April 2018 Topic

Techniques and Tools for End Grain Turning

John Horn

Demo Hand out

 

johnhornMost of us know that a bowl gouge is the preferred tool for most bowl turning where the grain runs 90 degrees to the bed of the lathe, but end grain turning is completely different in both the turning technique and the tools used.  If a person looks at the tool catalogs, there will be a wide variety of tools for sale to solve the difficulties of end grain turning.  Some of the tools are complete systems of components that are quite pricey to say the least.  How is a person to decide how to select the tool or system of tools that will perform the task at hand?  Is it necessary to get a large loan at the bank just to turn a few end grain vessels?  Obviously, there are a large number of options, some of which are relatively inexpensive and others which are very expensive.