Bottom bowl gouge shaping

[John Kananis]

Does the left wing of a U-shaped, bottom bowl gouge serve a purpose or can I grind it back and out of the way? (Left wing - referring to the U facing up and tip pointing away from you). I'm trying to avoid a potential catch if I can't clearly see into the cavity of a bowl... am I overthinking this or am I on the right track?

I use only a slight angle across the front, like Stuart Batty recommends. Also, the gouge is dedicated to only this task.

[Edward Weber]

Personal preference of course.
Most BOB gouges are just a very basic straight accross grind.
The left wing really isn't doing any cutting. If you're worried about it catching, you certainly can grind it back a bit and have an asymmetric gouge.

[John Kananis]

Wonderful, thanks for the confirmation, Edward. Am I being over-cautious or is there decent potential for such a catch?


Personal preference of course.
Most BOB gouges are just a very basic straight accross grind.
The left wing really isn't doing any cutting. If you're worried about it catching, you certainly can grind it back a bit and have an asymmetric gouge.

[Edward Weber]

Well as always, it depends.
Certainly you can get a catch but I never found it that likely,
You are cutting with the lower (right) wing, this usually indicates that the gouge is slightly tilted (handle down). This keeps the upper (left) wing from touching when making the cut.
There can be very little room between the upper wing and the wood but as long as there is no contact,i t's not an issue.
If you decide to grind back the left wing, don't be drastic and remove too much material, just in case you change your mind. I would maybe round the corner off a bit and just blunt or dull the portion you're worried about.

[John Kananis]

Thank you again, Edward.

[Richard Coers]

To boil this down, catches are not a result of tool shape. That's why hand skills are necessary. Tool companies try to convince you that they have the fix, but they don't make the craftsman.

[John Kananis]

Seems like sound advice. I'm leaving the tool the way it is, I'll instead practice keeping the handle down.


To boil this down, catches are not a result of tool shape. That's why hand skills are necessary. Tool companies try to convince you that they have the fix, but they don't make the craftsman.

[Neil Strong]

Richard Raffan uses an asymmetrical grind on his deep fluted bowl gouges. The left wing is ground back for use on the outside of bowls and the more straight across grind on the right is for inside....


https://youtu.be/jg0i27WuPXQ?t=446