Different Bowl Gouges for Different Cuts - Help

[Matt Hutchinson]

Okay, I have a question that probably has already been addressed, but here goes anyway.

Different bowl gouges have different strengths/applications. But what bowl gouges do which cuts the best???

1. U flute, medium fingernail
2. U flute, long fingernail (very swept back)
3. V flute, medium fingernail
4. V flute, long fingernail


I have not done a methodical investigation as to how my bowl gouges cut differently as I change their grinds. Can you explain this to me, or direct me to an article?? Thanks.

Hutch

[Reed Gray]

For me, the swept back grind has 2 main purposes. One is when you want to hog off a lot of material very fast, you roll the flutes sideways, and do a scraping cut. With enough horse power, you can pull off an inch or more at a time. The other purpose is with the wings swept back, you can angle the gouge up (for outside turning only), and get a nice shear clean up cut. It has no particular advantages on the inside of the bowl. The main difference to me is the angle of the nose. On the outside of the bowl, just about any gouge will work. On the inside it is another matter. There are 3 areas on the inside, the side of the bowl, the transition, and the bottom. On shallow bowls and plates, just about any gouge can work, because there is little or no transition. On deeper bowls, it becomes more difficult go make the transition. A more traditional grind (45 degrees and more pointy) will go down the side, but can't make the transition because you can't get the bevel to rub. Here is where the 'Ellsworth gring' comes in handy. It tends to be more blunt, say 60 degrees or more. As you hit the transition area, you roll the gouge more on its side, and you are able to ride the bevel through the transition and across the bottom. On steep sided bowls, an Ellsworth grind can make some or most of the transition, but can't go across the bottom. The sides of the bowl and even the tool rest get in the way. Here I have a bottom of the bowl gouge. It is more U or C shaped, and is ground to about an 80 degree bevel. Think of a 3/4 inch roughing gouge which is not ground straight across/square, but has a slight radius to the front profile. This can go across the bottom of almost any bowl form while riding the bevel. You can also use a scraper to do this part. Because the wood fibers are running flat across the bottom, you will get less tearout. You can also use the scraper in a shear mode to clean up the bottom, and if your scraper is ground to about 80 degrees, you can ride the bevel while cutting across the bottom.
robo hippy

[Brodie Brickey]

I generally like to have two different gouges.

A long V grind with the sides swept back for the outside of the bowl.

A Short U grind for the inside of the bowl. A stubby U really allows me to dodge the transition between wall and bottom of the bowl.