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Tobias Kaye Woodturning: Project Sheets Sharpness of Tools and Cutting Wood Cleanly

Detailed instructions for the successful grind/sharpening of a bowl-gouge for turning wood.

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Tobias
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103 views1 page

Tobias Kaye Woodturning: Project Sheets Sharpness of Tools and Cutting Wood Cleanly

Detailed instructions for the successful grind/sharpening of a bowl-gouge for turning wood.

Uploaded by

Tobias
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Tobias Kaye Woodturning


Project Sheets
Sharpness Of Tools And Cutting Wood Cleanly.
NB. This subject is covered in detail in my first Video, “Turning Wood for the Love of it”
Cutting wood so cleanly that no broken grain is left is possible. For me this began when Gerry Glaser, the Californian maker of
Hi-Tec Tools sent me a box of samples of woods including Oak, Pine, Maple and Balsa. All had been cut so cleanly that I could
see down the pores of the wood like looking into a box of drinking straws. Much practice and some correspondence followed
until I too had developed techniques by which I could achieve such results. The techniques I use are slightly different as I am
seeking to make useful bowls and not small sample proofs of tool quality, but both Gerry and I found we got the best results from
diamond and ceramic hones rather than from leather hones as a carver would use. Slightly more care is needed in use as honed
gouges are more prone to chatter and bounce than ground only gouges. Control of chatter is principally a matter of holding the
gouge back from the cut rather than resting its whole cut pressure against the bevel. The heel of the grind can be rounded back to
assist this process but it still requires quite a bit of practice. The basics of this technique lie in choosing good gouges, grinding
them to the right pattern and honing them with care. Ceramic hones are now available from me.
Rake angle
Bevel angle The gouges best suited are the Hamlet Masterflute and Henry
Taylor Superflute range of which the 5/8ths and the ¼” are my
favourites. Both these ranges of gouge have good parabolic
flute shapes, whereas others often have crude U shaped flutes.
Hamlet and Henry Taylor also offer superior steels; ASP 2060
or Kryo both of which are very impressive. The grind pattern
Entire bevel Heel of bevel best suited is the traditional “straight across” shape as
ground ground back illustrated here, in which the gouge is rolled against the grind
straight and rounded wheel and not swung at all. Honing has to be done with great
care to follow the ground surface and not to double the bevel at
all as one would for a plane blade or carving gouge. My way
is to use a conical diamond file to remove the makers grind
marks inside the flute then a white ceramic slip on the new
ground bevel and lastly do inside the flute again to polish and
remove any burr turned by the slip on the outside. An edge
sharpened thus can cut most woods to a clean finish without
leaving any broken grain at all, if carefully used. (I do courses)

Words and picture © Copyright Tobias Kaye 2000 All rights reserved
Bevel angles are measured between the run of the flute and the
o o o o o
bevel. I use, 42 , 48 , 53 , 60 and 64 depending on the type
of wood and the situation. In the bottom of deep bowls a
shorter angle (higher number) is easier to use. A compromise
o
angle of 53 is useful for those who have few gouges.
In grinding, a jig such as the TK/VB jig from Hegner UK or myself is most useful as it holds the angle for you while you
concentrate on the shape. During grinding attach a pencil across the flute using an elastic band to show exactly how much you are
rolling. Grind only until the pencil moves from horizontal to vertical and no further. Otherwise the best cut, that in the sides of
the gouge will be lost. After grinding, a flat surface may be held against the whole cutting edge. If the edge meets the surface at
all points the ideal shape has been achieved. To achieve this it is important not to roll the gouge to far. The flat surface held
against the cutting edge also shows you the rake angle. This should be about half the bevel angle.
The honing of tools has now has become part of my practice. For final cuts I consistently hone the gouge inside and out.
Using these techniques I sell a good many bowls and plates that have not been sanded at all! It has often been necessary to point
out to the customer why this bowl is different, to explain the joys and advantages of a bowl that bears the touch of the tool
unobscured by scraping back with abrasives, how much clearer the grain is when its not clogged with sanding dust, and the fine
tradition of unsanded work set up by pole lathe turners and pre-industrial craftsmen. Also that on domestic ware, which is washed
up regularly the difference between sanded and unsanded ware is often invisible after a few months. Many are quick to see the
point and really appreciative of the product. I in turn, am proud of producing work with no broken grain.
There are many titles in this series. Presently: A unique design of pepper mill. Bowl gouge sharpening. Skew Chisel sharpening, Dining plates. Dining Bowls. Little Boxes, Multi centre “Swan Neck” candlestick.(fairly advanced) Three
candlesticks from one log. Multi centre “Tricorn” bowl (Advanced); Roman Bottle (Advanced); Smoking food with your shavings; Two (travelling) eggcups hidden in one egg.

THE WORKSHOP, 11 LOWER DEAN, BUCKFASTLEIGH, DEVON. Phone 01364 642 837
www.TobiasKaye.co.uk
Possibly the best woodturning courses in the world, phone for details.

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