in the Tormek manual. This is why I said in another reply it is better to look at the manual for info than to look at a picture for a grind. Some people like a much smaller angle than 80 degrees and I am one of them. I practically ground my first round scraper down to a nubbin trying to find a grind that I like on the scraper. I did say forty to 45 degrees though but meant to say 45 to 60 degrees. There is more to it though than grinding the angle and using it for hollowing though Bern. A scraper scrapes, right? OK, you need to shange the scraper from a scraping action to a cutting action. I got this tool from Veritas, the name escapes me at the minute. Use a diamond stone to hone the top of the scraper then grind it to the preffered grind. Take the tool to the veritis, I'll call it a burnisher and lay it on the burnisher and rub the edge of the grind against a 5 or ten degree post. This creates a burr on the cutting edge, unlike the usual wire burr you get when sharpening. This turns your scraper into a cutting tool You can't put a heavy burr on it or it will dig in aggressively. This baby is set to cut and cut it does. I hollowed bowls with this that were smooth as some spindle that you just used a skew on. I still use my gouges to do most of my turning but I was saying this about a scraper for guys that would want an option for hollowing rather than using gouges. Takes the fear out of hollowing with a gouge that I think we all felt after our very first catch. Sorry about the mistake and thank you for correcting me on it. Mitch


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

So much to learn, so little time! Thanks guys.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Wasn't trying to correct you Mitch. I had just never seen one with a 40 deg bevel. Like I said I use my bowl gouge with the irish or ellsworth grind to hollow out the majority of the bowl. My last 1 to 3 cuts are with a freshly sharpened conventional bowl gouge (actually a P & N bowl gouge). I can get the surface as smooth as a spindle done with a skew with sanding starting at 150 to 180 grit. On the walnut bowl I just did which is drying after the 3rd coat of finish I started sanding at 220 and finished with 320. Sometimes if I have a bowl such as willow with a lot of tearout I use my hunter #3 or #4 on it. Now those will scrape a smooth finish. Me about the only place I use a scraper is a square one on lidded boxes. I have always said use what you feel comfortable with and what works for you. Thanks for clearing that up for me Mitch.


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## Mitch12 (Mar 29, 2008)

Bernie
Absolutely no problem about the angle, I thank you cause I would of looked stupid if someone else caught that that didn'y know me. I was wondering why I typed 40 degree angle and I think I know. That evening I was making a Bedan tool and was starting at that angle, so it must of been on my mind. You and I pretty much hollow a bowl with the same tools except you say you use a standard bowl gouge to finish up last few passes. I never bought a standard bowl gouge so I thought guys who use them say it is hard to cut down deep, so they go to an Ellsworth grind or a side grind.Will you clear that up for me Bern? If you say you get a great finish on your last few passes I believe wihat you say so I must be wrong about a standard bowl gouge. This is what I love about these forums, when guys tell what they do and tell you their results. Today I turned a couple bird houses and was using the round scraper and Bedan tool I recently made. I just got some white oak wet wood and I never saw a tool cut so fast and smooth, had to let way up on the pressure on the tool it was throwing paper thin shavings all over my face and chest. Feels so good that something you made yourself works so well. I'm sure the wet wood had a lot to do with it though. Mitch


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Mitch, for me it has to be pictures, I really do believe that a single picture is worth a thousand words, so, as one senior citizen to another, how about it?


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Mitch I grind my conventional gouge at about 60 deg. I do not have a problem going from top to bottom with this gouge. Now on a deep steep curved bowl I have a little trouble with the conventional gouges but will use my Irish/Ellsworth grind using a pull cut from bottom to top. Works for me. Saw it done at a demo by Al Stirt. By the way since I got the Tormek I have found that when I use it to sharpen my Irish/Ellsworth grind on my bowl gouges I haven't really needed the conventional. I will be posting 4 bowls I made a couple of weeks ago. I have been on the road so am not home to take pics and post. 

Yep Mitch I love my bedan tool. When sharpened on the Tormek it will take what I call whispy ribbons off. So thin you can see thru them but just perfect ribbons.


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## Mitch12 (Mar 29, 2008)

Thanks Bernie, like I say I never used a standard bowl gouge but I like the Ellsworth grind. I sharpened mine on the tormek most of the time but lately I have been just doing my sharpening at the grinder. If I ever think something is wrong with my grind I return to the Tormek and recheck everything and away we go again. I will be looking forward to seeing the new bowls you will be posting. A while back I made 4 nested bowls for a new friend of mine. He said nothing fancy just plain nested bowls. He gave me the wood and I think they came out just right, He stopped over and I gave them to him without thinking, I never took a picture of any of them. Turned several more but nothing special, was using the tools I made and was trying them out making bowls. Mitch


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## Mitch12 (Mar 29, 2008)

Harry
OK senior citizen, if you need to have pictures I will remember that from here on in.lol Mitch


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## chippypah (Dec 24, 2007)

What can I say Harry ummmmmmmmmmmmm, GREAT re work mate. Been away for a while but I see it is still the old photo problem still LOL.
Cheers
Pete


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