Ever make a bowl gouge? - Woodworking Talk

mranum · 09-20-2009, 10:12 AM

I am looking for a bowl gouge and wondered why couldn't a person make one if they had the raw materials. Anyone here ever done it?

phinds · 09-20-2009, 05:39 PM

Well, "raw materials" is a pretty broad statement. If you're going to start with the iron ore, I'd say you've got your work cut out for you. If you can get hold of a highspeed steel cylinder that already has the cannel cut out, then it should be pretty simple.

Assuming you're somewhere in between, I would think the biggest problem would be getting the cannel into the cylinder. I'm not a metal worker so I'm not even sure how you DO that.

Good luck.

Paul

John in Tennessee · 09-20-2009, 05:47 PM

in a machine shop? That would be easy. Now with that being said you will need to sketch one out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mranum

I am looking for a bowl gouge and wondered why couldn't a person make one if they had the raw materials. Anyone here ever done it?

mranum · 09-20-2009, 07:32 PM

Well what I thought of using was either an old tie rod or anti sway bar off a junked car. Those should be a high carbon steel. If necessary I could turn the diameter down on a metal lathe.

Having never used a bowl gouge should you try and work a triangular flute or a more rounded bottom? This would be done with a hand held grinder with either a grinding wheel or a cutting disc. Of course I'd have to go through hardening and annealing it afterwords.

The worst it can do is not work correct?

Mitch Cholewinski · 09-20-2009, 10:45 PM

Maranum
I made several bowl gouges and they all work fine. It wasn't cheap getting started though. I needed to buy a small milling machine and end mills then I bought a forge to harden the steel. M2 steel makes the best gouges as far as I know by my

experience. Mitch

phinds · 09-30-2009, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mranum

Well what I thought of using was either an old tie rod or anti sway bar off a junked car. Those should be a high carbon steel. If necessary I could turn the diameter down on a metal lathe.

Having never used a bowl gouge should you try and work a triangular flute or a more rounded bottom? This would be done with a hand held grinder with either a grinding wheel or a cutting disc. Of course I'd have to go through hardening and annealing it afterwords.

The worst it can do is not work correct?

No you definitely do NOT want to do a triangular cannel. Bowl gouges generally have a fairly deep "U" shaped cannel.

Paul

woodciro · 10-15-2009, 10:53 PM

You might look at this site:

http://www.marshallarts.co.za/tools.htm

I have not tried this (I'm still working on a faceplate for a cheap Chinese lathe that was given to me), but I found it to be informative, at the least.

John