Hi all,

I'm new to turning (so that may be the problem here...). I've been
practicing on some mahogany I had around and have gotten fairly
successful. Well, I picked up a block of walnut and haven't been so
lucky with it. I'm trying to hollow out a shallow bowl and my
fingernail gouge quickly catches and throws the bowl off the lathe.
This is bad. I'd really appreciate some help here. Here's what I've
observed:

1. The stock is being held by a nova chuck expanded into a recess in
the bottom of the bowl. It's held pretty tightly.

2. My 1/2" fingernail gouge is brand new, sharpened with a tormek
jig. Sure seems sharp to me. I've never used it before, so technique
could easily be the problem.

3. The walnut is very dry.

4. If I use a scraper, I can be pretty successful with the hollowing.

5. If I use the gouge, it catches brutally and throws the bowl.

Any thoughts?

Many thanks,
Joe