I turn both bowl blanks and spindles on my Jet 1236. I'm ready to buy
a good quality roughing gouge and generally both a 3/4 and 1 1/4 are
available. recommendations as to which size (and manufacturer) would
be appreciated.

For bowl blanks? Never use a roughing gouge on cross grain unless your life assurance is paid up and the local ER is close by.
I have both sizes for spindle work as sometimes the larger model is too large - you cannot cut a cove of less diameter than the gouge.

"Howard" wrote in message
oups.com...
I turn both bowl blanks and spindles on my Jet 1236. I'm ready to buy
a good quality roughing gouge and generally both a 3/4 and 1 1/4 are
available. recommendations as to which size (and manufacturer) would
be appreciated.


I like the big one. Mine's Sorby, but Mike Darlow doesn't like it, because
it's the "weak-tang" style. Nonetheless, it has survived a dozen years,
including abuse by HS kids. Use it properly, and you should have no
problems. If you want a heavy tang, there's P&N.

Mine is an old Taylor 1" roughing gouge. I've noticed that that size
seems to be nearly unavailable for some reason. I've used other
people's 3/4 and 1 1/4 and still think that 1" is the best.

Another thing to mention -- I grind the wings back on it. I've posted
my reasons before so won't repeat. When I use somebody else's straight
grind I find the tool awkward.

Bill

Howard wrote:
I turn both bowl blanks and spindles on my Jet 1236. I'm ready to buy
a good quality roughing gouge and generally both a 3/4 and 1 1/4 are
available. recommendations as to which size (and manufacturer) would
be appreciated.

Hello Howard,

I've had the same lathe as you since October 03 and it's been fairly
adequate for my needs. I do wish on occasion that I could reverse spin or
for a variable speed. But then, this is just a hobby with me. As to the
roughing gouge, I have a Sorby 3/4. I use it almost exclusively for spindle
turning.

"Howard" wrote in message
oups.com...
I turn both bowl blanks and spindles on my Jet 1236. I'm ready to buy
a good quality roughing gouge and generally both a 3/4 and 1 1/4 are
available. recommendations as to which size (and manufacturer) would
be appreciated.

I found that I could do all of my roughing cuts on spindles with my
bowl gouges with the swept back grind. They seem to be just as fast and
I am much more familiar with them.. I do most of my roughing work on
bowls with heavy scrapers, and the finish work with gouges. I could
give up the roughing gouge and never miss it.
robo hippy

"Tony the Turner" wrote in message
...

Howard Wrote:


For bowl blanks? Never use a roughing gouge on cross grain unless your
life assurance is paid up and the local ER is close by.
I have both sizes for spindle work as sometimes the larger model is too
large - you cannot cut a cove of less diameter than the gouge.



Well, no. If you learn how to use it, it's great at moving wood off the
outside of a bowl.

Used to be the only choice, you know. The "bowl gouge" is a relative
newcomer to turning. Came on scene when it became cheaper to mill a groove
in rod rather than forge a bar.

Look at the tips section on my site. I use the 3" roughing gouge from
Oneway. Great for roughing and finish work. Don't mess around with a wimpy
1" gouge.

--
Art Ransom
Lancaster , Texas

www.turningaround.org

Well, no. If you learn how to use it, it's great at moving wood off the
outside of a bowl.

Used to be the only choice, you know. The "bowl gouge" is a relative
newcomer to turning. Came on scene when it became cheaper to mill a groove
in rod rather than forge a bar.


Except that a sharp, swept back bowl gouge does a much better job of
clearing wood out of both the inside and outside of a bowl.

Art Ransom wrote:
Look at the tips section on my site. I use the 3" roughing gouge from
Oneway. Great for roughing and finish work. Don't mess around with a wimpy
1" gouge.

Sounds like that gouge would also double as a canoe paddle!

Hey Howard, I also have a Jet1236 and just purchased a tool that has
become a favorite for everything from roughing to finish work...The
Crown Ellsworth Gouge is one of the best cutting tools I've used. I
purchased the larger of the two that my local store had. It's a bit
strange at first, but once you get used to it (which doesn't take long
at all) you'll see how it's very easy to control, takes material away
quickly and can produce an "almost-sanded" finish cut. The only thing
is that it forced me to buy a better grinding system - which
admittedly, I needed to do anyway. If you don't already have one, a
slow speed (1750 rpm max) grinder with the Oneway sharpening system
totally rocks. Hope that's helpful.

Scott

Oneway really indicates in their literature that they want you to use a
standard, high-speed grinder. As I remember there are words about
surface velocity and such. The reason I use a high-speed grinder is
that grinding on the slow-speed just takes too long.

A light touch on a high-speed grinder gets the job done properly, imho.
My gouges are all in Oneway handles -- I like their weight when
turning and I like the fact that the gouge can be removed from the heavy
handle quickly so that I can grind with a minimum of weight and a
maximum of feel -- the best of both worlds.

Bill



scott wrote:
Hey Howard, I also have a Jet1236 and just purchased a tool that has
become a favorite for everything from roughing to finish work...The
Crown Ellsworth Gouge is one of the best cutting tools I've used. I
purchased the larger of the two that my local store had. It's a bit
strange at first, but once you get used to it (which doesn't take long
at all) you'll see how it's very easy to control, takes material away
quickly and can produce an "almost-sanded" finish cut. The only thing
is that it forced me to buy a better grinding system - which
admittedly, I needed to do anyway. If you don't already have one, a
slow speed (1750 rpm max) grinder with the Oneway sharpening system
totally rocks. Hope that's helpful.

Scott

"Harry Pye" wrote in message
groups.com...
Well, no. If you learn how to use it, it's great at moving wood off the
outside of a bowl.

