Anybody know what's up with the Thompson tools site?

[Sam Fleisher]

It was acting weird earlier and I just went back again and it comes up that the account is suspended.

I see a couple of other places are selling now, maybe he's going that route?

 

[Bob Brown]

He posted that maintenance was being done

 

[Earl McLain]

Seems to be working now. I was able to add a tool to my cart--and with immense discipline, i also did not proceed to check-out. May have to help them check out full function by making sure check-out works!!

 

[Omer Klee]

Maybe they are finally adding the pictures! (in place of photo coming soon)
Best news is my order shipped today.

 

[Lance Mirrer]

Doug posted on FB that he is back and shipping orders. He was at a show for a few days.
I'm sure he is still selling direct. Probably just online problems.

 

[Matt Fawkner]

Seems to be working now. I was able to add a tool to my cart--and with immense discipline, i also did not proceed to check-out. May have to help them check out full function by making sure check-out works!!

How do you have such power?

 

[Earl McLain]

How do you have such power?

I don't normally--but this month has been WAY over budget for life-based items...few extra dinners out, new car, license plates, domain renewal, shoes for wife, and on & on!!

 

[John K Jordan]

My philosophy - when the mood strikes, never miss the opportunity to buy another Thompson tool. 😄 The steel is so good I’ll get extra scrapers, skews, and different sizes of plain round rods and grind them into specialty NRS and other tools.

Also, the turning experience can be enriched with more than one of the same tool. For example, I keep multiple 3/8” spindle gouges with identical grinds. When one gets dull I set it aside and put a sharp one into the handle. When they all get dull I stop, set up a Tormek jig, and sharpen them all. This does two things, 1) the dulled edge doesn’t interrupt my workflow, and 2) it’s quicker overall since it takes more time to set up the jig than it does to sharpen, so I only have to set it once for the set of gouges. (I realize others do things differently and that’s fine, but that’s the way I’ve done it for years.)

And if I buy another tool every time I see Doug I get another of his great zippered bags!!

Some of this comes from having no self control when it comes to good tools. It’s a personality defect I was apparently born with.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Also, the turning experience can be enriched with more than one of the same tool. For example, I keep multiple 3/8” spindle gouges with identical grinds. When one gets dull I set it aside and put a sharp one into the handle. When they all get dull I stop, set up a Tormek jig, and sharpen them all. This does two things, 1) the dulled edge doesn’t interrupt my workflow, and 2) it’s quicker overall since it takes more time to set up the jig than it does to sharpen, so I only have to set it once for the set of gouges. (I realize others do things differently and that’s fine, but that’s the way I’ve done it for years.)

I don't have multiples of each grind, but I sharpen four gouges just about every time I sharpen. My jig is set up so that I can grind all of my 55 degree Irish grinds and my one Thompson gouge all on the same setting.

 

[Matt Fawkner]

My philosophy - when the mood strikes, never miss the opportunity to buy another Thompson tool. 😄 The steel is so good I’ll get extra scrapers, skews, and different sizes of plain round rods and grind them into specialty NRS and other tools.

Also, the turning experience can be enriched with more than one of the same tool. For example, I keep multiple 3/8” spindle gouges with identical grinds. When one gets dull I set it aside and put a sharp one into the handle. When they all get dull I stop, set up a Tormek jig, and sharpen them all. This does two things, 1) the dulled edge doesn’t interrupt my workflow, and 2) it’s quicker overall since it takes more time to set up the jig than it does to sharpen, so I only have to set it once for the set of gouges. (I realize others do things differently and that’s fine, but that’s the way I’ve done it for years.)

And if I buy another tool every time I see Doug I get another of his great zippered bags!!

Some of this comes from having no self control when it comes to good tools. It’s a personality defect I was apparently born with.

I share your lack of self control. It extents further to Carter & Son tools, which are great tools too. If you look at the Stuart Batty tools website there are some very practical tools there (but yet to sell).

 

[Alan Weinberg]

every time I see Doug I get another of his great zippered bags!!

Who is Doug and do you have a link so I can check this out? A tool I don’t have!

 

[Alan Vandergriff]

Doug Thompson, makes great tools and is a very nice guy to deal with as well. I have been dealing with him for over 16 years and have many of his tools...

Shop - Thompson Lathe Tools

thompsonlathetools.com

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Who is Doug and do you have a link so I can check this out? A tool I don’t have!

I bought a Thompson bowl gouge. Very nice. I believe the flute is U and not parabolic, which gave me a little pause. The handles are quite heavy, but in a good way.

