Thread: Bowl Gouges: Why I use...

Originally Posted by Tim the Timber Turner

Good stufff Brendan.

So I was wondering who it was that introduced you to the Woodcut Bowl gouge?

Cheers

Tim

Didn't you get that bottle of wine I sent you through the mail??

Originally Posted by tea lady

Which is pronounced "norm"

Yep, I reckon we have a new nickname for and I'm thinking you should be the one to get him familiar with it. Norm suits him well.

And thanks for the comments on the difficulties with solo videoing. I don't even have a remote to turn the camera off.

Originally Posted by brendan stemp

Yep, I reckon we have a new nickname for and I'm thinking you should be the one to get him familiar with it. Norm suits him well.
Dunno if I will do that.
And thanks for the comments on the difficulties with solo videoing. I don't even have a remote to turn the camera off.

The hard thing is framing. (One little thing. You might have done a little TOO much hand waving. But its looks OK. )

Yep, I reckon we have a new nickname for and I'm thinking you should be the one to get him familiar with it. Norm suits him well.
Dunno if I will do that.

A very, very wise move.

Norm . . . is that the same as a Spindle Master?

I have several Woodcut Bowl gouges and use them on occasion. I rate them along with my P&N and Thommo's. The solid bar comes in handy for doing burls, dampening the vibration.

Hi All & Brendan,
There must be something wrong with me.
I don't get V'rations, with my P&N 3/8in. Bowl Gouge.
But, let it be known, I am not a Bowl Turner, although I had a crack at 1 today. A real Monster ??? 4in. Across, 2½ Deep. & a nice bit of Variegated Pittosporum. Yes, the Speed was up, as that is how I Turn.
Not trying to be a Smart Arm, but on Occasions, I have Demoed using 1 hand to take the centre out, so does this Vibration come from Bigger Bowls, & I take it they come from doing the inside, or have I got this all wrong ???.

Thanks for sharing Brendan, I'm enjoying your series so far. The sound quality on the vids are excellent. In the video you mention that fluted gouges exert more vibration than the Woodcut. Wouldn't you say the vibration actually occurs on a bowl or platter the further towards the outside edge of the piece you get? I've got a 5/8 Thompson and don't notice any vibration when at at distance from the bowl, but notice it more towards the outer edge of the work.

Originally Posted by issatree

Hi All & Brendan,
There must be something wrong with me.
I don't get V'rations, with my P&N 3/8in. Bowl Gouge.
But, let it be known, I am not a Bowl Turner, although I had a crack at 1 today. A real Monster ??? 4in. Across, 2½ Deep. & a nice bit of Variegated Pittosporum. Yes, the Speed was up, as that is how I Turn.
Not trying to be a Smart Arm, but on Occasions, I have Demoed using 1 hand to take the centre out, so does this Vibration come from Bigger Bowls, & I take it they come from doing the inside, or have I got this all wrong ???.

Is it all to do with product promotion? They say you don't look a gift horse in the mouth to see how old it is!

Brendon,

As a young lad in the 70's, when I bought my first tube of CA glue, the instructions said what I repeated about 1 spot per sq cm on non-absorbent material. It also explained about the high tensile and low shear strengths. I note we don't get any of that now though.

I suppose all interesting stuff to a young lad with more than a passing interest in science, so I guess it stuck in my brain. In fact until I took up turning I'd only ever used it this way, I always had other glues for other materials.

I cannot see that using too much makes any difference except as you noted, it can cause 'hydraulic Lock' and take longer to cure as more glue needs more moisture.

As an aside, if my CA gets a bit 'thick' I drop the tube in a hot coffee (yes I make sure the lid is on tight) and just like your heating the metal, it thins. Then again maybe that's something you guys don't need worry about at the moment.

Brendon I just wanted to say that I have been enjoying your videos on you tube. Keep up the great work. Maybe a series on the recorders you make? That would be really cool.

The woodcut gouges look interesting too.

Thanks,
Mike

Is it about product promotion?? Well I did admit from the very start of the video that I do have an interest in Woodcut Tools. And at the start of this thread I alluded to the fact it could be viewed as an ad but the points I have made about the gouges in the video are not hype and I firmly believe these gouges are better to use. As I said in the video I liked the tools so much after my initial use that I wanted to keep using them. You know when you like a tool because you find yourself reaching for it rather than other similar tools.

I know a synnical view on my opinions is healthy given the gouges have been given to me but I am trying to be honest and transparent on this topic and think I have provided a good argument in favour of them. Hence this healthy discussion.

To the vibration issue. One of the main reasons we have bigger bowl gouges is to provide bigger sections of steel to overcome the weakening of the shaft by the flute. So to say you haven't experienced any vibration when using your 5/8" gouge is fair enough. But do the same job with a 3/8" gouge with 50mm of tool hanging over the tool rest and I reckon you will notice a difference. So, my thought is the 10mm Woodcut tool has the same strength as a regular 1/2" or 13mm gouge. Because of this I now only use my 10mm and 13mm Woodcut gouges and all the other gouges (including the 16mm and 19mm Woodcut ones) are gathering dust.

Scott, I accept what you have said but it is a different issue. Yes, no matter how big the bowl gouge is you can get vibration around the rim of bowl coming from the timber itself. This is a product of the wood flexing as pressure from the gouge is applied. This is why I try to finish the rims before I take too much wood away from the walls of the bowl.

Brendan,
I thought the woodcut tips were epoxied in. I am about to replace my 19mm
tip so I will give the CA a go, much easier, eh. I recently bought their large NRS
and it is the bees knees. Thanks for the heads up on that and the video, terrific. Drillit.

Hmm, I always thought that if I was having vibration problems/tool chatter, the best solution was to move the tool rest closer. Never liked smaller gouge diameters. They don't fit my big paws. A lot of newbies, and even some of we professionals will do the how far out can I go till it is unsafe. The newbies usually find that out the hard way.

robo hippy

Brendon, I had a look at the Woodcut kit a couple of years aback and decided to try one. It was cheaper for me to get it sent from Woodcut in NZ than from the U.K. ?????

I just had the shaft/3/8th" spindle gouge and a spare tip. I made my own handle and it's a great bit of kit and as you say so very stable with the solid shaft.

I have a Oneway sharpening rig on my old B&D grinder and putting a good cutting edge on the Woodcut is just as easy as any of the other gouges. In fact it is easier, because a couple of my 'standard' spindle gouges are getting a bit short. This will never happen with the Woodcut will it

As a matter of interest, it was a LOT cheaper to get it from NZ purely because the U.K./France

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post was several times the NZ/U.K. post. Funny old world init?