Problems with Glueup

[cantcforest]

I have a dozen glue ups made from the end cuts of walnut board.  It seems that I usually have the same problem turning these.
After using a band saw to round up the blocks, and roughing the blocks into a round, the end grain has obvious tear-out.  However, even though the rough sawn edges are gone, the skew chisel bounces while being used smoothing.  Even though most of the tear-out is gone, the block apparently isn't really round...or the harder grain causes the chisel to bounce.  Ideas?
Although I've been turning for twenty years, I haven't really improved my technique through experience.  Tool sharpening is not as good as it should be and the best way to mount a piece is not evident to me.  Maybe the lack of perfectly sharpened tools is a big part of the problem?

[MichaelMouse]

I have a dozen glue ups made from the end cuts of walnut board.  It seems that I usually have the same problem turning these.
After using a band saw to round up the blocks, and roughing the blocks into a round, the end grain has obvious tear-out.  However, even though the rough sawn edges are gone, the skew chisel bounces while being used smoothing.  Even though most of the tear-out is gone, the block apparently isn't really round...or the harder grain causes the chisel to bounce.  Ideas?
Although I've been turning for twenty years, I haven't really improved my technique through experience.  Tool sharpening is not as good as it should be and the best way to mount a piece is not evident to me.  Maybe the lack of perfectly sharpened tools is a big part of the problem?

Not sure whether you're talking faceplate or between centers turnings.  Picture, if able, would be nice.  

Nonetheless, couple of technique items apply in either orientation.  I like the terminology used here. http://homepages.sover.net/~nichael/nlc-.../caop.html

Lower your pitch angle.  Makes it more likely you will sever rather than tear the endgrain.  Skewing the edge to the cut lowers the effective pitch as well, so do that and control the depth of cut.  Cut downhill, as St Roy of Underhill is fond of saying, and you'll lift/tear less.

Second, don't "ride the bevel" ever.  Any part of the tool in contact, but not cutting the wood rides on it, following any difference in hardness and bouncing. I like to enter the cut by pivoting against the hold, lowering the clearance angle until I strike a shaving before advancing along the cut.  It's carving, after all, and any carver will tell you, you push the tool against the steadying hand as you change angles and move into the work.

[Rodneywt1180b]

Cantcforest are there any turning clubs in your area?  If it's possible I would recommend joining one.  You'll learn far quicker from live instruction than from books, videos and other media. They can only teach you so much.

[SceneryMaker]

When the end grain on a base (with segmented turning, that's the only end grain I have to deal with) is tearing or the gouge is bouncing, the first thing I do is resharpen. Since my technique just can't be lacking, it MUST be the tool, right?

If that didn't fix it, my technique must be faulty after all, and it's probably due to an incorrect angle on the cutting edge. To hog wood out, a 45 degree angle works well for me but shallowing up the angle between the wood motion and the cutting edge to 5 or 10 degrees to achieve maximum slicing generally makes the problem go away.

Try getting into YouTube then search for "mark sillay wood slicing" for a much better explanation. I found him helpful.