OUCH! - don't want to do this again ... deep tools?

[TobyB]

Nast accident last monday ... hollowing out the bottom of a natural-edge beech bowl ... about 25 cms diameter and 15-20 cms deep.

Got a nasty catch with the scraper, left hand (at the tool rest) pulled forward into spinning uneven edge ... thankfully only two deep gashes between my knuckles and a lot of bruised and abraded skin ... not broken bones or joints, severed tendons etc! Could have been much worse ... but still painful and the like.

(Things more complicated by major allergic reaction to a slight infection that set in resulting in "scalded skin" rash over most of my body, a night in hospital on all sorts of injections ... now very itchy and sore and taking lots of drugs ... but hey, that's what makes the world interesting isn't it! NOT going to post pictures though)

ANYHOW ... went and looked at what I was doing, etc

Think the catch was my fault ... was alternately using a 13 mm bowl gouge and a heavy scraper for the sides and bottom, and think I'd gone back to the scraper without lifting the rest back above centre ...

However ... realise I was using the Ashley Isles 1" scraper right at the extent of it's length ... and the 13 mm bowl gouge at 80% of its ... maybe asking for trouble as well?I have the Sorby RS200 tool as well - but this isn't any longer.

If I want to hollow deeper bowls, vases, etc safely - what to look at. The Woodcuts? Sorby 2000s? Keltons?

What do people here use, like, reject, etc?

Cheers

Toby

 

[Lightweeder]

Ouch - there but for the grace of god Toby :shock: Hope you get back on the horse/bike as soon as you can.

 

[Jenx]

Wow ... ! :shock:
Glad you're basically Ok Tobes ....
nasty eh ?


Good question though... I did my first ever hollow form yesterday ( will post pics once oiled ) and the 'limitiations' of the RS200KT are fairly easy to see ( not to be mistaken with the RS2000 Blister is currently offering ).

Its a good little tool.... but has its 'performance envelope' lets say. :lol:

Will follow this with interest... If I am to try and pursue the H/F's as I would like to do .. be interesting to hear what the 'experiences of those in the know' are.

I'd add.. the RS200KT is good for what it is ..... excellent as a 'shear-scraper' too .... but its no 'deep hollower' :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[TobyB]

Potential injury could have been horrid and thankfully not - problems now are just unlucky ...

... but I think using tools where the ferrule on the handle is pretty much at the toolrest was asking for trouble ... trying to do ambitiously large work with too smaller tools makes the fulcrum of the tooolrest close to the cenre of balance of the tool, so it was easily tipped by (what on closer inspection) only a minor catch (there's no deep gouges in the wood to see) throwing my hands into the danger zone.

For sure - technique - perhaps if my left hand was in an "under" position rather than on top of the tool it'd been different.

But wondering if I should get some longer/heavier tools so this catch would have been held by the tool handle in my right hand/elbow/hip?

If so ... what tools?

 

[cornucopia]

sorry to hear this Toby- I would advise you to visit an experinced turner to try before you buy as hollowing tools are very expensive-you are welcome to pop in and see me but there maybe be someone closer

I use a mixture of tools- hamlet big brother, melvyn firmager's tools and toothpick or oland tools

 

[robo hippy]

How far out the tool is hanging, what type of cut you are taking (shear vs scrape), and how much steel is in the wood can all contribute to a big catch. It isn't difficult to get over powered.

For every inch you are out over the tool rest, you want 6 inches of handle. You can go more if you have a small cutter on the end, but going more than about 4 inches requires a specialized tool.

A scraping cut (scraper flat on the tool rest, or gouge with flutes horizontal is more of a roughing cut, and will apply more force to the tool and wood. It also tends to pull at the wood fiber more and doesn't bive as clean of a cut. A shear cut is more of a finish cut, and can be done with a gouge or scraper. The cutting edge is at about a 45 degree angle to the woods rotation and is much lighter.

There are deep bowl tool rests which make it easier to get to the bottom of big bowls without having to over reach to get the cuts done. Much safer.

Hope you heal quickly.

robo hippy

 

[hog&bodge]

Ouch TobyB good to hear you are not to badly hurt..
Hope you have a speedy recovery and get back on the lathe.
Just shows a momentary laps in concentration can happen to anyone..
Glad it has not put you off turning... :wink: