bowl gouge size

[John C Bush]

Getting bigger and better at bowl turning and my 5/8" gouge is getting a bit short. I am ready to step up to a higher quality gouge and am considering a 3/4" or larger gouge for roughing out large wet blanks. I'm getting bold enough to try 20"+ hunks of maple and my 5/8" with standard handle works well but takes a beating. A larger tool with weighted handle seems like a reasonable step up but would like suggestions from the experts here if bigger is in fact better. Hopefully Santa is reading the thread! Thanks and Happy Holidays

[Bob Bouis]

The 2HP motor on my PM3520b can't push the wood hard enough to take a full shaving with a 5/8" gouge, so I don't see any utility in a bigger one.

[John C Bush]

I haven't noticed any limitation with the PM4224-just my courage.

[Roger Chandler]

Bigger is not always better! I have a 3/4" Thompson that rarely gets used. 5/8" gouge is plenty for a large roughout, and I can easily stall a 3 hp lathe with a heavy cut with a 5/8" gouge....have done it on a Robust American Beauty lathe, and others.

I recommend you get a good quality 5/8" and also have a 1/2" gouge.....most bowls can be done with those two sizes.

[John C Bush]

Thanks Roger and Bob,
Next question is gouge flute shape. V? U? Not sure of performance difference. Would be good to test drive before buying. Also I haven't tried different grind angles. ~45deg seems to work well now but haven't tried a 60deg or bottom feeder.

[Prashun Patel]

+1. A couple years back I looked into a 3/4" bowl gouge and settled on nice a 5/8". If you are looking to bring roughs more efficiently into round I have found it more efficient to focus on getting the blank closer to round before the lathe

[Reed Gray]

5/8 is plenty. If you want a swept back design, then the V from Doug works well as does the parabolic fluted gouge he makes for Lyle Jamieson. If you want more of a 40/40 like Stuart Batty promotes, then both the U and V work. Gouges from D Way are excellent as well. The U flute makes a pretty good BOB (bottom of bowl) gouge if ground with very little sweep and a 60 or 70 degree bevel.

As for taking a beating, I can't think of a single production turner who uses the shot filled handles. For one bowl, it can work. For a bunch, that is just too much weight to hold onto, and will wear you out. Keep your tool rest close. Start in the center, and nibble your way out to the edge. Rather than take a long pass, I will, most of the time, take arced cuts getting it flat in one spot and then sweeping through the bumps. Continue out to the edge.

Oh, I use scrapers for all of my roughing. 1 inch wide Big Ugly is all that is needed.. I have a bunch of videos on You Tube.

robo hippy

[John Keeton]

I don't do very many green rough outs, and I think the opinions of those that do are more valid. That said, I do think one needs to consider that larger gouges and heftier cuts equal greater wear and tear on one's body. If you are young, this may not seem a concern, but at 68, I now am aware daily of every "insignificant injury" I suffered when I was young! Turning is fun, and while I don't turn a lot of green wood, I and most others enjoy peeling curlies. I can do that comfortably with a 1/2" gouge that I can also use for other turning tasks for which a larger gouge might not work as well. Slow down and enjoy the experience.

As for the flute, I prefer a parabolic, but I also like the V for certain tasks. Personally, I wouldn't use a U for roughing. It makes a great bottom feeder for finish turning.

[Steve Schlumpf]

John, I have two 5/8" V gouges (D-Way and Thompson) and one 3/4" V - all with weighted handles (bird shot or BBs). I do use the 3/4" for roughing really large blanks because it keeps me away from the rotating mass and the extra mass of the 3/4" helps absorb a lot of the impacts when first roughing a blank. That being said, I do not use the 3/4" often - just on the really large blanks. Once the thing is somewhat close to round, then I switch over to the 5/8" and take it to balanced.

The 3/4", with weighted handle, is a lot of weight to hang on to while roughing. It does great at absorbing the impacts caused when cutting wood - then air - then wood again. I am glad I have mine but have to admit it is one of the least used gouges I have. For the most part I use the D-Way 5/8" V for 98% of my turning. Your needs may differ depending on how many super large blanks you intend to turn.

[John C Bush]

Thanks everyone, Great help.

[robert baccus]

A good combination for your expanding vortex thing would be a 3/8"/ 1/2" and 5/8" set in good metal like Thompson or D-Way gouges. Thompson will sell handleless gouges which are a bargain. D-Way might--I'am clueless there. For a bottom feeder I buy cheap (very) m2 1/2" gouges--deep bowl or spindle. You won't be using them much time at all and they should be sharpened for every cut anywho. Like most bass fishermen I have a big baitbox for turning tools.

[Bob Bergstrom]

You own a 4224, and bought it for a reason. Big lathes deserve big gouges. I use a Thompson 3/4" "V" gouge for roughing out big bowls. Swept back over 1". It is an ego trip to send 1" curliest across the shop. If you spent that much buying the lathe you will want the big gouge. All can be done with a small one, but with proper technique large consistent shavings can be taken. I core most large bowls, but there is a limit to the biggest core. To remove what's left I push the handle to the far side of the lathe, and use the swept back wing the cut as I push the gouge toward the headstock. Very efficient and fun in wet wood. Also less wear and tear on the body. Push cuts will stall a lath if the cut is two thick on the outr 10% of the bowl's circumference. I also trim as much as possible fron the exterior wood off usin an electric chainsaw with the spindle locked.

[john taliaferro]

Bob , in case your wondering it's a bad idea to not lock the spindle . I made a post to hold electric saw that slides on the ways and plung ,and it has been working great for coring large pices . 36 x48 elm wet ,does send chips every where ,i use shower curtains .

[Bob Bergstrom]

Bob , in case your wondering it's a bad idea to not lock the spindle . I made a post to hold electric saw that slides on the ways and plung ,and it has been working great for coring large pices . 36 x48 elm wet ,does send chips every where ,i use shower curtains .
It would be interesting to see a few pics of how you have the saw attached to the lathe. I also have two tarps and two walls around my lathe. A plastic snow shovel and 40 gal contractor bags. The shovel is quick and works a lot better than a dust pan. Less bending on the back. I would never try to saw something on the lathe with the spindle unlocked.

[Thomas Canfield]

I bought a 3/4" U Thompson about 3 years back to get to bottom of a large bowl because of the reach. I do use it at times roughing larger green bowls, but usually use a 5/8". I ended up also getting a curved tool rest to get inside larger bowls and that reduces the overhang and the 5/8" or even 1/2" do a good job even on large pieces if you can keep the overhang down.