I got my new lathe running, I would like to purchase a high end bowl gouge, what size

[cody michael]

I posted a while ago about my delta dl-40 lathe, the was missing part of the speed controller, I purchased a new speed controller, put it in the box where the factory one was and made this control panel that has on-off to the board, on-off to the motor, forward-reverse and the speed pot. I am pretty happy with it.

I have these 2 benjamins best bowl gouges, I would like to purchase another gouge, I am thinking a bigger one (bigger removes more material right?) I was thinking maybe a thompson 5/8 or similar I would like a recommendation of what size would compliment what I have the best and if there are any better options then the thompson.

what are pros and cons of U vs V gouges?

[Peter Lamb]

I use Doug Thompson Tools mostly. Great tools at moderate prices. Long lasting edge.
http://thompsonlathetools.com

[Roger Chandler]

I agree that a Thompson gouge is a fine tool. If you want you can go bigger, but a 5/8" gouge is plenty for large work, and even at that I use mine mostly for roughing. I generally change to a 1/2" gouge once the rough out is dry and I go to finish turn. Get it true and speed up the lathe a bit, and use shear cuts and scrapes with a freshly sharpened tool.

The combination of freshly sharpened edge, added speed and shear cutting/scraping seem to be a recipe for good surface off the tool. Often on good wood, one can begin sanding with either 240 grit or on some dense grained woods, even 320 grit.

[cody michael]

I agree that a Thompson gouge is a fine tool. If you want you can go bigger, but a 5/8" gouge is plenty for large work, and even at that I use mine mostly for roughing. I generally change to a 1/2" gouge once the rough out is dry and I go to finish turn. Get it true and speed up the lathe a bit, and use shear cuts and scrapes with a freshly sharpened tool.

The combination of freshly sharpened edge, added speed and shear cutting/scraping seem to be a recipe for good surface off the tool. Often on good wood, one can begin sanding with either 240 grit or on some dense grained woods, even 320 grit.

that is what I was thinking, I don't get a lot of time in my shop, I want to speed up getting the bowl close to final shape, what is the difference between V and U shaped gouges

[David Walser]

Cody -- You are correct. In general, a larger gouge will remove more wood. More importantly, it will allow you to reach farther over the tool rest without vibration. Larger gouges allow you to rough out a bowl more quickly than you could with a smaller gouge. Each cut removes more material and you don't need to adjust the tool rest as often. You didn't say what size your current bowl gouges are. If I were starting out today, I'd buy three: 3/8", 1/2", and 3/4". I might fill in with a 5/8" gouge later, but I doubt it. I don't see that many times where a 3/4" gouge is too large and a 1/2" is too small. YMMV.

The V-shaped flute is particularly good for an Elsworth grind. The U-shaped flute is better for a traditional grind. In general, a gouge with long swept-back wings (like the Elsworth grind) is better on the outside of the bowl and a traditional grind is better on the inside of the bowl. Neither grind, nor flute, will be perfect for all situations. Many turners find an Irish grind to be a good compromise (it has short swept-back wings). Others find that they like to have several bowl gouges with different grinds so they always have a tool that's right for the job. It's all a matter of personal preference (and budget).

Good luck!

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

Flute shapes

I think that a U shape gouge is more suited for "bottom of the bowl" type gouges.

V shape are better for traditional grinds or side ground gouges

then there's a parabolic shaped gouge - which Thompson does not offer. It's wider than a V, not quite as wide as a U. This is the type of gouge that I prefer. I think many turners prefer this style as well - and it's popular choice of many of the "known" turners.

the most economical gouge with that flute, I believe - is the Artisan 1/2" (flute width) from CSUSA. I believe it's still made for them by Henry Taylor: https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/129/948/Artisan-Superflute-Bowl-Gouge

There are many other choices if you want to get a parabolic flute gouge made better metal: M2, cryo treated, etc.

[Reed Gray]

Well, for me, there are two choices in tools, Doug Thompson, and Dave Schweitzer of D Way Tools. Both are very high quality, and you are buying from the guys who make the tools. The metals are slightly different, but I can't tell any difference in how well or long they cut. For me, I prefer scrapers for all my heavy roughing, and gouges for finish cuts, than scrapers again for shear cuts. Doug does make a parabolic flute gouge, and sells them to Lyle Jamieson who carries them as his personal brand. The flutes on the D Way are kind of parabolic as well. I have a bunch of bowl turning clips up on You Tube if you type in robo hippy.

robo hippy

[cody michael]

Cody -- You are correct. In general, a larger gouge will remove more wood. More importantly, it will allow you to reach farther over the tool rest without vibration. Larger gouges allow you to rough out a bowl more quickly than you could with a smaller gouge. Each cut removes more material and you don't need to adjust the tool rest as often. You didn't say what size your current bowl gouges are. If I were starting out today, I'd buy three: 3/8", 1/2", and 3/4". I might fill in with a 5/8" gouge later, but I doubt it. I don't see that many times where a 3/4" gouge is too large and a 1/2" is too small. YMMV.

The V-shaped flute is particularly good for an Elsworth grind. The U-shaped flute is better for a traditional grind. In general, a gouge with long swept-back wings (like the Elsworth grind) is better on the outside of the bowl and a traditional grind is better on the inside of the bowl. Neither grind, nor flute, will be perfect for all situations. Many turners find an Irish grind to be a good compromise (it has short swept-back wings). Others find that they like to have several bowl gouges with different grinds so they always have a tool that's right for the job. It's all a matter of personal preference (and budget).

