Bent Bowl Gouges

Re: Bent Bowl Gouges

Keith Tompkins

>Hi George, try the Hamlet hollowing system. Looks like a termite tool with a depth guard. You can shear cut with the thing with a little practice, also comes with a bent holder. I got mine from Packard. I highly recommend it. I have seen the bet gouges also. In Robert Chapman's book, I believe.

Re: Bent Bowl Gouges

Russell Seaton

>Dennis Stewart makes a little 1/4" gouge insert that fits on one of his holders that fits on his Omni tool that fits in his armbrace. In the Craft Supplies catalog you should see pictures of it. I believe Lyn Mangiameli wrote up an article on hollowing tools and he mentioned this Stewart gouge. I think Lyn's article is on Fred Holder's website. I don't know if this thing would be too large and cumbersome to get inside your hollowforms.

Re: Bent Bowl Gouges *LINK*

Brad Vietje

>Robert Chapman shows the bent bowl gouge in his book (Woodturning: A Fresh Approach), and sells his tool designs under the name BCWA, which really means Bob Chapman Woodturning Accessories. I have the bent gouge, and have only tried it a few times, so I have not mastered it yet. I'll attempt to provide the link below.

Another approach, and this might be what Keith was getting at, is the Stewart scraper, which can take a beautiful light shaving when adjusted/used correctly, or those boring bars with tiny gouge inserts to cut across the grain. I recently saw a post where someone made one by using a short section of a 1/4" bowl gouge held in a hole bored through his large diameter (3/4" - 7/8") boring bar. I think it was posted to show what could be done with a broken gouge, or the short stub that's left when you've sharpened the thing down to a nub.

Good Luck, and Safe Spinning,

Brad Vietje

Thetford, VT


Robert Chapman / BCWA Tools

Re: Bent Bowl Gouge Pic 

Brad Vietje

>

problem bending tool steel

Bill Tindall, E. TN

>It is difficult to heat and bend an already hardened tool steel gouge. We tried that experiment attempting to straighten the defective tang on a purchased M2 tool steel gouge. Even at bright orange it snapped. We were told (after the fact) it would need to be taken well over 1000 degrees to be able to bend it.

Re: Bent Bowl Gouge Pic

Brad Vietje

>Since posting this I went out to the shop and dug out the gouge -- mine doesn't have a straight section after the bend -- it curves right up to the bevel. I have used it just a bit for the bottom of the sort of natural edge vase or bowl shown in the picture (which isn't mine -- it was lifted from Rob Chapman's web site).

I'd reccommend trying it on the bottom of an open bowl before putting it down into delicate, tight quarters. It needs to be used rolled over on its side (clockwise, with bevel to right, inboard) so it won't catch, and it does take a little getting used to because it's so different than a straight gouge. You definately don't want the curved tip to roll into the wood to the left on a thin bowl -- BANG ! OUCH !! %#@$*& !!!

Safe Spinning,

Brad Vietje

Thetford, VT

Re: Bent Bowl Gouge Pic

George Troy

>Maybe I had just better forget this idea of a curved gouge. I don't need anything down deep it is the first 1 1/2" or so. I have a Kelton gouge with replacment tips and was thinking I could bend the holder for it. To Brad and you others who responded, thanks for helping me get this sorted out. GT

Try Robert...

BubbaBob

>...Sorby's site. I think there are a few Sorby bent gouges.

BubbaBob