In article ,
"Pete S" wrote:

I have looked at several videos on using the bowl gouge and listened, as
carefully as I can to the audio.
In addition, I have looked at several websites/forums where this issue is
discussed.
---Still can't get the hang of it, the hollowing in particular.
Most videos are shot by a videographer, I think, who doesn't really know
what's going on, and so, misses the points that a novice like me needs.
One example: the instructor says something like: "hold the gouge like
this". The video shows the instructor's fist clamped around the tool, while
the tool's business end is completely hidden by the hand.

I would quit bowl turning altogether, and switch to basket weaving, but we
have 70 acres of woods and lot of bowl blanks drying.

Is there any way an ordinary human can learn this skill without a live
tutor?

Pete Stanaitis
---------------

I'm rusty at the moment (too much time building shop, very little time
actually turning, as the shop isn't done) but the best advice (other
than getting someone to show you, but then not regarding that as gospel)
I can give you for learning by yourself is to take some of your not-even
dry (or quite, quite green, even) wood, chainsaw it until you can get it
on a faceplate (more robust that chuck-mounting), and make shavings,
WITH NO INTENTION OF A USABLE RESULT. ie, approach it an attitude that
you are making shavings for smoking meat, or mulch, or something, rather
than "wasting a valuable bowl blank." Use some crappy trees or crappy
parts of trees. Crank through 10 a week, or 10 a day, or 10 a month,
depending how much time you have. You'll know when you can start
thinking about saving the result.

As best I recall, I mostly use the wing over almost flat ( I think it's
a fingernail grind - the one Glaser ships with) except when drilling in
to make the main hole, and I often just use a drill to make the main
hole, as it's much faster that way for a bowl shallow enough that you
can use a drill to do that, and then hollow from it.

I am mostly self taught. I've found plenty of things in books that don't
appear to make sense in practice, and I don't do things that way if it
doesn't work after I've tried it a few times, and something I've tried
does work better. Having a lot of firewood and being a bored teenager
with one TV channel (or none for the 4 years or so the TV was dead and
did not get replaced) and no internet and a long bike-ride from town
probably helped me learn in the beginning.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away.