# Ever make a bowl gouge?



## mranum (Mar 27, 2008)

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?


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

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


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## John in Tennessee (Jun 11, 2008)

*Got a buddy that works...*

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



mranum said:


> 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?


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## mranum (Mar 27, 2008)

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?


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## Mitch Cholewinski (Mar 11, 2007)

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 :thumbsup: experience. Mitch


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

mranum said:


> 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


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## woodciro (Aug 23, 2009)

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


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