Catch as catch can...

I got back on the lathe for a short time this afternoon. I am holowing out the inside of an 8" x 5" bowl. I have been doing this wrongly, but with a method that works, in effect using my bowl gouge like a scraper, and doing pull cuts from the centre hole to the rim. Now I am trying to do it by a more orthodox method, following videos by Brendan Stemp and Robbie the Woodturner. Their advice seems to be the same as some others that have been suggested to me, but their illustration is much clearer.

I am getting catches when I make the transition from the sides to the bottom. I am trying to do it the same way these two nice gentlemen work, but I am missing something. However, my gouge is tilted 45º to the direction I am going, and I can't see where I am going wrong.

Later in the week I may be able to talk LOML into taking a video of my technique, but until then, can anyone suggest what I may be doing worng?

Roger, I use the pull from the middle cut all the time to remove lots of wood fast. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. Tough to get a clean cut with it, but it works well to remove wood fast. As far as the catches, the first thing that comes to mind is your tool rest height. Is it above center? If so drop it a bit below and try again. Second, how far away from the wood is the tool rest? The closer the tool rest the better.

I think you might be losing bevel contact when you turn the corner. I keep a bowl gouge with a more traditional grind, maybe even a bit steeper than traditional to work the transition and the bowl bottom. If you look for 'bottom feeder' bowl gouge grind you will see essentially square tips beveled to 75 degrees with a slight sweep back on the corners to avoid catches. I learned of this grind from a class with Trent Bosch years ago and have been using it with good success.

JThanks! Later today I tried a gouge with a more traditional grind than the swept back grind I was using, and had more success with it. Still not perfect, but only God is perfect, so what do I expect?

With few exceptions, catches are a flaw in technique. Roll the hand holding the handle of the tool clockwise as you reach the center of the bowl.

In addition to what others said you may stay with your standard grind but add a second bevel as shown. So, it may be ground at 55* and then at 40* to grind off more of the bevel allowing you to scoot around corners easier because the bevel is much shorter.
Here is a Glen Lucas double bevel shown at CraftSupply. I tried the bottom feeder or traditional but my hands are not steady enough to keep the corner out of the wood. With the double bevel the wings are still swept back. The more upright wings do provide a steeper angle of cut but for me it is a trade off of slicing action vs control.

Jim, it's the flaw that I'm looking for! I will try that, thanks.

Mike, thanks for reminding me. I had thought about putting a secondary bevel on the tool, but actually forgot to.