Bowl Gouge, Finally

[Kenneth Whiting]

Well I finally got around to making a handle for my new Bowl Gouge. To try it out I went ahead and made a goblet. For some reason I was so worried about getting the goblet finished without messing it up anymore that I parted it off without sanding or coating it. These pics aren't very good, but here they are.

Oh yeah, the handle is red oak with a copper fitting as a ferrule sanded with 150 then two coats of clear wipe-on. The goblet is the old stand-by, pine.

[John Keeton]

Good job on both counts, Bo! I thought about you yesterday, and wondered whether you were able to get wood for the handle. I had some walnut and curly maple scraps left over from my table project, and glued up 3 handle blanks, and roughed them out to cylinders. Hope to get a couple of Thompson tools shortly and make up the handles. You did good on yours - hope to do as well!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Looks mighty fine to me. Really nice job on both.

[Kenneth Whiting]

Thanks John, for the compliment and concern. For some reason I was letting work and family get in the way of my play time. I'll get my priorities straight one of these days.:D

I'll try to find a way to get some better pics tomorrow although I should just stop while I'm ahead. That red oak is very picky about tool approach and technique. There is plenty of tear out, and a couple knicks that I didn't get fixed.

[David E Keller]

Nice work...

[Steve Schlumpf]

Goblet looks really good to me! Nice form and I really like the grain!

Good job on the handle as well! I've yet to turn one - but yours looks like it would work quite well!

[Rob Cunningham]

Nice goblet and tool handle.

[Jim Kountz]

Nice job on both projects. Now you can give the new gouge a workout!!

[Kenneth Whiting]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I do hope to find something i can make a bowl out of soon. I catch myself looking for peoples trash wood piles everywhere I go.

I tried a piece of pine on a glue block yesterday but it didn't work for me. I couldn't get it to stick, even with 5 minute epoxy, and the tailstock pushed up against it. No matter how light of a cut, it kept stopping. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, but I don't know what yet. Maybe the smooth edge I was using. I just cut a square piece of a 4x4 off, turned it sideways, and made a foot and basic bowl shape while screwed to the face plate. Then I made a glue block and tried super gluing the foot to it. It didn't hold so I sanded both the glue block and foot and tried the epoxy. I waited about 10-15 minutes with the tailstock pushing against it and it still wouldn't hold on. I'm not sure what to try next.

I thought about making a mortise in a glue block and turning a foot so that it just fits inside, then gluing it up. Should that give me a better hold?

Oh yeah, when shaping the outside of a bowl, or the foot of my goblet for that matter, should I be using the bowl or spindle gouge?

Thanks again, and for any suggestions.

[Richard Madison]

Nice goblet Kenneth. Nothing wrong with turning pine.

For glue joints, make sure your glue surfaces are flat and smooth with no gaps in the joint. Glue with Titebond I or II and allow to set up for four hours.The glue joint will be stronger than the wood.

Re. "should I", use both tools and decide which works better for you. Most would use a bowl gouge. But in woodturning there is rarely only one right way to do anything. Usually two or three answers to most questions.

[Dan Forman]

Re: should - spindle gouge and bowls--- I would suggest to use a bowl gouge, at least until you are more experienced. Many of the "rules" can be broken once you know what you are doing, but until then, best to stay with the standard practices.

Dan

[Kenneth Whiting]

Thanks for putting it that way Dan. :o