Continental Gouges - worth keeping in the till?

[Kirk Amidon]

There is a tool swap locally in a couple of weeks, and I've got a number of duplicate turning tools. I also have a half dozen or so continental spindle gouges from 1/4" up to about 3/4". I rarely use them as I also have 3/8 and 1/2" round bar spindle gouges. So I'm wondering if I should consider moving them along too.

Are the continental gouges worth hanging onto? If so, what tasks do you use them for?

 

[Walter Mooney]

There is a tool swap locally in a couple of weeks, and I've got a number of duplicate turning tools. I also have a half dozen or so continental spindle gouges from 1/4" up to about 3/4". I rarely use them as I also have 3/8 and 1/2" round bar spindle gouges. So I'm wondering if I should consider moving them along too.

Are the continental gouges worth hanging onto? If so, what tasks do you use them for?

I have a couple CSG’s. Don’t use them too often, but when I do, it’s for long, ’sweeping’, shalowl coves.

 

[Lance Mirrer]

How are you distinguishing "Continental" gouges from your round bar?

 

[Peter D'Attomo]

The profile of the flute is very shallow. I have a 1/2" and never use it.

 

[Kirk Amidon]

Continentals are made from flat stock which is bent to form the sweep/curve - often have a flat tang. Round gouges are made from round stock and have the curve formed by removing stock.

 

[Dean Center]

I have a couple from my first days turning and use them infrequently, but as Walter points out, they can be used to get a nice surface on spindle work--something like a skew without the fear--especially for long gentle curves.

 

[robo hippy]

I have one old carbon steel one that I never use, and one 2 inch wide one that I use some times, though I don't do many spindles, and am trying to use my skews more. I really like them for roughing out larger spindles. They were the preferred tool of the old bodgers, and in old films of bowl turners, they were used on bowls a lot. This was before machined gouges became the norm. Handle low, and steep shear angle and they leave an excellent surface. I would love to find a 1 inch or so one out of M42 or V10...

robo hippy

 

[hockenbery]

Are the continental gouges worth hanging onto? If so, what tasks do you use them for?

If you don’t get catches.
The larger ones are great for roughing. I find continental gouges outperform an SRG.
The down side is they don’t have the training wheels of the SRG to prevent a huge catch.

Pretty good on large coves.
I prefer the round bar gouges for general spindle work.

 

[Timothy White]

I have one old carbon steel one that I never use, and one 2 inch wide one that I use some times, though I don't do many spindles, and am trying to use my skews more. I really like them for roughing out larger spindles. They were the preferred tool of the old bodgers, and in old films of bowl turners, they were used on bowls a lot. This was before machined gouges became the norm. Handle low, and steep shear angle and they leave an excellent surface. I would love to find a 1 inch or so one out of M42 or V10...

robo hippy

Johannes Mikelsen sells a “Bowl Roughing Gouge” that for all practical purposes is a CPM10V contential (Doug Thompson) made gouge with a 3/4” tang.

 

[Perry Hilbert]

when I started, continental gouges were the ONLY gouges available. i still use them, even for shallow bowls

 

[Donna Banfield]

I have one of those gouges that Hannes sells...Although when I bought mine, it was made by Jerry Glaser.

Hannes used to get that gouge from Jerry Glaser (who is no longer with us) and had Doug Thompson make one very similar. Hannes has all his steel made by Doug Thomson. So, Doug's gouge is likely very similar to the one that Hannes sells. This gouge is an inch wide, very shallow flute. I don't use it very often, but (just like Hannes' parting tool) when I do use it, it's the only tool that could do that job.

 

[Neil S]

Are the continental gouges worth hanging onto? If so, what tasks do you use them for?

I've adapted them to use as a double bevel scraper that is used flute down. The flute gives a slightly shear scraping action while being held flat on the tool rest.

when I started, continental gouges were the ONLY gouges available. i still use them, even for shallow bowls

I also date back to before gouges were machined from bar stock when gouges were hot forged from flat bar using presses or hand forging.

The ones off the press were all intended for use on spindle work. The traditional English spindle gouge is typically made from heavier plate stock than the thinner/shallower European style ones, called 'continental' gouges. The lighter section and narrow tanged continental gouges are not suited to roughing down spindle work for which the deep fluted roughing gouges were used. Most spindle roughing gouges are still made with that same pressed metal method.

The gouges intended for cross grain (typically bowl) work were hand forged from heavier stock and had deeper and narrower flutes than the spindle gouges. They also had much sturdier tangs than the spindle gouges. Here is a photo (on left) from Peter Child's 1970s book showing what was called a deep fluted bowl gouge and below it the profile as redrawn by Roy Child, Peter's son...

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Of course, that didn't stop turners swapping the intended uses of these gouges around!

 

[Perry Hilbert]

I've adapted them to use as a double bevel scraper that is used flute down. The flute gives a slightly shear scraping action while being held flat on the tool rest.



I also date back to before gouges were machined from bar stock when gouges were hot forged from flat bar using presses or hand forging.

The ones off the press were all intended for use on spindle work. The traditional English spindle gouge is typically made from heavier plate stock than the thinner/shallower European style ones, called 'continental' gouges. The lighter section and narrow tanged continental gouges are not suited to roughing down spindle work for which the deep fluted roughing gouges were used. Most spindle roughing gouges are still made with that same pressed metal method.

The gouges intended for cross grain (typically bowl) work were hand forged from heavier stock and had deeper and narrower flutes than the spindle gouges. They also had much sturdier tangs than the spindle gouges. Here is a photo (on left) from Peter Child's 1970s book showing what was called a deep fluted bowl gouge and below it the profile as redrawn by Roy Child, Peter's son...

View attachment 56130

View attachment 56131​

Of course, that didn't stop turners swapping the intended uses of these gouges around!

Those were "new stuff" at that time. The only things available in the US in the 1950's and 1960's (when I started) were the gouges pressed from flat stock. There were no other gouges. This is from a 1927 text book:

From a 1922 text book:

 

[Kirk Amidon]

Funny, I have a copy of that book, and it really does have some great information included. Yesterday, I spent a bit of time with a pair of these continental gouges, and messed around on a lousy piece of maple. Was able to get some nice beads and coves with them. I played around with sharpening and ended up at about 35 degrees, and made the profile more like a fingernail, with a rounded point rather than just an arc which they were previously set up. It did make a difference, and I think that I'll keep them. Thanks for the hints and feedback.

 

[Perry Hilbert]

Came across this set of brand new never used 1960 ish era Delta turning chisels. Note the three , just plain, gouges

 

[Neil S]

Those were "new stuff" at that time. The only things available in the US in the 1950's and 1960's (when I started) were the gouges pressed from flat stock.

In that case Perry you definitely started well before me as I only started woodturning in the early 70's.

Down here we were getting all of our gouges from the UK back then, which included the forged ones from Sorby (with the kangaroo stamp) and from Ashley Isles, like this one...

https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/260853

Of course, we were also getting the ones that were pressed from flat stock here as well. I used a few of those for spindle work, like on these spinning wheels that I was making at the time...

That's my wife with one of my wheels,
now grandmother of five in her mid 70's.. :~}​