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Trimming the edge

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Trimming the edge

#1

Trimming the edge

Jonathan Spool

>Ok guys. At the risk of looking stupid I need to ask this question, for I am tired of screwing up nearly finished vessels.

When I near fish point of a bowl with an in turned edge, or a hollow vessel with a flush edge, I often times run into a situation where I need to trim the edge, just a little, to clean up nicks, change the angle, or just clean it up a little. Usually the edge will be from 1/16" to 1/8" in thickness.

If I use bowl gouge I ofyen get a catch, even if I try a shearing cut. Any scraper tears out the grain. I would love to hear how different individuals attack the same problem, so I can improve my skills and don't have to invent anymore four letter words!

Re: Trimming the edge

#2

Re: Trimming the edge

Sean Troy

>Parting tool

Re: Trimming the edge

#3

Re: Trimming the edge

Fred Holder

>I use a fingernail grind spindle gouge (3/8") to do any final trimming of the edge of a bowl or hollow form. Use a sharp gouge and take very light cuts from the center toward the outside if you are making it flat or from the center of the rim to the outside and also toward the center for rounded over edges. A bowl gouge can be used, but they tend to be a bit aggressive and can take out chunks as you've experienced.

Re: Trimming the edge

#4

Re: Trimming the edge

bill hale

>I, like Fred, use a very sharp spindle gouge. Not like Fred, I cut outside to center.

I think the direction is less important than sharp tool and very light cut.

Before you cut make sure there are NO fine checks in the edge.

Good turning and be safe

Bill

Re: Trimming the edge

#5

Richard Allen

Re: Trimming the edge

Richard Allen

>I do my rim work before I remove to much wood.

As a bowl spins there is end grain, side grain, end grain, side grain. Nothing new there, everyone knows that. The thing is that side grain flexes differently than end grain. So when you have a thin bowl there is some flex to the bowl at the rim. The thinner the bowl and the larger the distance of thin wood the more flex there is. As we all know the process of cutting wood applies pressure to the wood. The catch is that the wood flexes and then doesn't flex as much. Much like walking through a wave at the ocean. When the water is ankle deep there isn't much of an issue. As the wave appears and it gets chest deep we get kocked down.

So the advice of a sharp tool and light cuts is good. Sanding is possible because the cutting is spread over a large area.

If you want to support the rim while cutting then the Oneway bowl steady can help. But it is all so much easier to just take care of the rim while there is still the wood is well supported.

Good luck

Richard

Re: Trimming the edge

#6

Re: Trimming the edge

Ken Grunke

>I would use a skewchigouge, also known as a fluteless gouge.

It's a round shaft say, 3/8" dia. with a spoon-shaped end, which is ground to a flat top about halfway across the shaft's end. Much less likely to catch than a gouge with a flute.

Cut only with the side edge in this case--if you are feeding in, angle the tool downwards. If pull-cutting, lower the toolrest and angle the tool upwards.

Either way, you will be taking a shear-scraping cut.

Re: Trimming the edge

#7

Thanks for the input.

Jonathan Spool

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