# What the %$^&*# is this



## Nick_R (Jul 7, 2012)

Every so often when I turn some wood I get what I though was tear out. But this happens every so often and I cannot sand it out. It seems to go through and through.

Believe me I have tried sanding and sanding and sanding, even down to 50 grit!

The marks just stay…

Any smart Jocks out there that can help me.?


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## SASmith (Mar 22, 2010)

Is the wood green?


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

Is that soft maple?


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

That looks like endgrain but I get the same problem sometimes. No matter how much I sand it doesn't go away and finer grits make it worse. Wet sanding with wax or oil helps. I've also used sanding sealer then gave it a light sanding and that helps.


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## bobasaurus (Sep 6, 2009)

Sometimes you just get really soft patches that don't want to sand smooth. The only thing you can do is stabilize them with a finish… maybe something like polyurethane that will harden rapidly with friction heat. Then resume sanding like normal.

Edit: Thin CA glue should work well for stabilizing, too.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

I use CA to soft spots helps a bunch.


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## Nick_R (Jul 7, 2012)

Thanks for the replies. The wood is Ash.. and is not green. It happens on many different types of wood. I have heard the term "stabilized wood" before.. Just don't know what it means.

I will try the ca glue but does that affect the finish…


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Depends. CA glue is hard and can be glossy. If finishing with lacquer or blonde shellac it's probably not an issue. Oil won't absorb and the CA will show. Thinned varnish doesn't seem to be bothered.


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## toddl1962 (Feb 12, 2013)

My experience with Ash is the same as yours and I think Ash is particularly bad about this. I don't turn wood but I see the same issue after edge routing. It is frustrating.


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## bobasaurus (Sep 6, 2009)

I like to just prefinish the whole bowl after rough sanding, friction cure it with a rag, then proceed with sanding as normal. That way everything is fairly stable for the rest of the sanding. If you sand through, you might have to do this again.


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## Avg_Joe (Aug 21, 2013)

Nick … Please post a follow-up… maybe a picture of final result… I'd love to hear what the %$^&*# you decided that it was…  and how you resolved it! Good luck!


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## rhford (Aug 28, 2013)

Cap'n Eddie Castelin (www.eddiecastelin.com)and Vince Welch (www.vinceswoodnwonders.com)have given me great tips that have worked well for me in the past. If you haven't seen their websites, check them out. Lots of great information on both.

Mix up a solution of 25% lacquer and 75% lacquer thinner, then brush it on the areas giving you trouble. It will raise and stabilize the grain and should help you get past the marks. It also helps to power sand at a low speed in reverse if you have a variable speed, reversing lathe.

Hope this helps!

Ron


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

What tooling are ya using? Are you using a shear cut with a very sharp bowl gouge?
Bill


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## Nick_R (Jul 7, 2012)

Hi jocks… I cannot post a follow up picture since I gave the bowl to a friend. I gave it to him as is with the flaws although he did not think they were important.

I will try the ca glue or lacquer next time I run across this issue.. I will post before and after.

The tools I used on this were the easy woodworking carbide tools with FRESH blades. So I don't think sharpness was an issue.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Before running off to buy more tools have a look at these videos at this site:

http://woodturning.org/education/

Think will find the answer to your problem.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Nick, my EWT's came with blades that were not very sharp. At the time I had never used carbide cutters before and people were telling me they just aren't as sharp as HSS. Well after buying replacement cutters I realized just how dull they were so I wouldn't take it for certain they are sharp.

That said, I worked on a maple bowl today that was having terrible tear out and I had to switch to carbon steel tools to deal with it. Even then there was still a tiny bit but it sanded out in a jiffy.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

I only use carbide cutters for rough turning … too much tear-out and too much sanding to get a decent result. For final shaping andfinish cuts, I reach for the HSS tools.


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## JTJr (Jan 29, 2011)

Wildwood, great set of videos. I've never seen Batty turn before, terrific. What great explanations on the videos I watched.

Bill White: I think you're spot on. Looks like torn end grain. I would have probably sharpened my gouge and then made a final pass, using a shear cut, or a sheer scrape with a the scraper at around 45* to minimize the torn grain.

Nick, I have EWT's and they are one of the last tools I go to if I have a hss tool that I can sharpen to do the job. I have turned a couple of ash bowls, and run into this more on difficult bowl shapes (slightly closed opening), where I cut from the inside of the bowl from the wrong direction, and didn't have the skill or the right grind on my tool to make a clean cut. No amount of sanding made it right and pushed it far more thinner than I wanted. Possibly wetting the wood, and letting it dry, and then a very light shear scrape with the EWT on a 45* edge. Round over those sharp lower corners on the EWT shank so it will slide nice on the rest.

I have no idea on why parts of this post looked bold on the preview. Maybe it was the splat I was trying to use as a degree mark.

Cheers, JT


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Sometime I have to soak the area with lacquer, let it dry good and then take sheer scrape cuts to make the area smooth and minimize sanding.


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