 

[hockenbery]

The jaimison gouge made by Thompson is my favorite.
I use it with the Ellsworth grind and it is the best gouge I’ve used for the flute up cut.

 

[Neil S]

I bought a Thompson bowl gouge. Very nice. I believe the flute is U and not parabolic, which gave me a little pause. The handles are quite heavy, but in a good way.

Like Jerry Glaser who proceeded him, Doug Thompson makes a V fluted bowl gouge as well as a traditional U fluted bowl gouge. Glaser was the first to make a deep fluted V bowl gouge, which he made in various steels and Doug has continued on with that and (correctly IMO) never described that flute as parabolic. The gouge that Doug makes for Lyle Jamieson with the wide flute is also a variation of the V flute, but again is not parabolic.

The parabolic flute was developed by Roy Child in the UK, although Roy never called it that. There are a number of bowl gouges that are now made with a parabolic flute profile.

There is some overlap in the edge profile that you can get from U, V and parabolic flutes, but each also has its own particular characteristics and uses. I use all three flute profiles, but I find the parabolic is the most versatile of the three.

On the 10V vanadium steel that Doug uses, my testing showed that it holds an edge for longer than M42, but there isn't a lot in it as most turners will resharpen when the gouge starts to cut poorly. Doug did also make a gouge in 15V for awhile and that performed better than both the 10V and M42....

​

Stuart Batty is currently bringing out gouges in 15V but I haven't had an opportunity to test one of those yet. The issue with 15V is that it is a more expensive steel than 10V or M42 and the interesting thing that Stuart is doing is laminating the 15V cutting edge steel to a cheaper substrate that will bring that component of the cost down, although there will also be the extra cost of the Batty gouge 'system', which you may or may not want.

Whether the additional durability of 15V is worth the overall additional cost is something that turners will have to decide.

My experience with 15V is that the 10V and M42 gouges seemed to cut sweeter until they suddenly give up (particularly so with M42), but the 15V keeps cutting on in a fashion for noticeably longer, which is fine for turning the very hard and abrasive woods we get down our way that take their toll on tool steels that need to be very frequently re-sharpened to keep cutting. If you are mostly turning medium and soft woods you may not require that advantage.

 

[Bill Blasic]

I have both the Thompson 5/8 10V and 15V tools. If I did not have the 15V marked there is no way I would know which is which. They both stay sharp a very long time and for me I have to say I don't favor one over the other and my guess is that 99.5% of the time I am using 10V. If I were not coring I have had no problem roughing out bowls with no sharpening, for me they stay that sharp.

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

The parabolic flute was developed by Roy Child in the UK, although Roy never called it that. There are a number of bowl gouges that are now made with a parabolic flute profile.

When you folks are discussing parabolic flutes are you saying the flute is mathematically parabolic or that it looks similar to a parabolic curve? True parabolic curves could vary from wide open to more like narrow slots. which is best? Do any gouge makers have patents on their flute shapes?

How are gouges made? Ground from pre-hardened blanks or machined from annealed material then heat treated and ground? Do the various gouge makers do the manufacturing in house or have the gouges made elsewhere to their specifications?

 

[Neil S]

When you folks are discussing parabolic flutes are you saying the flute is mathematically parabolic or that it looks similar to a parabolic curve? True parabolic curves could vary from wide open to more like narrow slots. which is best? Do any gouge makers have patents on their flute shapes?

How are gouges made? Ground from pre-hardened blanks or machined from annealed material then heat treated and ground? Do the various gouge makers do the manufacturing in house or have the gouges made elsewhere to their specifications?

Some good questions there Doug.

I use the term parabolic to refer to flutes that are close to geometrically derived conics and yes the resulting curve can vary depending on the parameters as I discuss in my post...

Bowl Gouge Flute Descriptors

Bowl Gouge Flute Descriptors - Part 1 of 8 Warning: Long multi-post starter to this thread… and some folk may prefer to be spending their time out in their workshop turning wood than engaging in pedantic stuff about flute profiles and names… :~} I have become concerned about the sloppy and...

www.aawforum.org

The parabolic curve most frequently used in bowl gouges has a focal distance of about d=1. With that parameter it is very close to a catenary curve, but that is not a term that is so frequently used, so parabolic is better understood.

In that thread on bowl gouge flute descriptors I give some common examples of parabolic flutes in post #3 and #4. Some other examples of parabolic flutes are posted later in the thread by other forum members.

