Frequency of sharpening your gouges

[Mike haines]

How often do you sharpen your gouges on your average bowl rough out.

Thanks Mike Haines

[John Keeton]

Too many possible variables - size of bowl, species, amount of silica in the soil that produced the wood, type and size of gouge, metal used, roughing technique, sharpening technique, acuteness of the grind angle, etc.

Given the above, I doubt responses will be informative.

[charlie knighton]

.........as for roughouts......pretty much what John said......the finish is not at this point....but remember people like to look at your roughouts just to see what kind of stuff will be coming out

[David Walser]

That depends greatly on the size of the bowl, the type of wood, whether the wood is green or well seasoned, and whether its a natural edged bowl. A dry 6" bowl of a particularly gritty wood might require more sharpenings than a 20" bowl of relatively gouge-friendly green wood. With those caveats, I generally sharpen three times when turning a green bowl to be dried for later returning. Once for roughing-out the outside, once for the "finish" cuts on the outside (and then roughing-out the inside), and once for the "finish" cuts on the inside. I'm using good quality HHS gouges from Hamlet or Henry Taylor. Gouges from D-way, Thompson, or similar maker might not need the sharpening before making the finish cuts. But, I still think I'd take the opportunity to sharpen anyway.

HTH

[Bill Bulloch]

We had fellow Creeker Steve Mellott demonstrating at our Club last night. Steve pointed out that if you were turning a 10" diameter bowl at 1000 rpms, then in one minute you would have cut approx. one half a mile of timber. Considering that, I'd say you probably need to sharpen more than you are currently doing. How many miles can you get off an edge?

[Steve Mawson]

Not to be a wise guy but I usually sharpen when they are not cutting the best. After doing it a while you will know when the gouge needs a trip to the grinder, shavings are a good indication.

[Mike haines]

That is usually what I do, it seemed like I was sharpening excessively on a couple bowls. Thanks for the replies

[Reed Gray]

Like others have said, it depends a lot on the wood. Since I do pretty much all of my roughing with my scrapers, I use gouges mostly for the finish cuts. I always want a fresh edge for the finish cut. Especially with the newer metals like the V10 (Thompson, Glazer, Batty), the M42HSS, and other 'holds the edge 5 times longer' metals, while they do hold a working edge longer, I still prefer a fresh edge for finish cuts. Yes, you can rough out a lot more wood before going back to the grinder, the the fresh edge for finish cuts, always...

robo hippy

[Dennis Ford]

My "average" bowl rough-out is 10 - 12" diameter, like others I sharpen when needed but am guessing once per bowl. Two or three times per bowl for finish turning once the rough out is dry.

[Keith Westfall]

seemed like I was sharpening excessively

Sharpening verses touching up.

Probably don't need to grind too much, sometime a single light pass will do the job.

As was stated - When? as needed.

You will grind less (in my lowly opinion) if you touch up often rather than grind more less often...

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I don't turn professionally, just occasionally. I sharpen my gouges once a month, whether they need it or not.

Actually, I have several gouges, and I swap them out. I guess I use 3 gouges on a bowl roughing, So I guess that's the answer. The good thing about rotating gouges is, the "new" gouge I grab, whether it's sharpened or not, is sharper than the one I'm swapping out. So I can swap out gouges like 3 times, and do 1/3 the sharpening......

[Thom Sturgill]

I'm somewhat like Kyle. I have duplicates (and some triplicates) of my gouges in terms of general size/shape. While i have some favorites that I will stop and sharpen mid-turning, I generally just swap out for a new gouge. Since I do not turn professionally and do not attempt to sell, I do not turn as much as some others and tend to clean up and resharpen everything after every second or third turning.

Lyle Jamieson has a video where he shows his tool rack - the tools lean against a slanted rack mounted on the wall, so no restraints holding them. When a tool has been used it is placed back in the rack point down. When all of a given size are point down or he has a break, he sharpens and places them in the rack point up. By sharpening several at a time he gets more consistent grinds. I think he has six or seven of each size - but then again he sells them.

[Jeramie Johnson]

As others have said, watching the shavings and feel, will tell you quickly. 10V and CBM make it very easy to 'touch-up" often, without losing tons of steel.

[Jim Underwood]

When I'm spindle turning @ 1800 RPM, my shallow angle spindle gouge needs constant resharpening. The edge literally erodes away until there's what looks like a nick in the edge.
I don't have to sharpen my bowl gouge nearly as much when I'm roughing out green bowls.

Do it enough, and you'll eventually find the difference between dull and sharp. Sharp cuts easily and cleanly. Dull is frustrating. Nothing seems to go right.