RS Shear Scraper or Bowl Gouge???

[Donny Lawson]

I'm looking into buying some turning tools from Robert Sorby and I'm looking at the Shear Scraper but I don't know anything about them.Has anyone used these for bowl turning? If so how well do they work compared to a regular bowl gouge?They are a little cheaper than a regular gouge but the replacement blades make up for that.
Donny

[George Morris]

If you buy a bowl gouge with the Elsworth grind[finger nail type] You can shear scrape,scrape,rough cut and finish cut with one tool. G

[Bernie Weishapl]

Look at Doug Thompson's tools. Great tools at a good price. I agree that a bowl gouge you can scrape, shear scrape, etc. with one tool. That is one thing I have never used on the many bowls I have turned is a scraper.

[Richard Madison]

Ditto exactly what Bernie said. I have an old Sorby bowl gouge with straight conical (traditional) grind that does most of my scraping and all of my shear scraping, inside and out. It's getting short, and plan to replace it with a 1/2" Thompson "U" bowl gouge. Tried the 5/8"U and it's a bit too large for me.

That said, some accomplished bowl turners (Robo) make extensive use of scrapers. Different strokes - - -

[Reed Gray]

When I think of the Sorby shear scraper, I think of the tear drop shaped thing that goes on round bar stock. I don't like them. I already have bowl scrapers and they will do all of the same cuts that a gouge does, though they excel at at scraping/roughing cuts. I would go with a Doug Thompson gouge before I would go for that one.

robo hippy

[Donny Lawson]

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/woodturners/Images/layout/shim.gifhttp://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/woodturners/Images/products/main/sorby-shear-scrapers.jpg (javascript:PopupPic('/products/large/sorby-shear-scrapers_l.jpg');)
This is the ones I'm talking about.I've seen some demo's on this and it looks like it would work great for removing alot of material at one time.
Donny

[Dennis Ford]

I don't quite understand what you are asking. I would consider a shear scraper to be one of those "nice to have one" tools and a bowl gouge to be a "have to have more than one" tool. If you have plenty of bowl gouges, go ahead and get a shear scraper.

[Reed Gray]

I have multiples of both gouges and scrapers. A standard heavy bowl scraper will do everything that those ones will do, and more, and to me is a lot easier to sharpen. You can do a search for the 'Oland tool' which is a 1/2 to 3/8 inch HSS bit in bar stock. About the same thing, and they are home made.

robo hippy

[Ryan Baker]

The Sorby shear scrapers work quite well for what they were designed to do -- shear scraping, which is a finishing operation. They are definitely not for hogging out material, and would be terrible for it. If you want to turn bowls just with scrapers, listen to Reed and get some good heavy scrapers that can hog out material and also act as shear scrapers for finishing. The bowl gouge is a completely different animal. Most of us prefer to use a gouge to scrapers, and yes you can do a lot of shear scraping with the gouge (though interior scraping capability has a lot to do with the shape of the bowl, so I also use shear scrapers sometimes). If you don't already have a good bowl gouge (or several), definitely get one first. It's not a one or the other question.

[Donny Lawson]

Ryan, thanks.I think you answered my thought question.As far as bowl gouges,"I have None".I have only turned pens so far.I have (1) 3/8" RS spindle gouge and that's it for turning tools.I have never turned a bowl yet.I'm in the process of getting a talon oneway chuck and a bowl gouge.I have access to plenty of wood.,and I have the Delta 46-460 midi lathe.Teach me what I need to know from here.
.
. thanks, Donny