On which parabolic flute profile is best comes down to personal preferences and the task that it is being used for.

On how most gouges are made, the flutes are ground in 'annealed' bar stock before being hardening, tempering and other tricky stuff done like cryogenics treatment. Tool makers like Doug Thompson do all of that themselves. Some tool makers send out their tools for more specialised treatments like cryogenics and high polish finishes, but the core making stages are usually done inhouse. Any sharpening that is put on the tool for delivery is also done by the maker.

Some turners have signature tools made to their specifications but they are not tool makers as such but more tool designers.

Large firms like Sorby, Henry Taylor and Crown have always worked with well known turners like Richard Raffan and Glenn Lucas on the design of their propriety turning tools which then sometimes carry those turners names.

Stuart Batty seems to be going down a different pathway where he is both the designer and also the manufacturer, but I don't expect he will be anywhere to be found on the production line himself other than perhaps in the testing department. Jerry Glaser did something similar, but had more hands on in the engineering side of things during his time.

 

[Bill Blasic]

Thompson tools have a unique heat treating process especially made for the 10V and 15V steel including cryogenics.

 

[Simeon Mackrides]

My very first lathe tools were from Doug Thompson.
I have several of each size (bowl gouges mostly). Some have standard grind and some have the Ellsworth grind.
My go-to is the 3/4 Bowl gouge fitted into Doug's Lathe-Master handle. This gouge does the heavy lifting so to speak and it sets the stage for the detail work which follows.

Not only do Thompson's tools retain an edge, IMO his handles are superior. They don't roll when you place them on the ways.

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

Thanks for the explanation Neil. It might not work with so many gouge makers but you'd think there might some parabolic shapes that are universally thought of as best.

 

[hockenbery]

there might some parabolic shapes that are universally thought of as best.

Not sure about “universal” agreement. Henry Taylor Super flute is the standard so to speak.
In 1995 I took a week long Ellsworth class. He brought a class set of Henry Taylor gouges for us to use and he sold them to the students at his cost. Years later the Ellsworth signature gouges came out with similar flute design.



I have found that Jamieson Gouges made by Thompson takes the Ellsworth grind extremely well. I find it does the flute up cut on the leading edge of the wing extremely well. The sales description describes it as “parabolic”. Photo evidence offered on this forum suggest that it’s not parabolic. I have heard third hand that it is made by grinding a 3/4” Thompson flute in the 5/8” diameter bar.
Regardless it is my favorited gouge for use with the Ellsworth grind.

 

[Neil S]

I have found that Jamieson Gouges made by Thompson takes the Ellsworth grind extremely well. I find it does the flute up cut on the leading edge of the wing extremely well. The sales description describes it as “parabolic”. Photo evidence offered on this forum suggest that it’s not parabolic. I have heard third hand that it is made by grinding a 3/4” Thompson flute in the 5/8” diameter bar.
Regardless it is my favorite gouge for use with the Ellsworth grind.

In his 2019 article in American Woodturner (see attached) David Ellsworth indicates his preference for the parabolic flute profile for his bowl gouge grind. I use my own version of his grind on some of my parabolic BGs but find that the V fluted gouges from Thompson, D-Way and Jamieson also take that grind quite well. The traditional U flutes don't for the reason that Ellsworth points out in his article.

On the Jamieson flute profile (I agree that it is not parabolic), here is a side by side of my Thompson 3/4" on the left and my Jamieson 5/8" (made by Doug) on the right with the image of its flute enlarged to be the same size as the Thompson 3/4" and I'm not fully convinced about the grinder profile being used is the same on both gouges, but others may see it differently.

​

And, yes, I also like the Jamieson, but then I like all of my gouges for one purpose or another...

 

[Bill Blasic]

I worked in Doug's booth for close to 20 years and one thing I'll tell you is Doug knows this steel. For instance while at the shop one day I see a 3/4" 10V tool laying on the desk and I as what's up with this? Doug says "It's scrap, see that little mark? I say no way there's nothing wrong with it and he let me take it home. I get it home and sharpen it and take it to the lathe. As soon as I touch the wood in the cut that damn thing snaps right where that mark was! (I still use the tool below where it broke). Now when it comes to the Jamieson tool Doug used to sell a deep 5/8 V 10V bowl gouge and I probably have one here and that was what I thought the Jamieson so I asked Doug and he said it was its own grind not the deeper V so for me that is what it is, you can bet there is a specialized cutter for that tool.