Homemade wood lathe gouge

[spinrow]

I was wondering if there was a way of making a homemade wood gouge. It's unusual shape suggested using a high carbon steel pipe and creating a bevel at one end. I have never seen a high carbon steel pipe so thought it was time to seek some sage advice. Any recommendations? Thanks Paul

[sasquatch]

Interesting posting, as one time years ago i needed a big gouge, so made one out of a piece of black pipe ,(think it was 1 1/2inch, whipped up a big long handle for it, i was only turning soft pine and spruce, it did work ok, but required numerous stops to resharpen it.
Was a one time tool for a project.

[Mike Burdick]

Spinrow,

It's great fun making your own tools! See if your local library has this book, or better, buy a copy. You'll even learn about blacksmithing...

http://www.amazon.com/The-making-too.../dp/0442293615

[Robin R]

It might be a bit light weight, but an old bicycle frame could be a possible source.

[Black_Moons]

Just spend awhile grinding away some round tool steel.

[elf]

I was wondering if there was a way of making a homemade wood gouge. It's unusual shape suggested using a high carbon steel pipe and creating a bevel at one end. I have never seen a high carbon steel pipe so thought it was time to seek some sage advice. Any recommendations? Thanks Paul

The easiest, but most tedious, way is to grind it from round stock. You just need to shape the grinding wheel to the flute shape.

A milling machine with a round nosed end mill will be more efficient. You can also have end mills ground to the flute shape.

A shaper would be even better.

When Boeing Surplus was still selling to the public, you could buy HSS hole saws that worked well for gouges. These were not the same hole saws that you buy in the local hardware store. Chip clearance is the biggest problem with pipe shaped gouges.

Most commercial gouges are made from round stock because it's cheaper to mill the flute shape than it is to forge it. Forging a piece of flat stock to a U (or eliptical) shape will give you a superior shaped gouge that handles much better than the commercial gouges.

You can purchase annealed HSS from Griggs Steel,
http://www.griggssteel.com/highspeed...inv&photobar=3, but you will need to have it heat treated after shaping.

[Chester]

Always thought a section of leaf spring might be a good place to start. To date though, I have never got a forge or other source of big heat, assembled.

[sasquatch]

Engine wrist pins will make decent gouges, there are quite a number of sizes, only problem is many of the BIG ones out of diesel are solid stock, no through hole.

[GKman]

An inch of gouge shape on the end of a round bar would last years before you sharpened it away. Maybe weld it onto a piece of split pipe to cut cost and weight. Go for it!

[Alan Smith]

My biggest turning gouge I forged from a jeep leaf-spring. It's probably more than 2" wide but to be honest I don't know why I bothered, as I've got more experienced in turning wood I find I'm using smaller and smaller gouges even for big jobs and I rarely use the monster gouge.

Also just like to add that Alexander Weygers books that Mike Burdick linked to above are exceptionally good books.