Tearout interior of bowls

Like alot of wood turners i get that darn tear out on my turnings. I get it on the outside and the inside but i find the inside is harder to deal with. I use a newly sharpen gouge or a large bowl scrapper with very light cuts but sometimes you still end up with tear out. What i have found that works best is one of the following:
- 50/50 Laquer/Laquer Thinner on those areas and then recut
- Shellac spray can on the spots and recut
- Liquid acrylic floor wax
From the above i use mostly the laquer - thinner dilution as it is easy to use and quick to dry. After the finish cuts i can then sand thru the grits and finish it out.
I read on the AAW forum about using alot of special products - glues diluted down - waxes - other thinners etc but i perfer not having to spend money on something i can make up with the materials i already have.
One of the people on the forum (AAW) sent me a private message and disagreed with me that liquid acrylic floor wax would work......I messaged back asking if he had every tried it - he wrote back stating "no" but stated that the chemical properties in the product would not allow the fibers to stiffen correctly for a finishing cut - I message back again asking which specific properties was he refering to and stated he should try it first before he condems the use of it.............I on the other hand have tried it because i had some here and home and it works - not a perfect solution but a workable one non the less. I simply dab it on and let it dry well - then lightly take a few finish cuts and walllllllla - then sand well and all reminants disappear.

Anybody else with thoughts on tear out ????

Raise the tool rest. If you are below center it produces a more agrssive cut. Raising will lessen the agression and ease in gouging cuts. doesn't neet to be much a small amout will make big changes.

Also consider your height when approaching the lathe, If you are short and the lathe is tall, then you reach up and create agressive cuts. if you are tall and the lathe is short then you are making a below center cut and then you over compensate by more pressure , resulting in a deep cut.

Lot of veriables to contend with any of which could create these problems, Developing techniques to address these takes time. Again, raising the tool rest 1/8" or so can make a big difference.

Two things I use Dan on a bowl with inside/outside tearout. The first is outside I use a vertical shear scrap that Bill Grumbine teaches. He also shows it on his DVD which by the way is a great turning DVD. It works really well and very seldom do I have to start sanding below 120 grit. On the inside I picked up at a demo by Mike Mahoney is to use a bowl gouge with a conventional grind (P & N 3/8" and 1/2" bowl gouge). Not the swept back. I use mineral oil if I do have tear out and then hit it with the conventional gouge. I have never had any luck with a scraper. Sometimes I use my hunter tool and it works pretty well also.

Bill - agree and ill try to raise the rest as you suggesed - i have seen it done but forget to try it........im tall at 6'5"

Bernie - Yep i have Bills DVD and your right and again i forget to try some of the different cuts but i will try the shear scrap like you said on the outside and review the video....I use a large bowl scrapper with a fresh edge on the final cuts and i am getting much better at using th tool......I have 1/2" monster bowl gouge but have not gotton good enough yet to make clean finish light cuts.

Thanks for the advice

Bernie Weishapl said:

Two things I use Dan on a bowl with inside/outside tearout. The first is outside I use a vertical shear scrap that Bill Grumbine teaches. He also shows it on his DVD which by the way is a great turning DVD. It works really well and very seldom do I have to start sanding below 120 grit.

Click to expand...

Bernie,
Does Bill Grumbine sell his DVD on his site? I would be interested in looking at the DVD, but must have missed it on his site.

yes he has it for sale on his site chuck.. wonderfulwood.com or just email him he will send ya one right out

Here you go Chuck.......

http://www.wonderfulwood.com/video.html

I've got Bill's first video, I really need to get his second one

Thanks guys... I'll look into this... need to get the old PP account off the zero mark again though.

I have both of Grumbine's video's and they are worth it....still use them and watch the segments on turning and natural edge etc.....always something to learn and pick up....

I heard my name invoked in this thread. I am on the way home from a demo in Abington MA, where I had lots of fun and got to meet Chuck Thoits. While I was there, I showed the secret weapon, a 3/4" continental, or forged, spindle gouge, which deals with tearout that other techniques just won't get. The down side is, while the gouge does an incredible job of cutting the wood smoothly, if it slips just a little, it does an incredible job of destroying the bowl.