# Bowl gouge



## Pauley (Jan 21, 2012)

I cant afford Sorbys gouges, although i know how nice they really are. I am just a hobbiest and im still learning on my HF lathe. Ihave been looking at the Hurricane and Benjamins Best. Has anyone had any experience with them...?


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## Gary Beasley (Jan 21, 2009)

I've heard Benjamins makes a good tool for the price.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Same here. I've heard the Benjamin's best is a good tool. [email protected] tools are also pretty good. 
If you go to http://www.packardwoodworks.com/ and buy their house brand. I have several I've used for many years and I'm quite happy with them. 
You might also consider Thompson tools unhandled and make your own handles. That's a reasonably affordable way to get a top of the line tool. I like mine better than the Sorby's.
http://www.thompsonlathetools.com/


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Thompsons are even a better bang for your buck. The gouge on the left is my 1/2 inch Thompson bowl gouge 6 inch flute. Cost $60 . The gouge on the right is my BB 3 inch flute cost $20. The Thompson will last way more than three times as long.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

brain fart forgot to add picture. Btw I turned the handle on the BB.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Another plus for the Thompson gouge is it comes sharpened to the kind of tip most turners use for bowl gouges. some other gouges come with rather strange grinds.


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## Bonanza35 (Jan 20, 2011)

My first bowl gouge was a BB and it lasted about as long as it took for me to learn to sharpen. I moved on to Thompson's and others but I still keep a couple of BBs around to experiment with different grinds. They cut well and hold a reasonable edge and you won't cry if you prematurely grind them away. I agree that Thompson's are a better value but BBs are a good way to wade in.


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## woodtink (Apr 5, 2013)

I am a rookie big time but this is the first set I bought with my lathe http://www.amazon.com/PSI-Woodworki...810836&sr=8-1&keywords=benjamin+turning+tools

I also have a few robert sorby.

The bb come pretty dull (didnt know that) sharpened them up after I figured it out they do fine for what I am doing but I am sure the more I gain experience the robert sorby or thompson will be where I end up. I am not afraid to sharpen the BB ones on the other hand havent touched the sorby ones yet lol.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Any gouge you buy will need to be sharpened. Even the Thompson. His are pretty decent right out of the box but he grinds these on a pretty course wheel. I have a couple of sharpening videos. go to youtube and type in john60lucas sharpening and you will find them


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## jgilfor (Jan 25, 2013)

I started with BB's as well, and can tell you that the steel is just so-so. Hit or miss. Good for sharpening practice though.

I vote with two huge thumbs up for Doug Thompson tools. They are, without reservation, made of the best steel for woodturning available! Doug's an engineer turned turner, and a damned good guy. His tools are very reasonably priced for what you get (best value out there), and will last a LONG time.

Buy em unhandled and make or purchase an inexpensive handle. Cannot go wrong.

Oh, and don't make the mistake of buying a billion different tools because every expert tells you that you just HAVE to have one. All you need are:

Parting tool
1/2 inch bowl gouge
1 inch spindle roughing gouge
Flat and round nosed scraper
My be a skew and a spindle gouge if you are so inclined to do some spindle or smaller work.

You are going to be convinced to purchase some carbide tools. Go ahead, knock yourself out. You will put them down at some point, and rarely pick them back up. Cannot beat the tool finish or versatility of standard tools once you get good at it.

I would reserve spending my cash for the better tools on the gouges. You can get less expensive parting tools and scrapers without suffering too much.

Just my two cents. YMMV.
Cheers and good luck.


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## jgilfor (Jan 25, 2013)

Oh, and the Hurricane gouges are not bad at all. Just not Thompson tools. Sorby is WAY overpriced and overhyped. Paying for the red lettering is not cost effective in my opinion.

D-Way is a close second behind Thompson tools also.

Oh, and to add to what John Lucas said, Doug sharpens his tools on a "roughed up" 60 grit wheel to get the shape to where he wants it in the fastest way for production pressures. You will want to refine that edge before use once you realize what a really sharp tool can do.


