[Alan Sweet]

I am working with smaller objects. Small bowls and globes 3-4" in diameter. The wood is wet. Ambrosia Maple and Camphor.

I have a small 5/16 swan neck with a HSS end and another tool with 10mm circular carbide (2 mm thick). I am getting lots of heating inside the form and drag like dull tools. I know the carbide insert is new and I did grind the HSS end (as normal) with the grind down to 3/16 finger nail.

So I feel like I'm beating my head against the wall.

Any ideas?
Thanks

 

[Dave Paine]

I have experienced the same feeling, in my case coring a bowl.

Green walnut. Recently cut down by my friend and sealed the same day.

Look at my post #7. Areas of the walnut cut easily, then other areas were very stringy and did not want to cut at all. Like you I felt I had blunt tools.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f6/easy-wood-tools-54038/

Sharp tools are the key. When in doubt sharpen. You may be surprised how often you may need to sharpen.

I was expecting my green walnut to cut like the proverbial butter. I was surprised how difficult it was in certain spots.

After the blank had dried, it turned without difficulty, even the stringy areas.

 

[Bonanza35]

If you are working on a form that doesn't allow the shavings to clear on their own, is there a chance that they are the culprit? I find that wet shavings tend to expand and fill up the void much more quickly than dry shavings. I bet I spend 2 to 3 times as much time picking shavings from HFs made from really wet wood. I blew one up last week because I waited a little too long to stop and clean out. Just a thought.