# switching tool types



## APBcustoms (Mar 6, 2015)

well im going to convert from easy wood tools to traditional woodturning tools. and i have some questions. mainly about what size to buy. like if im going to get one bowl gouge what size should i buy? same with one spindle gouge. the rest i have covered


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## BassBlaster (Mar 6, 2015)

Spindle gouge or spindle roughing gouge? My only roughing gouge is a 3/4" Sorby that I really like but Id love to have one of the bigger ones. Maybe one like the Thompson.

For a standard spindle gouge, I don't think you can just get by with one size. I have a 3/4", 1" and a 3/8" detail and they all get used regularly. If I could only have one of them, Id probably pick the 3/4" since I could use my carbides to do the work of the little detail gouge.

I only own one bowl gouge and I read a ton before buying it. Seems most people start out with a 1/2" bowl gouge. I bought a 1/2" Thompson U flute.

Keep in mind, Euro made tools are measured differently than American made tools. Euro tools are measured across the flute where American tools are measured by the diameter of the tool. This is true for bowl gouges. Not sure how that translates to others.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## APBcustoms (Mar 6, 2015)

spindle gouge. i have the roughing gauge and other tools covered


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## TimR (Mar 6, 2015)

Austin, pretty much assuming you're going to collect more over time, but for me, it's an easy call on initial sizes.
1/2" Bowl Gouge, swept back
3/8" Spindle Gouge, swept back
My personal favorites in these two is from D-Way tools, nice smooth flutes that help produce a very keen edge.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Useful 1


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## APBcustoms (Mar 6, 2015)

i will definitely acquire more over time im just looking at high quality ones so ill have to take my time with it. im keeping my three pro size bubinga handled easy wood tools to get me by till i can get more comfortable with the traditional tools.


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## TimR (Mar 6, 2015)

D-way, you won't be sorry. These are definitely high quality. I learned about these from Jimmy Clewes, and decided to try, and haven't looked back since. Not to say other good options are out there, but I've got a 5/8" bowl gouge, swept back, in Glaser, Thompson and D-Way. The D-Way is the one I reach for first to keep the edge longer and sharper.


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## APBcustoms (Mar 6, 2015)

TimR said:


> D-way, you won't be sorry. These are definitely high quality. I learned about these from Jimmy Clewes, and decided to try, and haven't looked back since. Not to say other good options are out there, but I've got a 5/8" bowl gouge, swept back, in Glaser, Thompson and D-Way. The D-Way is the one I reach for first to keep the edge longer and sharper.



thats right about what im looking to spend. ill check them out! what do you guys think of one way


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## Tclem (Mar 6, 2015)

I use a 1/2" Thompson. When I turn a bowl. Lol


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## MikeMD (Mar 6, 2015)

As for brands, D-way and Thompson are both top notch. I have the Hurricane (find them on Ebay) CPM-10V 5/8" gouge. Really nice, too. 

As for size, well, it really depends on the size of your turnings... I started with a 1/2" gouge. Then moved up to a 5/8". That is my go-to gouge size now. But I did get a 3/4" for the big stuff and for stuff that will likely chatter more.


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## APBcustoms (Mar 6, 2015)

I'll be dying like 6-12 inch bowls as deep as 4 inches so smaller stuff but I plan on getting a big powermatic this time next year


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## MikeMD (Mar 6, 2015)

Get a 1/2" and a 5/8". You'll use the 5/8" now and when you get your PM. The 1/2" will be your finishing cut gouge...

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## APBcustoms (Mar 8, 2015)

So looking at the roughing gauge from d-way it looks different from what I used. Is it like a bowl roughing gouge or?


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## TimR (Mar 8, 2015)

APBcustoms said:


> So looking at the roughing gauge from d-way it looks different from what I used. Is it like a bowl roughing gouge or?
> 
> View attachment 73294


If characterize it as being more stout than other spindle roughing gouges but still would only use for spindle work where the cutting is of side and face grain. Bowl roughing typically gets into end grain and you don't want a tool with a potentially big bite, recipe for disaster.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## APBcustoms (Mar 8, 2015)

TimR said:


> If characterize it as being more stout than other spindle roughing gouges but still would only use for spindle work where the cutting is of side and face grain. Bowl roughing typically gets into end grain and you don't want a tool with a potentially big bite, recipe for disaster.



So it's a big tough roughing gouge?


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## MikeMD (Mar 8, 2015)

It is a spindle roughing gouge, not a bowl gouge, is what Tim's saying. Notice how there are no swept back 'wings'? And the flute is very large/wide? A bowl gouge will have swept back wings (so they don't catch quite so easily), and the flute will be narrower. The wings (if that's what you want to call them) on the gouge you posted are straight across...a recipe for a nasty catch if used on a bowl. Heck, you'll get a nasty catch on a spindle turning with it, too. But on a spindle, it is much easier to keep those wings away from the wood...avoiding a catch.


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## duncsuss (Mar 8, 2015)

If I had to speculate ...

It looks like this D-way spindle roughing gouge is ground from solid round stock (as opposed to stamped/shaped flat bar stock). If I owned a machine capable of grinding but not a massive press, I'd be tempted to make a spindle roughing gouge that way. Plus it means the gouge would fit my standard interchangeable tool handle, having a round section instead of the traditional square tang that most spindle roughing gouges have.

Not saying that's why D-way make the tool this way, just thinking through what I might do.


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## APBcustoms (Mar 8, 2015)

I knew it was a roughing gouge it just seems more narrow. So I didn't know about the use. It just looks much different then this


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## MikeMD (Mar 8, 2015)

Austin, it looks like the main difference between the one you originally posted and a bowl gouge is the space between the wings. If you go back to D-way's site, you'll see that the one you posted is very similar to a bottom feeder grind. The difference, however, is that the bottom feeder is a V or modified U, whereas the roughing gouge is a wide U. 

Funny thing about turning gouges... we say bowl gouge, spindle gouge, and roughing gouge. But the last one SHOULD be called a spindle roughing gouge. We haven't even gotten into the fluteless gouges... But I don't know enough about them (never used one, though I've heard good things about them) to carry on a discussion about them.


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## DKMD (Mar 8, 2015)

I like Thompson's stuff, and I've got most of his tools. I use a 1/2" V bowl gouge and a 3/8" detail gouge most commonly, so that would be my suggestion for a starting spot. You just need to know that's all it is... A starting spot.

I have the D-way roughing gouge, and I like it a lot. It's fairly small, but that suits me fine. It's far more solid than the stamped gouge with skinny tangs, and it could be used for bowl turning... I think Reed(robo hippy) has a you tube video using one on a bowl. There's no reason to use one on a bowl, but it is possible. I definitely wouldn't use any tool on a bowl that has a skinny tang like the roughing gouge in the second photo... They can snap off if you get a catch.

Reactions: Like 1


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