Sharpening threequarter gouge

[Wayne Spence]

I have a 3/4 inch Sorby gouge unhandled that fits the Sorby Soverign handle. A good tool but too large for the Vari grind jig. Sharpening this tool free hand is OK but time consuming and not the results obtained from use of a jig. Is there any way of modifying the jig to accept the larger gouge or a jig that is relatively easy to make ?

 

[John Lawson]

If worse comes to worst, they do make a Wolverine Varigrind for tools 1/2" to 1 1/8". It ain't cheap: http://www.oneway.ca/index.php?page...category_id=39&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2

 

[Odie]

Wayne,

You could also forget about the vari-grind jig, and simply turn a standard grind by spinning the butt of the tool handle cradled in the Wolverine "V-arm". I find the standard grind very versatile.

ooc

 

[john lucas]

Make something like the Ellsworth sharpening jig. I"ve made them out of wood with a metal rod going in the side. The work well and are easy to make.
http://www.packardwoodworks.com/Mer...tore_Code=packard&Category_Code=sharp-ellsjig

 

[DOCworks]

Just so I'm not misunderstanding, the Sorby 3/4" gouge is measured in the flute, not the outside diameter of the gouge. I use the DT 3/4" gouge in the vari-grind just fine.

 

[Wayne Spence]

Sharpening threequarters gouge

DOC-The Sorby actually measures 11/16+ across the flute and 7/8+ OD. I think either Sorby cheated some or possibly that is within specs. The inside walls look to be a little straight which could account for the flute being undersize. I have 2 DT gouges and have never measured them, neither is a 3/4 inch gouge. I have not measured the ID of the vari-grind but the Sorby definitely will not fit.

 

[n7bsn]

I have one that works with the big bowl-gouge that the Oneway doesn't. I just checked an Craftsupplies isn't selling it anymore, but pictures it with the Jamison guide.
While I can't get the big gouge in the Oneway, it does fit in this one.

 

[Mark Levitski]

I suggest having a look at the Woodcut Tru-Grind tool holder to use in the Wolverine system. I bought one to hold my 1 1/4" German spindle gouge and like it a lot. It will hold up to 1 1/2" tools. If you don't do a lot of sharpening then a homemade one will save you some money. I also have two standard vari-grind holders so I don't have to adjust back and forth as much for different gouges. Depending on circumstances, I also might either free-hand, stick the end of the handle in the v-arm, or rest the shaft on the platform to freshen the edge.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I just happened to be measuring some bowl gouges today that were made "over there". Over here, we do it nice and simple -- the outside diameter of the rod is the size of the gouge. The British, in a successful effort to make something simple complicated, measure from the outside to the top of the opposite flute, or to make it even more difficult to comprehend, they measure:

Stated size = diameter - ½[diameter - flute width].
​

I read this in Woodturning magazine so its gotta be true. It also jibes reasonably with what I measured on my bowl gouges. I do not remember that the magazine gave the reasoning, but after thinking about it, I concluded that instead of scoffing at this seemingly odd way to measure bowl gouge size, there is actually some rational logic behind it. If you do the math to simplify the above equation for stated size, you will see that it reduces to the average of tool diameter and flute width -- a good compromise solution to a non-existent problem. BTW, this does not apply to spindle gouges.

I have a Sorby bowl gouge that measures ⅝" diameter and ⅜" across the flutes so the average "stated size" is ½". The Crown PM gouges that I have are slightly larger in diameter and have slightly wider flutes, but the average is still very close to ½" and I doubt that calling it a 33/64" gouge is worth it. I do not have any Crown M2 gouges to check. My Thompson half-inch bowl gouge is a straightforward ½" diameter. I think that the original British sizing scheme has since been simplified to just go with referring to a ⅝" diameter tool as a half-inch tool since flute width is always somewhere in the vicinity of 60% of the diameter and even if it isn't, who would want to make an even bigger mess by calling it a different size simply because of flute width.

For what it is worth, I feel like I am getting more than my money's worth when a buy a half inch bowl gouge and get one that is approximately ⅝" diameter.

 

[MichaelMouse]

For what it is worth, I feel like I am getting more than my money's worth when a buy a half inch bowl gouge and get one that is approximately ⅝" diameter.

A rose by another name would be odorless?

Or would a big boy like this delight if it were called a 3/4"? That's a quarter (1") at the end.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/Now-This-Is-A-Gouge.jpg

Interesting to see if there's any consistency in the flute/cylinder ratio. Perhaps a carryover of sorts from carving tools named by the sweep and breadth.

 

[n7bsn]

I suggest having a look at the Woodcut Tru-Grind tool holder to use in the Wolverine system. I bought one to hold my 1 1/4" German spindle gouge and like it a lot. It will hold up to 1 1/2" tools. If you don't do a lot of sharpening then a homemade one will save you some money. I also have two standard vari-grind holders so I don't have to adjust back and forth as much for different gouges. Depending on circumstances, I also might either free-hand, stick the end of the handle in the v-arm, or rest the shaft on the platform to freshen the edge.

I do believe that's what I have, if my brain is working there is a red one and a black one, and I have the red one.

 

[Mark Levitski]

n7bsn,

Yeh, it's the red one. You like yours?

 

[n7bsn]

Yup, it holds larger chisels then the Oneway and I think more securely. I don't like it as well for small chisels (3/8, 1/4, 5mm, etc)