how to use bowl gouge?

[agenthank]

hi all,
ok i had a go at bowl turning today,
and it went very well! until i got to the inner sideof the bowl,
i started of like you said, from near centre to middle, until i got a depresion, then gradually worked towards the outside edge, i got about 1 and a half inches depp in the centre and about a quarter inch towards the outside edge, but i was having difficulty in going deeper towards the outer edge? my gouge was at 90 degrees as i was near the outer edge and that wasnt enough to take off any wood?
i was scared to carry on as it might snag?
any suggestions?
thanks, agenthank!

 

[CHJ]

hi all,
ok i had a go at bowl turning today,
and it went very well! until i got to the inner sideof the bowl,
i started of like you said, from near centre to middle, until i got a depresion, then gradually worked towards the outside edge, i got about 1 and a half inches depp in the centre and about a quarter inch towards the outside edge, but i was having difficulty in going deeper towards the outer edge? my gouge was at 90 degrees as i was near the outer edge and that wasnt enough to take off any wood?
i was scared to carry on as it might snag?
any suggestions?
thanks, agenthank!

If in doubt use a round nose scraper until such time as you gain experience/confidence.

A stiff 13mm (1/2") one is ideal, make sure you have it cutting above centre and keep a tool rest support as close as possible to the work surface.

The required approach with the bowl gouge and the grind angle of the bevel (I find I need two gouges with differing bevel angles) are things that will come with practice. In the absence of more experienced one to one guidance, reverting to the age old scraper is the safest bet I feel.

If you can obtain some green wood to practice on you may find it easier to experiment with.

IMO you did the correct thing in stopping when not confident, far better to be able to come back another day than have an accident pressing on to a finish.