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

I can't give an opinion of the BB but I do have some Hurricanes and they seem to be just fine. I also have Sorby, Crown, and Hamlet (makes the Packard brand).
I assume the Hurricanes are made in PRC but they are spec'ed by UK standards for bowl gouges....so? When I purchased I got a 3/8" and two 1/2" (that's a 1/2 and two 5/8's by US specs) for <$60 shipped.
I think they are now offering a 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 UK (3/8, 1/2, 5/8 US) for about the same price.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Also you need to know that bowl gouges are measured differently in the US vs the British. The Brits use the flute width as their measure and the US used the shaft diameter. So a 3/8" Sorby is the same as a 1/2" Thompson or Dway.


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

John shorted for me the difference in UK and US specs for _Bowl_ gouges; it _does not apply to spindle_ gouges. Basically 1/8" difference. Any UK made such as Sorby, Crown, Hamlet, Asley Iles, and others will be in their size.
I did not know this years ago and had a Sorby and wanted one a bit smaller. I measured the shaft and it was 1/2" so I ordered a 3/8" size. Yep I then had two exactly alike :yes:. Just something to keep in mind if you start mixing apples and oranges.


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## Pauley (Jan 21, 2012)

Wow! I learned a lot from all your replies. Thank you so much. I ordered the Hurricane brand this time. Three bowl gouges 1/4. 3/8. 1/2. I wanted to get the Thompsons, but can't afford them right now.

Thanks again....


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## Jim Jakosh (Dec 18, 2014)

I think the best buy for the money are Benjamin's Best from Penn State. I bought 2 of their sets of 3 (3/8, 1/2 and 5/8) and 2 - 3/8 bedans and I love em! Check 'em out.
I use a Lyle Jamieson 2-4-7 set up for easy grinding and they hold the edge pretty well. I like to touch them up just before the final cut any way so why grind an expensive tool that much. Lyle recommended not buying the real expensive one, too.

cheers, Jim


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

The best thing I ever did was to look at my tools as disposables, like sandpaper. I realized that your going to use them up sometime. The more you sharpen the sooner you use them up, so I thought. What happened was, I wasn't afraid to sharpen and would do it everytime I would even think about it needing a fresh edge. What this did was 2 things. I always had a sharp tool so my cuts were cleaner. Not just the last cut but each one leading up to that cut. So I had less tearout to remove by the last cut(or 2 or 3) and I didn't work as hard because the tool took less effort to use. 
2nd, because I was sharpening very frequently my sharpening skills got better. It turns out my tools last as long or even longer because I remove less metal each time I sharpen. Couple that with using tools that hold an edge longer like the Thompsons or Dway and still get a lot of life out of a tool.
My first 3/8" bowl gouge that I got from Doug Thompson about 10 years ago is just now starting to get noticeably short. Still has lots of life left. this is the tool I use more than any others. My Detail gouge is my second most used tool and I've only used an inch over about an 8 or so year life. I know this because I bought an unhandled new one to use in my travels and was able to compare the tool lengths by comparing the flute length. I had called Doug to ask and he said he had never changed the flute length. 
I frequently end up changing the grinds that come from the factory on many of the cheaper sets when students bring me the tools. The Thompson and Dway tools come from the factory with a good grind so if you duplicate that you will at least start with a good tool. Then it's up to you to maintain that grind but at least you know what it should look like.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

Something else to consider when looking at the low cost tools is that they cut costs by only heat treating about an inch or so of the tip end of the tool. So, in addition to the tool not holding an edge as well and needing much more frequent sharpening, once it wears down past the small heat treated portion, the edge holding ability goes south in a hurry. As far as cost is concerned, sometimes short term expense wins out over long term considerations if budget constraints are tight. Most woodturners buy far more tools than we really need -- before you stone me for heresy, I'm talking about the other guy, not you. :laughing: so, just for the sake of hypothetical discussion, supposing that you were that other guy with too many tools, you could buy fewer of the better tools as opposed to a bunch of unnecessary cheaper tools for roughly the same cost and be ahead in the long run.

NOTE: I don't personally know anybody with too many tools, but theoretically it could happen.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Can't talk about the others but Thompson Tools are heat treated over their full length.


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