Good luck!

how are they measured? I posted the pic with a ruler in the back ground to show scale, is the measurement diameter or something else?

this is what I have. so I already have a 5/8, and a 1/2. so the 3/4 would be a good size?


what would the 3/8 be used for, what does it do better? is it just for smaller bowls?

4-Piece All inclusive HSS Benjamin's Best Bowl Turning Set. Hand selected bowl turning tools just for you to safetly all in a attractive wooden carring case.

Set Includes:


1 ea. 1" Round Nose Scraper
16-1/4" long
1 ea. 3/4" Round Nose Side Cutting Scraper
18-1/4" long with 6-1/8" blade.
1 ea. 5/8" Bowl Gouge
22-1/2" long with 8-7/8" blade
1 ea. 1/2" Bowl Gouge
22-1/2" long with 8-7/8" blade

[Justin Stephen]

Maybe I'm weird, but I find that I virtually never use my 5/8" gouge. I use a 1/2" for virtually everything, even hogging out wood. My baby is a 1/2" Thompson "V" in a Trent Bosch handle. My 5/8" is also a Thompson "V". I prefer a fingernail grind that is not a full-on Ellsworth, or at least that's how I would describe it.

Just out of curiosity, I bought a Benjamin's Best bowl gouge several years ago and generally found it to be horrible, specifically in that it would not hold an edge for very long at all compared to the Sorby gouge I was using at the time. When I got my Thompsons, I found them to be a modest improvement over the Sorby. Maybe I just had bad luck (although I have had other reasons over the years to think poorly of PSI build quality) but I just don't recommend their tools, at least not their bowl gouges.

[Robert Henrickson]

Maybe I'm weird, but I find that I virtually never use my 5/8" gouge. I use a 1/2" for virtually everything, even hogging out wood. My baby is a 1/2" Thompson "V" in a Trent Bosch handle. My 5/8" is also a Thompson "V". I prefer a fingernail grind that is not a full-on Ellsworth, or at least that's how I would describe it.

I agree -- I rarely use my 5/8" gouge, even for roughing. A 1/2" can remove large amounts of wood. My 5/8" is 8 years old and has lost no more than 1 1/2" of its original length. I like it, but simply don't find much need for it. In contrast, my original 1/2" gouge is long gone.

[cody michael]

ok you guys have given me alot to think on, maybe I will try just upgrading one of the sizes I already have.

[Justin Stephen]

ok you guys have given me alot to think on, maybe I will try just upgrading one of the sizes I already have.

Good luck. It is, IMHO, definitely worth splurging on your primary woodturning tool(s), in my (and your) case the bowl gouge.

[Thom Sturgill]

While Lyle touted parabolics for years, I looked at his gouges recently at a symposium and they were straight V shaped gouges. Maybe a bit wider at the bottom, but I could not tell. I believe D-Way makes a parabolic and his gouges are immaculate in their polish. The Crown PM-Pro is also parabolic I believe. Crown makes the Ellsworth gouges, I think. I have quite a few of Doug's (only one U) and notice ridges in the flute which Dave polishes out on his. Saves a pain on honing the flute. A parabolic flute typically is a little wider in the bottom than a regular V, but no where near the width of a U. The sides are slightly curved which makes it a little more forgiving if you grind the wings too straight. They make an excellent general purpose gouge.

I would also go with a 1/2" or maybe 5/8" but as several have said, I only use my 5/8" for hoggin out material. Looking at your gouges, I would recommend a bit more wing on the gouge. Not as extreme as Ellsworth, but considerably more than what you have. Jimmy Clewes famously turns most everything with a 1/2" gouge and a 3/8" gouge. The 1/2" has fairly long wings while the 3/8" tends to be a 'conventional grind' similar to what you have. That grind is best for cleaning the bottom of the bowl. Doug sells a 'signature' Jimmy Clewes set that have a deeper, narrower flute than his normal. While I like them, they do clog a lot.

[Thom Sturgill]

how are they measured? I posted the pic with a ruler in the back ground to show scale, is the measurement diameter or something else?



American manufacturers denote the diameter of the tool steel. British can be either the width of the flute or the width from one side of the flute to the outside of the steel on the other side. Confusing yes? And to add to that, over there they sell by metric sizes, so importers sell by the closest American equivalent.

[Jeramie Johnson]

As you can tell by the responses, it is really preference and experience.

I have done the Benjamin, WindRiver and Sorby route....and hardly bother to pick them up. That would require me to put down my Thompson 5/8" U gouge or my Hurricane 10V, also in 5/8". One is in a Custom Cris aluminum handle and the other is in my Jameison hollowing handle. If I set those two down, it's to pick up a scraper for the finish. If that is even needed. I do have a negative rake scraper on the Christmas list, that is one the gouge can not do.

I would like to add the 1/2" gouges, but for now....money is buying other items. I look at more quality gouges as "nice to have's", whereas the 5/8" helps me hog out 22" blanks and down, with ease and bring to finish if desired.


A quality gouge and a quality sharpening wheel (CBM) will make the tool last a loong time.

Play with the different degrees and grinds. Each person is a different height, standing a different way, using a lathe differently. You will find you can use grinds to allow your body to be in different positions. The one thing about the diameters, as you go larger, the less vibration you have to absorb. Look at some of the "signature grinds"......they are not offered in all diameters.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Cody, you might want to brush up on some grinding videos and try a more swept back grind on one of those you have. Better to waste steel on a BB than a Thompson. I have both 1/2" and 5/8" Thompsons and enjoy the heck out of each. Suggest starting with the 1/2".

Doug