New Bowl Gouge and chuck

[Steve Hudson]

I got up Saturday and the wife says " let's go get you a chuck" , so like any good husband would do, I opened the door for her and off we went to Woodcraft. I explained that I would need a bowl gouge also and she says "well, father's day is just around the corner"! Daddy like!!!
I got a Supernova 2 that was on sale due to a misprint on the box and I got the 4 jaw sets which include a step set.
I asked the clerk which gouge I should get and he went to the top of the line and I told him I needed to start out in the $50-$75 range so he took me to the Wood river section and showed me a 1/2" Fingernail Bowl Gouge. He said it would be fine for now but I will want to upgrade sometime as the more expensive tools make it easier and quicker. I am now second guessing my thought process here. I haven't used the gouge yet and may take it back and upgrade but not sure due to the additional expense.

Any comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

[Peter Blair]

Hey Steve. Wow. My wife usually says to me "I need another pair of shoes"! Who ever heard of one who shops for lathe stuff. She is a keeper for sure.
As far as the quality of the gouge goes, and I'm certain that you will get lots of opinions, IMHO unless you are an accomplished sharpener it is best to start out with a less expensive one while you learn the in's and out's of sharpening. If however you don't think you need to practice sharpening then I'm sure you would be happier with a higher quality gouge. It is a pure waste to leave most of an expensive gouge in very small pieces under your grinder.

[patrick stein]

hi steve ,
a more exepense tool will not get you turning better .what it will do is hold and edge a little longer .so less time sharpening. I would think the woodriver would be ok to start with. and if you need buy better than you should look on line at thompson tools.or d-way.better cost and better tools. thats just my opinion.

patrick

[Bob Bergstrom]

Congrats on the toys. The wood river will serve you well while you learn to sharpen it. The more you sharpen it the better you become at sharpening. When sharp it will cut as good as any, just won't stay sharp as long. If the flute has mill marks in it, buff sand them smooth with carbide paper or a MDF wheel charged with black grinding compound. That will help making a smooth cutting edge. There is no such tool that will make it "easier and faster". It is the turner that does that through experience.

[Thom Sturgill]

As most people who have upgraded their sharpening stations to CBN will attest, you *really* need these new wheels when you go to Powder Metal gouges. M2 or M42 HSS is a good match to the white, blue or pink Aluminum Oxide wheels that you should already have, but the PM steel does not seem to get sharp enough with them, and honing often comes into play and is quite controversial.

Since the CBN wheels are a $200 addition, you may want to save your pennies for a while until you can buy both (wheel and gouge), and 'hone' your sharpening skills and knowledge of different bowl gouge grinds on less expensive tools. Just stay away from 'junk' (I have no opinion of the Woodcraft house brand). Low end tools often suffer from poor, inconsistent heat treatment.

Good tools, properly maintained, still produce great results. HSS tools just have to be sharpened more often than PM tools.

[Mike Campbell KS]

I have the same gouge, and I actually prefer it over my Sorby 1/2" gouges. I use the Sorby with the traditional grind on the bottom of bowls, but I could probably live without the fingernail grind one. I am not sure why, but the Sorby has never felt as good or performed as well as the Woodriver gouge. Maybe its the way it feels in my hand, the length (Woodriver is slightly longer), or the shape of the flute.The Woodriver gouge's flute is slightly narrower, and more of a V than the Sorby. I put identical grinds on both. Too be honest, I don't know how long the edge lasts compared to the two of them because I have never felt like I am getting as nice of a cut with the Sorby, so I haven't been inclined to measure it.

To be fair, my other Sorby's are my go to tools (SRG, 1" and 1/2" skews, and scrapers) and I wouldn't bee without them. Good Luck.

[Wally Dickerman]

I suggest that you spend just a few bucks more and get a top grade gouge. Chinese HSS is not to be trusted IMO. I bought a B. Best spindle roughing gouge. It was a piece of crap and I ended up tossing it in the trash. Wouldn't hold an edge at all.

