? - Parting-off with saw

Re: ? - Parting-off with saw

Jennifer@Indy.USA

>Shel,

When I'm parting off a hollow vessel that I've worked hard on.....I don't take any chances. I part to about 1/2" diameter and then turn the lathe off and finish it off with my dozuki saw or whatever you have handy. The tool rest would not be used for this. I finish all my bowls and vessels off with a Flexcut chisel so this is not an issue. When I reverse my bowls I always have a tiny nib left that needs to come off with the chisel and then I go through all the sanding grits to finish it off like the rest of the piece. Only on miniature pieces do I part off completely. I admire anybody who can part off a hollow vessel completely. They have more nerve and obviously more skill than I!

Jennifer

Re: ? - Parting-off with saw

Keith Tompkins

>Hi Shel, it is fairly common practice to cut a turning off by hand with a saw, but not under power. A gouge will create a good finish for most of the job, when you are no longer comfortable, shut off the lathe, and finish with a hand saw.

Re: ? - Parting-off with saw

Barry Irby

>I part spindals off with a hack saw and the lathe running. Why is this a bad practice? Have I missed a safety breifing somewhere? Again.

I use a dozuki saw to cut the nib off things off the lathe.

Little things I part off with a parting tool and catch them.

Barry Irby

Re: ? - Parting-off with saw

Keith Tompkins

>Hi Barry, You have to use your own judgement here.....there is always a possibility of the thin hacksaw blade becoming wedged in the kerf. It takes only a minute to part off a piece with the lathe off, so I wonder if the small savings in time is worth the risk.

I part off small finials and goblets and just catch the finished piece also. there isn't much force behind the turning at this point.

Re: ? - Parting-off with saw

keith zimmerman, Normal, IL

>I've tried parting off pieces with a saw and the lathe running and will never do it again. I came very close to losing a finger. I have scars on my finger from the teeth of the blade. I will occasionally use a japanese saw to part off, but I usually use my 1/16" narrow kerf parting tool all the way through and catch the piece in my hand.

When finishing a bottom, I use a curved carving gouge to part off the nib, then sand through the grits.

keithz

Re: ? - Parting-off with saw

Jay Dunham

>I do it this way as well, but have trouble maintaining a crisp edge on the bottom. Are there any secrets to your sanding process?

finishing bottoms

Jennifer@Indy.USA

>Hi Jay,

When I part off part way I always point the tool at an angle away from the headstock so that the bottom is concave. I then use a curved Flex-Cut chisel to pare off the nib that's left after I cut the piece off with the dozuki...I have two of the chisels one is 1/2" wide and the other is 3/4" wide I think? It depends on the size of the bottom which one I use. I have an old thick bath towel that I plop on the bench and set the bowl or vessel on it for cushioning and then just pare off the nib that's left. Once I get the nib cut down so that the surface is nicely concave, I just go through the grits usually starting with 120 and moving up to 400 or 600 depending on where I stopped with the rest of the piece. I actually enjoy this part of the turning. The piece is done all of the "thinking" part of making the piece is done and it's just a quiet little moment that I spend with whatever it is that I've made before it goes inside, behind my back, to say to my son...."close your eyes"...and I hold it out in front of me..."okay now you can look!"...and then the moment of truth.....

Hope this helps.

Jen

Re: ? - Parting-off with saw

Richard Allen

>There are two problems with holding a saw sationary while the wood spins. The first has been mentioned several times. The other issue is understanding how a saw works.

To cut through wood you need to do two things. First you need to rip the wood fibers. Most any sharp tool (and even some dull ones) can do that. The second thimng that has to happen is the riped wood fibers have to be removed so more wood fibers can be riped away.

Holding a saw to spinning wood does little to remove the wood fibers. In an effort to remove the fibers they try to work their way past the stationary saw and end up binding the saw.

To use a saw while the lathe is running you need to perform a sawing action to clear the waste. This action is just as easy to do with the lathe off.

Good luck and play safe.

Re: ? - Parting-off with saw

Barry Irby

>Thanks. Sometimes it's hard to recognize what is dangerous until it is too late. I actually part of small things like finials with the saw. Those are turned driven into the taper in the shaft and free on one end and very small, so I don't think there is much chance of them binding or catching. I just find the saw easier than trying to catch the piece with one hand and keep the 1/16 parting tool lined up with the other. Maybe I should just stop the lathe and saw them off.

Thanks again, Barry Irby

Re: ? - Parting-off with saw

Anthony

>A lot of turners invest in a carvers spoon gouge.With the lathe barely turning you can slice off the tenon.These gouges are razor sharp.Good luck!!!