Stuart Johnson
My neighbor took down a large Cedar Elm and for once I have enough green wood to look at each piece as practice material. As a result I am working on form but more important I'm concentrating on how each tool works with open bowls so I can see the tool tip. The Hunter #3 is putting up a good fight but will eventually fall but in the meantime it's teaching me new ways to get violent catches. I think with this tool it is going to a sudden realization of what I'm doing or not doing.

The other tool I'm having a major problem using is of all things a U-shape 5/8” fingernail grind Thompson 5/8” bowl gouge. It's a delight to use when roughing the outside. I'm able to get good smooth, controlled cuts with no effort. My problems start when I'm hollowing the center.

I have a Super Nova chuck so I need a dovetailed tenon which for whatever reason I have trouble cutting with nice flat shoulders and a clean dovetail. I'm also working on this issue. Anyway, after a few cuts to flatten the face I mark the roughed thickness and start hollowing. At the beginning I don't have any problems but when I start moving from the outside and sweep to the center I'm doing something to cause the blank to wobble the closer I get to center. I'm not getting catches but I am doing something and the blank will loosen just a bit and cause the wobble. I have to stop and tighten the chuck. A couple more passes and it is loose again.

Yesterday I decide to solve this so I could move on. The first step was to check the chuck and dovetail match when the chuck was tight. All was good. I started the lathe and spun it up much faster than I would turn. There was hardly and vibration. I slowed down and with the gouge freshly sharpened made my first cut very carefully watching that I was rubbing the bevel. Everything looked good. But once again after a couple cuts I had knocked the bowl loose.

At this point I laid down the Thompson and went to a 1/2” V shaped gouge with same grind. I knocked the handle off when I went to the Kelton handle so I don't know the brand. I re-tightened the chuck and proceeded to complete the roughing out, probably more than 75% of the total with no problem. This leads me to believe it is the gouge. Not the Thompson but the Johnson holding the handle. The differences between the two aren't great 5/8” vs 1/2” and U vs V shape, problem with 5/8” U and none with 1/2” V. I am firmly convinced there is something I am doing or not doing that is causing my problem but can't figure it out. One other thing that makes me pretty sure it is me is I did also give a brief go at using a Thompson 3/8 U-shape with his grind and had no better results. FWIW, I started out turning with V shaped gouges.

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong or suggestions on fixing learning curve?