Thread: Turning Basics: Spindle Gouges

A spindle gouge is made with a shallow flute because this allows it to be a more nimble tool, which is better suited for the finer details often associated with spindle turning.

A bowl gouge is made with a deeper flute for two reasons. First, because making it with a deeper flute means you can make it from a larger piece of steel and it will, in turn, be much stronger. Second, because a deeper flute means it will have a longer beveled/sharpened surface, which will allow you to press it deeper into the wood and take a larger cut while you are hollowing or shaping a bowl, which often requires removal of large amounts of material. Another side effect of this is that the longer sharpened surface will allow you to use the technique of shear scraping using the bowl gouge. I'll let you google that one...

The roughing gouge, like the bowl gouge, can be subjected to greater forces as the wood slams into it at high torque, so they are made from larger steel bar stock and with larger flutes. Another reason is just for the simple fact that a roughing gouge is for just that... roughing. It doesn't need to be a fine tool that can get into small spaces. It just needs to move back and forth along the spindle until the spindle is round and nearing its desired size.

I would recommend taking your skew chisel to an experienced turner to ensure that it is sharpened correctly, and also so that he/she can teach you the basics of turning with it. Everyone has trouble "taming the skew", but when you get it you realize it's the single most important tool in the spindle turning arsenal.

Practice, practice, practice is the answer. Bet you've never heard that one before!

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Luke

In addition to what Luke has said, there is also the standard spindle gouge, and the "long and strong" spindle gouge specifically suited to a detail gouge. This has a very shallow flute and deep thickness underneath that allows a longer reach made by Hamlet and P&N (CWS Store - P&N Detail Gouge | Carroll's Woodcraft Supplies) .

Following on from Lukes comment above, a roughing gouge can also do fine work and leave a cylinder quite smooth. It can also be used to do wider coves & beads, so it's not just for roughing.

Originally Posted by george mavridis

Following on from Lukes comment above, a roughing gouge can also do fine work and leave a cylinder quite smooth. It can also be used to do wider coves & beads, so it's not just for roughing.

I think the key word in this statement is "can".

I can joint a board with a smoothing plane, I can shape a curve with sandpaper, and I can rip a board with a jigsaw. That doesn't mean they are designed for these purposes.

I saw a demo on the weekend by a well known woodturner and he explained what a spindle roughing gouge is designed for and what it can be used for. He said that when he makes a honey dipper all he uses is the SRG and a parting tool. Many tools are used to do multiple jobs, very few are used just for one thing. If you did that then you would need 100 tools.

Originally Posted by george mavridis

If you did that then you would need 100 tools.

not seeing the problem??

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments, particularly Luke. I agree a roughing gouge can be used for fine work, as I have tried, however there are serious limitations. I will certainly look for a spindle gauge plus find my local turners club, so I can get some regular training and feedback.

And yes, I know it's all practise. I have a dozen round blanks in the shed just because I've spent ages making sure I setup correctly and then practise just with the roughing gouge and finishing off the round blank with the skew to get a nice surface.

Have a look at this video, he is one of the best turners around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfeL...&nohtml5=False

Jim

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Originally Posted by DonIncognito

not seeing the problem??

OK Don, you got me. Like most, I don't turn spindles a high percent of the time (for that, I'd mostly turn pasta rollers, which even Retired said were OK).

Get your 10 or 12 chisels out and show us what you can do. I'll post you FOC a red 4kg red mallee burl so you can show us your tool work. With your < 10 chisels. Don't forget to post your efforts. At least then we can see what can be done with basic set of tools.

Haha chillax duder, it was supposed to be a light hearted comment on the oft commented "problem" of an ever expanding tool collection.

I will make sure to only male super serious replies from now on. That OK with you toots?

With a skew and long flowing curves I got a result easier when the bevel was flat rather than hollow ground FWIW. But I far preferred a forged spindle gouge - it's a bar forged into a curve, just like most roughing gouges. The bevel is 45 degrees.

The diagram is from Henry Taylor.