Grind a bowl gouge into a fingernail profile?

[Jerry Ingraham]

Wanting to improve my turning tools, I purchased a Crown PRO-PM 1/2" bowl gouge and I don't seem to be able to use it as well as I think I should. I have Bill G's dvd and watching him use the fingernail or Ellsworth grind makes me think that it is much more versatile. Can I grind that standard bowl gouge (#141345 in the Woodcraft catalog) to a fingernail profile or is a gouge dedicated to a fingernail profile different (as in flute depth, width, etc)? I'm considering ordering the two Crown "detail" gouges #144561 and #144562 but thought I might regrind the Pro-PM if it's possible or advisable. Any thoughts? Thanks.
Jerry

[Michael Stafford]

Jerry, any bowl gouge can be ground to a fingernail bowl gouge. Those sold with the grind already on the tool just have been ground for you. You do need the Wolverine jig or similar to get the grind initially and repeatably.

I have two Pro-PM gouges and I have reground both to fingernail grinds.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have did the same to a P & N gouge. You can put a fingernail grind on most any gouge.

[Lee DeRaud]

What they said. Although...

I seem to recall that the actual "Ellsworth Signature" gouge sold by Crown(?) is slightly different from a "standard" bowl gouge, but the difference is in the shape of the flute and doesn't affect the grind all that much.

Or it may be an entirely different gouge I'm thinking of.

Or I could be hallucinating. :eek:

Never mind. :p

[Andy Hoyt]

What they said, and Lee, too. But wait! There's more - i think.

I'm probably wrong, but here goes. I believe that the official Ellsworth gouge has a wider and deeper flute than most others. Kinda like the cross sectional difference between a radial-tire and a good old fashioned tire-tire. I think the flute configuration on the E.G achieves two things better than a gouge with a regular flute. First the wider profile allows shavings to clear easier and quicker thusly avoiding those stubborn jamb ups. And secondly, it allows for a longer and shallower sweep from the nose up along the flute edge making the tool more versatile in certain positions.

Of course, I've never held - much less used - a real EG and all that I just relayed is likely mixed up info due to a sixties influenced memory. I gotta stop reading tool porn.

Becker wil be along soon. I'm sure he'll straighten us all out.

[Jerry Ingraham]

Thanks guys. I was pretty sure that I could grind it to the profile but thought I'd call upon your collective wisdom to confirm it. I do have the Wolverine jig and the Vario-grind but I'm not sure how to start developing this grind, never having seen or held one in person. I'll do some more research and look at Bill's DVD again as there are some pretty good close ups of it and the sharpening chapter is very informative.

[Lee DeRaud]

I do have the Wolverine jig and the Vario-grind but I'm not sure how to start developing this grind, never having seen or held one in person. I'll do some more research and look at Bill's DVD again as there are some pretty good close ups of it and the sharpening chapter is very informative.There's also the "horse's mouth" approach:
http://www.oneway.on.ca/multi-media/wolverine_videos.htm
This site has downloadable videos covering all aspects of using the Wolverine jigs. If you don't have a broadband connection, they can also send them to you on CD.