3/4 or 5/8 bowl gouge ?

[Wendell Steele]

Here in S. Florida the only wood that I can get at the moment is oak, which seems to me to be very hard. Would it be best to get a bigger bowl gouge than the 1/2 that I currently use to remove the bark etc ?

Going to or from Thompson's, should I get the V or U ?
Thanks

[Rich Aldrich]

I have both the 1/2 and 5/8 V gouges from Thompson. The 5/8 is the go to gouge for roughouts for sure. Most of what I turn is hard maple, cherry, birch and some oak. The 5/8 does a great job and is the gouge that most of the people on this forum recommended to me in 2010 when I started turning. Also, I turn a lot of burls.the 1/2" gouge works great for finish cuts, but I still go to the 5/8 when I shear scrape because the wing is a little longer on the finger nail grind.

However, I haven't used a 3/4" gouge.

[Wendell Steele]

Thanks for the info, Rich.

[Robert Hayward]

I have a 1/2" V from Doug and use it often. I recently got the 3/4" V and have a piece of maple sitting on the lathe ways as I type this that will be the handle. Maybe tomorrow morning on the handle.

The 3/4" bowl gouge is a big piece of steel ! I cannot wait to get it handled and try it out.

[Wendell Steele]

Mr. Hayward, will the 3/4 fit into a 5/8 handle ?

[Bill Boehme]

You need to say what lathe you are using (swing and horsepower), size of turnings, what kind of grind you want to put on the gouge (intended use such as roughing, general purpose, or bottom finishing), your experience level and any other helpful hints.

Generally speaking, a 5/8" (US size) is the most used size. My thought is that harder wood doesn't equal bigger gouge. If your lathe is less than 2 HP then I don't see an advantage to the bigger gouge. My philosophy on buying tools is that I don't (actually, it would be more correct to say "shouldn't") buy anything unless I have a well defined need and therefore no doubts about the details. So, my ideal approach would be to use the tools that I currently own. After turning some of the oak I will know whether I need a different bowl gouge along with the details of what I need.

The species of wood doesn't matter much WRT tool size. Tool sharpness and skillful use trump other factors. I like to turn post oak. It is a beautiful wood that loves to split when green. I have several 5/8" bowl gouges with different grinds that I use when turning post oak. I prefer the V shape flute, but a U shape makes a nice bottom feeder.

[Thom Sturgill]

Wendell, I see that you are in my county - come by our meetings and pick up some good wood! I PMed you the info. As to the gouge, I own quite a few and there is no 3/4" among them. Others that I know use the 3/4" as their go-to gouge. It just depends on what you are turning.

[Thomas Canfield]

I have 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, and also a 3/4" bowl gouges. My go to for roughing is usually a 5/8 or sometimes even the 3/8" on my Powermatic 3520B, 2 hp if the reach over the tool rest is fairly close, and the 3/8" often cut better than the 5/8". The 3/4" is use if there is a large overhang (say 3" or more) and/or wood cuts easily enough to utilize the larger cutting edge of the 3/4". I got the 3/4" for extended reach to get to the bottom of a large deep bowl while using a straight tool rest (later got a "J" curved rest for deep). All that said, I would go with a 5/8" first for sure and add a 3/4" later if you find a need.

[Reed Gray]

Well, I do not know your skill level, but I wouldn't suggest a 3/4 inch bowl gouge to some one who doesn't have a lot of time on a lathe. Like Bill was talking about, bigger is not necessarily better, especially with really hard woods, and oak is, to me about a 7 on the 10 point scale. With harder woods, you can not take off wood as fast as you can with the softer woods because there is a lot more resistance to the cutting. I use both the U and V flutes. The V is more suited to the swept back profiles. Both work well with the 40/40 (I prefer 45/45) sweep/roll Stuart Batty type nose profile.

robo hippy

[Justin Stephen]

Own both a 1/2" and 5/8" Thompson "V", and have honestly found that I almost never use the 5/8", no matter how big the piece. I'm just so comfortable with the 1/2", I use it for everything.

[Mark Greenbaum]

When I started to do bowls, I purchased a WoodRiver 5/8" mainly because the Sorby was a bit too pricey. It serves me well, and is my go-to tool; it has good steel that holds an excellent edge. But when I took hollowing classes at JC Campbell, the instructor said I should try to get a 3/8", so I have same brand of that size too. I do fingernail grinds, but remove a lot of the heel so I can get into the flatter bottoms of bowls and boxes. When I win the lottery, I'll probably get Thompson or Carter tools, but for now, I'm pretty happy with less is more. I agree with what others said - sharp tools are the deciding factor, not hardness of wood. Dull tools can hurt you, and make the work much more difficult. That reminds me - I need to re-sharpen everything since my Christmas turning spree.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I have a 3/4" Sorby, and that is a BIG gouge. It's almost an inch thick. It usually sits in my tool storage. I put a lowball bid on e-bay and got it. It takes a lot of wood off and it's my rougher, since it's really too big to be used for shaping. BUT since I have a "real" roughing gouge, I use that. Roughing gouges are easier to sharpen. In the rare event that I need to rough a bowl blank on the end, I use the 3/4" bowl gouge. Did I already say it sits in my tool storage a lot? 5/8 is much more useful.

[Robert Henrickson]

I have owned a 3/4" gouge for years, and I have used it maybe as much as twice. I have a 5/8" gouge which I used to use quite a bit, but not much in the last few years. I use a 1/2" gouge for almost everything -- including 16" bowls.

I don't think you want a bigger gouge for harder wood. I turn a lot of oak -- I use a 1/2" gouge.

[Wendell Steele]

Thanks everyone for the info.

[Robert Hayward]

Mr. Hayward, will the 3/4 fit into a 5/8 handle ?

No it will not. The shank is 3/4".