Used to be the only choice, you know. The "bowl gouge" is a relative
newcomer to turning. Came on scene when it became cheaper to mill a
groove in rod rather than forge a bar.


Except that a sharp, swept back bowl gouge does a much better job of
clearing wood out of both the inside and outside of a bowl.

Outside? Absolutely not. People who turn their rest into a tool "lean" to
try and use those wings should look at the edge as the wood sees it. They'd
discover that a large-radius gouge can be fully supported on the rest and
present the same edge as the one that's bouncing off of their body because
they have the gouge angled more than 45 degrees to the chord under cut.
http://personalpages.tds.net/~upgeor...orged-Spot.jpg Shows what
portion of the edge was in contact with the wood (turn it upside down
either mentally or on the computer), and the constant angle grind that keeps
the gouge from rolling. Difference is you're cutting at centerline, so you
get full support from the rest, you're able to stand out of the throw zone,
and your elbow is at the same comfortable bend you chose when you set the
height on your lathe. With a longer edge for the wood to shear against
relative to the depth of cut, the shallow gouge is ideal for making
smooth-surface cuts.
http://personalpages.tds.net/~upgeor...20Pictures.htm Shows the
cutting angles. The path of the chips - downward - shows they are being
removed with minimal force. You can make either of these cuts one-handed
once you have circularity, since you're two-point safe on bevel and rest
automatically.

Inside clears faster with a hook tool, but it almost needs you standing on a
stool. Bowl gouges work nearly as well at hogging, and pretty much at your
elbow. Longer wings clear center to edge best, shorter wings edge to
center. That way you don't have to lean over the bed and get a crick in
your back. Once the hogging is done, however, it's back to the large-radius
gouges which keep you from having to use unnatural angles of gouge and body
to get the same sort of tightly-supported shearing cut you got outside.
http://personalpages.tds.net/~upgeor...oth%20Four.htm

"Bill Rubenstein" wrote in message
et...
A light touch on a high-speed grinder gets the job done properly, imho. My
gouges are all in Oneway handles -- I like their weight when turning and I
like the fact that the gouge can be removed from the heavy handle quickly
so that I can grind with a minimum of weight and a maximum of feel -- the
best of both worlds.

The same light touch on the low-speed grinder removes less metal in the same
time, however. If you're using your grinder in lieu of a hone, it makes
sense to have low speed. Doesn't take much to freshen the edge - thousandth
or two - and back to the lathe. Normally one pass for me on a 120 wheel.

The other thing a slow-speed does for you is better serve your other
woodworking needs. I carve, and of course all those tools are carbon steel.
(no, I don't have jigs for them, either) Most of my planes are A-2 now, as
is one of my bowl gouges. All of these are more sensitive to heat than
high-speed steel, as are your regular chisels, which normally feature alloys
chosen for toughness in non-laminated varieties. Then there are knives, the
odd screwdriver, &cetera.

The concept you need to keep in mind is to trade grit for time. Heat from
friction is a result of pressure times the coefficient of friction, and
builds in the steel over time. So if you can keep the pressure low and the
time shorter by using a coarser grit for shaping, do so. Following up by
sharpening on the finer grit will add to your time, but be easier on your
tool.

I don't hone, using the edge fresh from the grinder, burr and all, unless
it's for the odd scraping job. Some people do, and are as passionate about
it as others are about their grinding jigs.

Outside? Absolutely not. People who turn their rest into a tool "lean" to
Inside clears faster with a hook tool, but it almost needs you standing on a

I suppose this will come as a shock to David Ellsworth. He has been
selling, teaching and using swept back bowl gouges for years. I think
that his work is known by most avid turners and fetches prices we
mortals can only dream of. George, you often confuse your opinions (and
you are welcome to them) for facts.

Do you mean the 3" from Serious Lathe?

"Art Ransom" wrote in message
...
Look at the tips section on my site. I use the 3" roughing gouge from
Oneway. Great for roughing and finish work. Don't mess around with a
wimpy
1" gouge.

--
Art Ransom
Lancaster , Texas

www.turningaround.org

On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 21:38:07 -0500, Harry Pye wrote:

Art Ransom wrote:
Look at the tips section on my site. I use the 3" roughing gouge from
Oneway. Great for roughing and finish work. Don't mess around with a wimpy
1" gouge.

Sounds like that gouge would also double as a canoe paddle!

For sure! I have a 2" gouge that came with my bowl gouge set (no idea why)
It looks like a dog food scoop and holds about a handful of shavings..

I don't use it much, the thought of a catch with that sucker would be some
serious drama... I still use my 25 year old 3/4" shopsmith roughing gouge in a
fingernail grind... I call it the "planer"..lol


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

"Harry Pye" wrote in message
groups.com...
Outside? Absolutely not. People who turn their rest into a tool "lean"
to Inside clears faster with a hook tool, but it almost needs you
standing on a

I suppose this will come as a shock to David Ellsworth. He has been
selling, teaching and using swept back bowl gouges for years. I think that
his work is known by most avid turners and fetches prices we mortals can
only dream of. George, you often confuse your opinions (and you are
welcome to them) for facts.

Harry, there is a large difference between doing something and understanding
what you're doing. If you will try the visual I suggested, I believe you
will see that the edge presentation is the same. Hopefully then you will
understand how the _cut_ is made. If you choose to make it with minimal
tool support, standing in harm's way, as the top picture on
http://www.woodcentral.com/newforum/grinds.shtml , you _can_ , though there
are safer and more effective ways of doing it if you understand how the cut
is made, rather than who made it.

I merely noted that the presentation makes the cut - basic understanding -
and there were other presentations available which involved considerably
less risk. You, on the other hand, chose to make a personal attack. So
who's shy on "fact?"