Beginner tools?

[George Tokarev]

Wrong guy to ask about jigs. I use the tool as its own jig. Stay away from the steeper grind on the wings of your gouge as you cut and you should be able to do well with it. The rougher can be used as the gouge I showed, except that it pokes poorly, being ground straight across. If you swing it into the cut rather than press it in, you should get good control. The roll it back a bit away from the direction of cut as you see in the picture once you have a place to steady your bevel. With a U shaped rougher, it's possible to use it to peel a no-sand surface by using it almost as a straight chisel say youre going right to left, you'd roll so the edge was going like this / as you went along. Just remember not to go too deep, but follow the bevel angle, If you go to deep, you can get under the shaving and hook yourself. Not a tragedy if you keep the toolrest up tight to the work, since it can't jam between, but the work will squirm and may unseat. Here's some shots going left to right so the photographer didn't get my better side. Whittle down in stages, as Dave Houk says on TV, so you don't splinter.

[John Hart]

George has a nice video short on this as well. I learned a thing or two....or three.

[Bob Hallowell]

Lisa, I am a fairly new turner as well. But have made and sold quite a few pens. I think it is all personal preference what tool you use on spindle work. I use the harbor freight 3/4 roughing gouge on 1/2 the pens I turn with maybe a scraper or 1/4 spindle gouge tossed in. Some I rough with the 3/4 and use scrapers and othes I do most work with the skew.

So what I am trying to say is it's what you fell comfortable with. I went to another turners house on this forum and told him how I turned the majority of my beads was with a 1/8 parting tool and he thought I was mad till he tried it. So play and learn. as they always say it's not the arrows it's the indian.


Bob

[Gordon Seto]

Lisa,

Any tool is only as strong as its weakest link. The 7/8" gouge in your set is a roughing gouge. The flute is very strong. When you are turning off-balance side grain bowl blanks, you are unable to move the toolrest close to your work. A careless end grain catch would snap your tool at the tang. With a round bowl gouge, if the catch force is large enough, your gouge may twist and bend. But most likely because of the smaller than 7/8" size bowl gouge, your gouge would vibrate and chatter when your tool hangs out from the tool rest too much.

Each year several hundreds of roughing gouges were retruned to Craft Supply USA because of snapped tangs. I believe the broken tang figures were much higher. That is why in recent catalogs, there are warning "Not for use on bowls". And AAW was also pushing for the name change to Spindle Roughing Gouge, to bring up the awareness.

You have 4 little people to take care, you can't afford not to take the safer approach on your new hobby. When the tang snaps, it becomes an energerized projectile. We always have to put the safety of our family members in mind first. I don't see the need to take extra risk for using a goughing gouge on a side grain bowl. I have seen, feel and touch the smooth finish off side grind and traditional grind bowl gouges. I hope with practice, you and I can reach that goal some day.

Gordon