A couple of turning questions

[rdavidp]

A couple of questions for the hollow form turners. First, how do you sand way down in the bottom of your hollow forms? This past weekend I started making a beer mug out of an 8" length 4"x4" maple spindle stock. My fingers can reach only so deep, so I tried wrapping some sandpaper around a dowel rod, but that did not sand that clean.

Next question, what method do you use to remove so much wood? After I am done using the tailstock for support, I switch over to the chuck and arbor and start with a one inch forstner bit and gradually go up in size until I reach my largest I need. I still have to clean up the sides with a round nose. I think for regular sized goblets, this is a bit quicker than just scraping it all out, but for larger hollow forms, it still takes a good amount of time. How long does it take you to hollow out your forms? It took me all day to get the beer mug done.

[terrydowning]

For narrow deep work you need a side/inside scraper.
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LX150.html?prodpage=1LX

If you have a grinder and an extra scraper, you can grind your own.

Another option is a round carbide tool that scrape from the side.

[rdavidp]

When hollowing out a deep vessel, or maybe in this case since most was drilled out I am just cleaning up the sides, what should be my lathe speed? I already use the Easy Wood round tip, but maybe the lathe speed is too slow. This is for an item that has already been final shaped on the outside, and started off as a 4"x4" turned to round, so maybe 3.5" or so diameter.

[terrydowning]

You need to play with it and figure out what will work best for your particular circumstances.

I know how I do it and here is how. (I have a side scraper reground from an extra round nose. It's a carbon steel tool so I only use for final scraping.)

I drill using forstners like you do.

I use a push cut in the bottom from the wall to the center to clean up the bottom edge and bottom surface. Then I switch to a pull cut for scraping the insides.

Lathe speed is moderate to fast. (I won't give numbers or dial letters since I don't remember and it is different every time and determined by wood species, humidity, diameter of the turning and a dozen other variables.) Tool speed is slow for very light final cuts. Final finishing for me is burnishing using a hard wood dowel rounded at the end. The burnishing forces any loose fibers back into the wood and smooths the surface. It really is difficult to get any kind of sanding device down into a narrow space. Personally sticking my fingers into a narrow cylinder turning at speed scares me to death. I need my fingers for work every day and breaking/losing one is not a good thing for me.

In general I like my lathe speed rather fast. I increase until it scare me and then back off a bit. I find the tools perform better at speed. Do keep in mind the faster that lathe turns the less side loading it will take when unsupported like the final scraping. Beware of flying objects. Try to stand clear of the fling zone and always wear a full face shield as safety glasses do nothing to protect your nose and face from getting damaged.