cutting end grain

Clark O'Neill

Member
Messages
177
Location
Decatur, Illinois
ok, earlier i said i am new to turning and just set up my nova1624 lathe. that went well and the engineer in me has to appreciate the clever foot design on this lathe. can accomodate uneven concrete surface by swiveling and adjusting up and down....and, there are rubber inserts isolating the cups in the feet from the legs. shown upside down before assembling this last one:
View attachment 15100
the rubber insert is lying next to the conical threaded shaft with the foot in the rear and an assembled leg is to the rear of that leg.

but on to my question...i have a few lidded boxes underway and have been coring the end grain with my bowl gouge. that's ok but am aware of other means and am asking for the best option. the termite seems dedicated to this task...then the monster system is attractive as it could also be used for hollow forms. how about some advice so i don't have to learn by buying the wrong stuff??? and thanks to all the experienced turners that make this site so interesting.
 
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I'm by no means experienced at end grain cutting (like in a box), but tools like the Termite or various hook tools I've seen pics of do handle end grain well. I've got the Termite, and it works as advertised, but for the pieces I've made so far, I've found I can get essentially the same result with a sharp bowl gouge. If I was doing end grain boxes, the Termite would be used more, I suspect.
 
I use either a round nose scraper, or my Sorby box scraper. Both work great on endgrain for box work. The latter is square so my tool preference would be depending on whether I want a concave or flat bottom.
 
i'm familiar with the scrapers that gari refers to but only have a small one up to now. but the raffan bowl gouge description from bernie...is it this one bernie?
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/s...uperflute_Bowl_Gouge___raffan_kryo_bowl?Args=
looks like the grind goes from pretty flat on the right side to more steep at the nose and left side. but not sure about the back hollowing description. i'm also not sure how i would sharpen one as i use the tormek usually and that jig does symetrical grinds...unless i stopped and changed the setting during the grind???
 
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