On Oct 7, 7:52 am, Max63 wrote:
If you only had one tool for spindle work, and just one for bowls,
what would you choose?
sort of the "stuck on an island" question.
State type, size and make


Hello Max,

That is an interesting question that you pose. Actually, if you has
said only one tool to turn either spindles or bowls, it would have to
be a round nose scraper with a negative rake grind on it. However, the
scraper would tear grain on the softer hardwoods and would only work
well on the harder hard woods. But since you are allowing two tools,
one for spindles and one for bowls the choice would be different.

For spindles, the Robert Sorby Spindle Master in a one inch width will
make virtually all cuts on a spindle. It turns nice beads, nice coves,
and it will turn a smooth surface like a skew chisel. Since I'm not
limited to one tool, I choose to use my 3/4" Hamlet skew chisel and my
1/2" Crown Spindle gouge for most of my spindle turning.

For bowls and platters, I would choose the 5/8" bowl gouge with an
Ellsworth Grind on it. I believe that Crown and Henry Taylor both make
this signature gouge with Ellsworth's name on the handle. This tool
will make all of the cuts needed to turn a bowl and is the only grind
that I know of that can cut the inside of a bowl from rim to bottom in
one sweeping cut without having to change the grind on the tool. I
think that most 5/8" bowl gouges can be ground to the Ellsworth grind
using the Ellsworth Jig. Once the grind is established, it can be
reproduced with the Oneway Wolverine Grinding Jig or with the Tormek
System.

I'm sure others will have different choices, but these would be mine.

Fred Holder
http://www.fholder.com/Woodturning/woodturn.htm