Tools sharp - balance fine - it's my technique for sure. The main problem is
after I've hollowed out the sides and am using the scraper to flatten out
the bottom. Probably pushing too hard.

Never heard of the 'box rest' but I'll look for one - it makes sense.

Rounding - yes, I start from center to outside. Since this was the first
time I rounded side and end grain I think I was trying to take too deep a
cut. Probably would have been fine on a pine spindle but rosewood end
grain - I don't know.. Just to be clear - on a spindle between centers, I
start center and sweep to ends. This blank was in a chuck but I did start
and sweep in the same direction as I do a spindle. I'm trying to visualize
rounding the piece from the bottom.

Vic

"Mac Davis" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 6 Nov 2011 16:05:45 -0800, "Vic Baron"
wrote:

If you're getting a lot of vibration and the piece is in balance, I'd
suspect your technique..
Sharp tools, LIGHT cuts and proper tool angle are critical..

If I'm hollowing end grain with a bowl gouge, I lay the gouge almost
level like a scraper with the flute facing the center of the opening..
It's not the best method, but it works and I feel safe that way..

If you're going to play with scrapers inside bowls and boxes, I'd
STRONGLY suggest investing in a "box rest"..
It's a flat rectangle of steel with a post for the tool rest banjo..
Set up the height so that when the scraper is laying flat on the rest,
the scraper is slightly above center, so that if you raise the handle
a bit you're on center.. MUCH safer and much less vibration..

IMO, vibration is the enemy.. You get tired faster and it's hard to
control the tool..

On rounding the piece, are you working in sweeps from the center to
the outside, of are you trying to round the piece from the outside?
Most new turners will set the toolrest at 90 degrees to the wood and
try rounding it from the side.. Very hard to have a light enough touch
to avoid "clunking"..
Set the rest as if you were shaping the bottom of a bowl and "sneak
up" on the edges by sweeping from center out towards the edges..

Sorry about writing a novel here.. ;(

Been a good weekend for making shavings - learned quite a bit but brought
up
some questions.

Made a lidded box out of pine scraps. Came out pretty good but still can't
get the hang of hollowing end grain using a gouge. Wound up using a 3/8
think x 1" square scraper and a comparable radius scraper. Got it done but
when I was getting to the bottom of the 6" box I'm glad I don't have any
fillings in my teeth or they would have shaken loose from the vibration. I
thought about sticking the tool rest inside the cylinder but I would have
had to lay the scraper along the length of the rest. Didn't feel
comfortable.

Second project was more interesting - someone gave me a 4x4x3 piece of
Brazilian rosewood so I decided to make a simple cup. First surprise -
after
the wax came off the block, the wood was quite wet. Didn't seem to present
any problems cutting. The roughing down was a big surprise. I had the wood
in a chuck so the face grain was towards the tailstock. Even though I cut
some of the corners off with a band saw I really had a tough time roughing
across the end grain. If I hadn't kept a really good grip on the gouge it
would have come out of my hand.

Is this typical with end grain or rosewood or a combination of both?

Once got it close to round, the other cuts went as expected.

After hollowing out I sanded the work. The outside sanded just fine but
the
inside of the cup had rough spots on the areas that were end grain. I'm
assuming this is because I used a scraper on the inside and a skew on the
outside. How do you deal with the inside end grain on a cup or a small
bowl?

Still having fun!

Vic