Michael Lehmann wrote:
Every time I try to rough out a bowl with my big roughing gouge it catches
and takes big chunks out. And I cant ever seem to rub the bevel.
Is it the angle (45-50°) or should I not use roughing gouge on bowls?

Generally speaking a roughing gouge is used for spindle turning, and
though George has demonstrated that it can be used for bowl work, I
would second Bills caution for anyone who doesn't thoroughly understand
what they are taking on.

I think that there are two things that should be reiterated for any
beginners who want to emulate George's technique. First there are two
types of roughing gouge, deep (near U-shape) and shallow (more crescent
like). I think it is the latter which George is using, though one photo
showing the bevel angle does seem to be a deep gouge. Second, is the
fact that George has ground back the sides of the bevel so that they
don't catch.

My guess is that Michael's roughing gouge is a deep fluted beast with a
straight across grind. I would advise against using that anywhere near a
bowl until you understand better how to cut wood on a lathe.

There are two fundamental problems that have to be understood and overcome.
(1)the ends of the bevel need to be kept away from the wood. If they
suddenly touch the wood, the forces on the tool suddenly change which
you cannot control and a catch results.
(2)that the more cutting edge there is in contact with the wood, the
more force you have to be able to counter. A roughing gouge has a very
large radius (compare it to the bottom of the flute on a bowl gouge) and
so a lot of contact can be made. If this leads to a force which is
difficult to control and can rapidly lead to the dangerous situation (1)
described above.

--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com
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