Bowl gouge

[John Miliunas]

With my recent "shipment" of Black Locust, I've noticed that I really need to sharpen my bowl gouge a LOT to keep a nice cut going. With that in mind, I've been kind of thinking at trying out the Crown PRO-PM. It's advertised as holding an edge quite a bit longer than conventional HSS. I'm currently using a 1/2" Sorby bowl gouge. Comments? Other recommendations?

[Robert Ducharme]

Avoid the hassles, just ship those logs to me and I will take care of them.

[Dick Parr]

John, I haven't had a chance to try it yet. But the Crown is the one that I got at Woodcraft.

[Jim Becker]

John, tools made of the "harder" formulas will stay sharp a little longer, but when you are working with particularly abrasive material, such as spalted wood or even very hard wood like that locust, you will still need to sharpen more frequently than you sometimes expect. One "trick" that some pro turners have is to actually have more than one of the particular tool you like using the most...gang-sharpen them and you can continue turning longer merely by switching to the alternative tool. I've kinda done that relative to my Ellsworth gouge as I have a second tool ground the same way. It's a Sorby and it's got a slightly different flute profile and I plan on getting a second "genuine" Ellsworth gouge in the near future. But if I can find a "harder" formula tool with the same profile, I'll definitely opt for that for the same reasons you are considering the tool you are.

[Richard Allen]

Hi John

The PM gouge is a nice gouge. Having two gouges is also nice. Having two identical gouges is a great way to go. I would get a second sorby gouge.

You might find that slowing the lathe dowm a little will help you prolong the "curl" effect from the Sorby/locust effort.

Also there is nothing wrong with changing the angle of attack slightly to bring a sharp part of the tool into play. If you take a close look at the edge of the tool (magnifyed 10x or more) you will likely find that only a small portion of the cutting edge is less that sharp when you are ready for the grinder. By opening or closeing the flute a little (10-15 degrees)or droping the tool handle a little (5-10 degrees). that you will enguage a different part of the edge. This can double or triple the time between sharpening.

A 1/2" (British measure) bowl gouge with a good fingernail grind gives a fair amount of edge length to work with.

(Slow the lathe speed, "hunt" for a sharp part of the tool, use a 1/2" bowl gouge)

Good luck

BTW the PM gouge works fine but I can't tell much difference between it and the Sorby in actual use. I still need a freshly sharpened tool for the finish cuts.

[John Miliunas]

I've kinda done that relative to my Ellsworth gouge as I have a second tool ground the same way. It's a Sorby and it's got a slightly different flute profile and I plan on getting a second "genuine" Ellsworth gouge in the near future. But if I can find a "harder" formula tool with the same profile, I'll definitely opt for that for the same reasons you are considering the tool you are.

Jim, in taking a quick peek at the Woodcraft site, I note that they have a Pro-PM bowl gouge in the Ellsworth configuration. Big $$'s, but is that the one you're referring to? Also, how different is the profile on it compared to my "standard" 1/2" Sorby?

[John Miliunas]

Hi John


You might find that slowing the lathe dowm a little will help you prolong the "curl" effect from the Sorby/locust effort.

Also there is nothing wrong with changing the angle of attack slightly to bring a sharp part of the tool into play. If you take a close look at the edge of the tool (magnifyed 10x or more) you will likely find that only a small portion of the cutting edge is less that sharp when you are ready for the grinder. By opening or closeing the flute a little (10-15 degrees)or droping the tool handle a little (5-10 degrees). that you will enguage a different part of the edge. This can double or triple the time between sharpening.

A 1/2" (British measure) bowl gouge with a good fingernail grind gives a fair amount of edge length to work with.

(Slow the lathe speed, "hunt" for a sharp part of the tool, use a 1/2" bowl gouge)

Good luck

BTW the PM gouge works fine but I can't tell much difference between it and the Sorby in actual use. I still need a freshly sharpened tool for the finish cuts.

Thanks for the tips, Richard. Lathe speed is one of the problems I'm going to have, until such point in time that I can afford/justify a bigger/better lathe. My slowest speed is still too fast for many of the larger blanks, especially if one is trying to do more of a natural edge, where it's naturally unbalanced. (Unless I like to chase my lathe across the shop floor! ) At any rate, I think it's time to seriously consider a second bowl gouge. Now I just need to figure out which one!

[Bill Grumbine]

Hi John

Before you fork out for a second gouge, I have yet another short photo essay to post, and will get it up here in a little bit. It was in answer to someone else on a particular type of cut, but it should address some of your questions as well. I currently have two gouges. I originally had one with a long grind and one with a short grind for different applications, but they both ended up with long grinds, and one is in the cabinet right now waiting for a new handle (it's been there for close to a year!).

I use a very long grind, longer than the Ellsworth grind, and I find that I can cut for a long time with it between sharpenings, mainly because of what Richard says in his post. When one part gets dull, it is time to switch cutting techniques to use a different part. This is part of my methodology for turning a bowl, and it works well for me.

Bill

[Jim Becker]

Jim, in taking a quick peek at the Woodcraft site, I note that they have a Pro-PM bowl gouge in the Ellsworth configuration. Big $$'s, but is that the one you're referring to? Also, how different is the profile on it compared to my "standard" 1/2" Sorby?

The flute profile of the Sorby vs the Ellsworth is slightly different...the Sorby is "wider" in the dip...but I use both, except for final cuts which get done with the "real" Ellsworth gouge. The slightly narrower tip on the E is easier for me to do those fine cuts, although it could just be a subjective perception.

Richard and Bill are both correct about using your edge to the best advantage. Since a very small part of the edge is cutting at any one time...use more of it!