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Tiger
18th October 2006, 02:44 PM
Dear all,

As the woodshow is coming up, I'm thinking of purchasing a few things to help with my bowl turning. I currently have a Sherwood 19mm bowl gouge, it holds an edge ok and not sure how much better off I'd be with a better quality gouge. I also have a 13mm bowl gouge which I bought cheap it is high carbon steel and is easier to use than the bigger gouge. Could you get by with just one gouge and if so what angle/size should it be ground at, there seems to be a bit of confusion and I have seen references to steep bevels and references to fingernail type grinds. Also, is it worth looking at hook and ring tools? I have a chuck that came with the lathe and will upgrade to a better quality, I am assuming that there would not be a lot of difference b/w the major brands as far as bowl turning goes.
Thanks for any thoughts.

baxter
18th October 2006, 03:40 PM
Hi Tiger

It is possible to get by with just one bowl gouge, if you feel comforable with it. Personally I would think that the 19mm bowl gouge is overly big for small/medium bowl turning, however it would have its place in larger projects.

I think 13mm is the ideal, with a smaller gouge (6mm or 10mm) for the tighter spots.

As for HSS or carbon steel, they both will do the same job, but the carbon steel requires more frequent sharpening. Don't replace the one you have just to replace it. Use it for now until you grind it away and buy another size/type/shape in the meantime.

The grind of the bevel, on a bowl gouge, is to do with the intenal angles that you are shaping. Again this can be personal preference and a full board of every conceivable grind is not necessary.

Don't forget that you can use a spindle gouge for external turning of a bowl.

Ring tools are, as I understand, for end grain hollowing. I am not sure about hook tools.

I know the purists may not agree, however scrapers are brilliant for internal bowl turning and the sheer scraping of the outside of a bowl. I would suggest that you look at at least one or two scrapers to see how you like them. Don't forget that the further you work from the tool rest the more vibration you will get. So later on you may have to invest in thicker (not wider) scrapers to make the tool more stable.

Hope this helps and enjoy the wood show.

TTIT
18th October 2006, 04:47 PM
I was happily getting by with a Henry Taylor 16mm bowl gouge with a standard 'square' grind until I decided to try an Ellsworth grind on an old 1/2" P&N that was doing nothing - very handy grind for a gouge!!!! :D Wouldn't be without either of them now :o but 2 is plenty for me!

rsser
18th October 2006, 05:08 PM
OK Vern, how about a pic of the Ellsworth grind and a note on how you get it?

(Posts about grinds on turning forums are like posts about oil on motorbike forums - let a hundred flowers blossom :D )

Slow6
18th October 2006, 06:18 PM
Ern..

the first 4 vids on the page are of a bloke using an "eli" grind, not sure if its Elsworth but its an interesting grind and worked for me today on 2 bowls, finaly got rid of tearout on a bastard piece of sasafras that I've been fighting with.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22wood+turning%22&search=Search

rsser
18th October 2006, 07:13 PM
Hi Slow, good to hear from you!

Your code link's a bit punky, but I cut and paste the url and got results.

So what do you reckon got the better result .... the double bevel or the 'Irish' grind? Hard to answer I guess.. too many variables, and too much variation in the labels.

But of course it's horses for courses. How many gouges do we have to play with? How many different applications?

(sigh, still struggling with one challenge ...)

[Edit: should add I've tried long edges and found that they didn't last on hardwoods; not worth the candle ... but on sassy, myrtle etc .. diff ball game]

rsser
18th October 2006, 07:28 PM
... ah, OK, back on topic.

Tiger, pm me if you like and let's do another play session.

I'll provide the blank and you provide the 6-pack.

We can explore what various gouges can do.

TTIT
20th October 2006, 12:08 AM
OK Vern, how about a pic of the Ellsworth grind and a note on how you get it?

(Posts about grinds on turning forums are like posts about oil on motorbike forums - let a hundred flowers blossom :D )
At least I got to it before the post left the 1st page for once!:o
Here's the pic of my version of the Ellsworth grind and the setup I use to sharpen it. A mate of mine has been playing with the double bevel like Stu uses and loves it but I'll stick with the single for now. ?How I got it? - played with sharpening it freehand until I reckon it was about right, then mounted it in the jig and played with the angle and distance settings until it matched the grind. Gotta admit, the first time I used it I thought it was a waste of time - then I hit the sweet spot and worked out how to use it - a bit different to using a square grind but I don't know how to explain it.:D

Wild Dingo
20th October 2006, 01:32 AM
Now some are gonna gasp... shake their heads in shame an sorrow... swear curse call me all sorts of names but... I bought a set of 6 el cheepo chisels from that orange place when I bought the lathe an nova chuck well I couldnt see any point in havin a lathe an all the fruit without some chisels!! :rolleyes:

So anyways... of the 6 in the set I use the big gouge to start with then the long pointer nosed one for finishin and have started using the angled thingy to just shave the rough edges off before sanding and the pointy one I use to cut in lines of areas to be cut out... the others Im yet to work out what the blazes theyre for!

AND!!!!..... I NEED something like that titman!! :cool: I mean these chisels are SERIOUSLY SERIOUSLY BLUNT but Im still usin them cause I aint got a flamin clue how to sharpen the flamin things and Im too busy just turnin stuff to stop! :D yeah yeah my bad I know already :o