I don't understand why some suggest buying cheap tools to learn how to sharpen. A gouge lasts for years even with lots of use. Learning how to sharpen really isn't very difficult. Check out the AAW site for videos on how to sharpen by some good instructors

[George Morris]

Wow you are a lucky man!As far as gouge, buy 2 thompson gouge for the same price and turn your own handles! They are great tools!

[Mike Peace]

I started with a Wood River bowl gouge and did not like it. It's V flute design has a tendancy for chips to jam. Get a Thompson gouge with a V shape and you will be happy.

[robert baccus]

Hey honey---come read this yeah.

[Robert Henrickson]

I started with a Wood River bowl gouge and did not like it. It's V flute design has a tendancy for chips to jam. Get a Thompson gouge with a V shape and you will be happy.
If you mean the WR type with a fingernail grind, I agree. I bought one and used it for a couple days and never touched it again. I prefer bowl gouges with U flutes -- almost any V seems to clog for me.

[Thom Sturgill]

It seems to be difficult to discuss the merits of various steels and the ability of different companies to be consistent in hardening/tempering procedures without discussion of flute shape creeping in. A preference for a particular flute shape (or even grind which is easily changed) will bias a turner against a brand before he uses a given tool long enough to determine the quality of manufacture. More experiences turners (Wally Dickerman's comment above comes to mind), will know what a tool *should* do and know bad steel quickly. Less experienced turners, like myself, sometimes have to learn this the hard way.

While flute shape, whether V, parabolic, or U, will affect how hou use the tool, and may be the determining factor in which tool you use most, most makers make at least two of the three shapes. (Typically either a true 'V' OR a parabolic, but not both, and sometimes it is difficult to determine which from their literature. You just have to examine tools.)

The answer may be to use other turners tools to determine what flute/grind works for you before committing to buying and then buy quality. Buy at least second tier (M2/M42 from Sorby, Taylor, Crown, etc) if not top tier (PM from Thompson, Glaser, D-Way, etc) . Most turners will be glad to show you their shop and let you try a tool or three, especially if you bribe them by bringing some wood along.:D

[Edward Cypher]

I second this one. Good luck with it actually happening. You are one lucky guy. If I were you I would turn her a nice bowl soon.
Hey honey---come read this yeah.

[Brian Kent]

The Thompson 1/2" bowl gouge is a top of the line tool for basically the same price - $55:
http://www.thompsonlathetools.com/pricelist.asp

Turn your own handle. Doug Thompson recommended this one (the V gouge) first as a bowl gouge.
http://www.thompsonlathetools.com/tooltype.asp?TYPE=BV

[Michael Kellough]

As most people who have upgraded their sharpening stations to CBN will attest, you *really* need these new wheels when you go to Powder Metal gouges. M2 or M42 HSS is a good match to the white, blue or pink Aluminum Oxide wheels that you should already have, but the PM steel does not seem to get sharp enough with them, and honing often comes into play and is quite controversial.

Since the CBN wheels are a $200 addition, you may want to save your pennies for a while until you can buy both (wheel and gouge), and 'hone' your sharpening skills and knowledge of different bowl gouge grinds on less expensive tools. Just stay away from 'junk' (I have no opinion of the Woodcraft house brand). Low end tools often suffer from poor, inconsistent heat treatment.

Good tools, properly maintained, still produce great results. HSS tools just have to be sharpened more often than PM tools.

This is pretty much the advice I followed and it's working pretty well. I read a lot and realized that sharp tools are essential and that anything short of carbide will need to be sharpened frequently. So, I put my money into a CBN wheel and bought inexpensive HSS tools. Sharpening with the CBN wheel is almost a pleasure and while I'm sure I have to sharpen my lower end tools more often than the name brand tools would require the experience is instructive. Also, with the CBN wheel I don't hesitate to sharpen and the results of a fresh edge are clear.