Cutting smooth/flat surfaces?

[TobyB]

Helpful advice please?

Struggling to create satisfactory surfaces on a project.

Decided I wanted to make a "milking stool" - 3 legs and a seat. Really struggled with the first attempt to get a decent seat. Been back to books etc and still not sure what's wrong or what techniques might be best ...

Chosen piece of wood was horse chestnut (got some sycamore and ash to try also). Couldn't get a nice finish on the rim with tools I tried ... end grain pock-marked/torn ... tried left-to-right and right-to-left cuts ... did lots of tool sharpening ... tried bowl and spindle gouges with different grinds ... tried slower and fast-as-I-dared speeds ... not happy ...

Even more problems on the "flats" for the seat and underside ... tried inner-outer and rim-centre ... again tried different sizes and grinds of bowl gouges, different speeds, etc ... not happy with rippled result ... it looks OK (after a lot of sanding), but doesn't feel good ...

So ... any advice? Keith Rowleys book most helpful in my collection, but he suggests centre-rim and rim-centre cuts both working on the face and doesn't seem to offer more specific advice in his bowl, plinth or stool projects. "Uphill and downhill" concepts don't seem to apply ... although he suggests centre-edge left-and-right might be best for a flat/even rim (which I haven't tried ... yet ...)

I tried my 4 bowl gouges, in both 10 mm and 13 mm diameters, with steeper (55 degrees?) and shallower (35 degrees?) "fingernail" profiles and a 10 mmm flat-ground 45 degree spindle chisel in both directions, with high and low speeds, loads of time on the sharpener to make sure blunt edges weren't the issue, "over-" and "under-hand" grips, pulling and pushing the tools, the toolrest very close or further back from the wood, and just-below-centre or well-below-centre toolrest height ... but didn't find a solution which gave me a reasonably smooth flat cut with a moderately decent finish ... didn't try the scrapers as not been happy with previous attempts at finishing "flat" surfaces on bowls inside or out with these because of torn grain ...

Any ideas from experts ... what could I be doing wrong, what could I do better, what's your "best" way of doing this (tool size, grind, hold, cut, etc?) ... you'd probably help me with platters and bottoms (inside and out) of bowls too if I can get this right ...

Cheers

Toby

 

[cornucopia]

hello, it sounds to me like you have a difficult bit of wood, similar to when beech or sycamore has gone too soft.If you've got an alternative try it as i think its just this paticular wood.
as for technique: i use a 5/8 fingernail gouge from rim to center then sand from 120 with big arbors.

 

[CHJ]

I think George has nailed it with wood choice, it is not one I would have suggested for that project, far too soft and floury most of the time. More suited to ornamental than utilitarian.

I would have gone for, Beech, Ash, Sweet Chestnut, Oak, Elm. On their own or mixed/complimentary.

If you are having difficulty producing a flat surface try thise method with a sharp scraper Half way down this post (on some Sweet Chestnut)

 

[Scrums]

Not much to add really, oiher than that I believe the traditional woods would have been Beech for the legs,'bodged' in the woods and Elm for the seat.

Chris.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Toby
Have you been able to determine whether it's the piece of wood or the technique?
In your trials with the horse chestnut and various tools/cuts what kind of shavings were you achieving? (if they weren't fine and feathery it would suggest technique rather than the piece of buggerwood :lol:

As has been suggested I'd recommend a sound piece of beech to try... I'll state the obvious: if your cuts are successful it was the horse chestnut, if not then some time with a competent teacher could be the answer :wink:

Afterthought... sometimes if the surface is 'dampened' (not wetted!) with water/paste wax/sealer it can help with taming 'buggerwood'

NB Buggerwood is a condition not a species :wink: