[chuckt]

I have a set of Swiss Made gauges recently purchased and intend to do a fair amount of carving in a variety of woods of varying hardness. Everything from Maple to Walnut, to Basswood, to Cottonwood Bark. I also intend to use my gouges for a variety of project types - everything from walking stick woodspirits and animals, to in the round Santas and Wizards, to relief carving. (Sound a little ambitious don't I? heh heh)

Anyway - I have read that the bevel angle for gouges can/should vary to match the hardness of the wood. But given that I intend to carve in a variety of materials and sizes, I'd rather not have to change the shapes everytime I want to move between wood. Is there some middle ground angle that although not optimum for both, would be usable for both?

Thoughts appreciated!
ChuckT

[Mitchell]

A sharp tool should work on any wood (within reason).

One of the problems that you will run into is that the lower angled bevel (for softer woods = 22 1/2 degrees for example) will dull much quicker on harder woods. That and they will tend to round off quicker - meaning more grinding opposed to buffing (or honing). The higher angled bevel (= 30 degrees for example) will hold the edge better in dense woods. It will work on "softer" woods, but you may not be as efficient compared to the thinner blades.

I don't see any reason you can't split the difference somewhere in between. There will be trade-offs and really it's just as much a personal preference as anything.

[chuckt]

Should I assume that the way the tools come from the manufacturer are ground for Basswood? That is what I've been carving in so far.

Rick - what about Mitchell's suggestion of grinding the bevel for a harder wood (or somewhere in between) - but still using it for Basswood. Less efficient cuts perhaps - but - usable in your opinion?

So what do people who work in a variety of woods do? Keep two different sets of tools? That could get a wee pricey!!

Thanks for any and all input.

ChuckT

[brian bailey]

Hey ChuckT,

Check out Chris Pye's web site http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/.

His download " Key Notes on Sharpening Gouges" will address your concerns.

He recommends a 15 - 20 degree angle on the outside bevel and a 5 - 10 degree angle on the inside bevel. He explains why on page 4.

Putting on an inside bevel is the first thing that I do now on a new gouge.

[chuckt]

Hey Brian -

Are you using slipstones to add the inner bevel as Chris describes? I have been trying to decide on making a JoolTool purchase but I am not certain it can do these inner bevels. If not, I'll still have to purchase some slipstones to do this. I have almost all of Chris' books and I am working my way through reading them. But I have yet to add the inner bevel to my gouges, and I've been on the fence regarding my sharpening equipment purchases. So I've just been stropping the outer bevel on my Swiss Made gouges for now.

ChuckT

[mark yundt]

Personally I've never changed the angles on my chisels for any type of wood.I'm doing a pile of cherry now,(300 bf,,approx 30 + sq ft of surface carvings) ,and I'm using the same chisels and angles as I use for bass or anything else.I also use mallets ( it's not fun pushing through this stuff) and I don't have any problems.These are the same for oak,birch,poplar,mahogany,spanish cedar etc. Hard rock Maple is it's own beast,,I won't carve it any longer,rather carve concrete,this is the only wood I've chipped chisels in,'course they aren't meant to be pry bars,my fault.And I also use my chisels upsidedown very often as several thousand grapes and countless Acanthus leaves will attest to.I've heard of the changing of angles,,have tried it myself and found little benefit,,,actually in some cases I found it more difficult. Guess I'm too lazy to fuss over angles and work harder to carve something,,so for me,,I'll keep them where I've had them for over 15 yrs.,,long and thin,,I think my carvings still look O.K.,,and the cuts are clean,that's all that matters to me.

[chuckt]

Hey Mark - Thanks for speaking up. I thought I remembered you saying this awhile back. I am curious - what is your sharpening process and method? I know there are a thousand different opinions on sharpening and I am starting to get lost in the maze of articles and opinions. I was pretty convinced by Mark Gargacs post on his experiences with the JoolTool and have been leaning that way. I'd be curious to hear your take on sharpening.

!
ChuckT

[brian bailey]

Originally Posted by chuckt

Hey Brian -

Are you using slipstones to add the inner bevel as Chris describes? I have been trying to decide on making a JoolTool purchase but I am not certain it can do these inner bevels. If not, I'll still have to purchase some slipstones to do this. I have almost all of Chris' books and I am working my way through reading them. But I have yet to add the inner bevel to my gouges, and I've been on the fence regarding my sharpening equipment purchases. So I've just been stropping the outer bevel on my Swiss Made gouges for now.

ChuckT

I have a variety of stones that I use for sharpening. For honing the inside bevels I'll use a dowel that matches the curvature with some honing compound rubbed on it.

Mark is correct, I wouldn't get to caught up in the numbers game, find an angle that seems right to you. Then sharpen by eye and feel.

The inside bevel that Chris Pye describes really adds to the use of the tool.

I just got an e-mail from Woodcraft Magazine, in their next issue they'll be reviewing the "Work Sharp 3000" sharpener.

From looking at the Jool Tool & Work Sharp, I don't believe you'll be able to do an inside bevel on these sharpeners.

[BobD]

I just reviewed the WorkSharp...you can't sharpen the inside of gouges with it. I use slipstones myself; I've got a set that I can use to match up to most sweeps! I also agree with Brian on the inner bevel...It really works. I love it when I'm using the gouge upside down; it keeps me from digging in too far!

Bob

[mark yundt]

Oh Jeez Chuck,,are you trying to get me banned from the site? LOL..'Ya gotta know what I say and do usually flies in the face of convention and popular opinion.I think Norbury has the right idea,,loosley translated he said something along the line of,,,I'll take a reasonably sharp chisel and carve something than waste my time on fussing over the angles and such.If I look at what was done by Gibbons in the 1600's,,and the high tech wizz bang gadgets he used ( a stone) and see what's available today,,and the carvings produced by having the "correct" angle,,,well to put it bluntly,,I personally think it's nonsense.Oh sure,,all the theories are correct I'm sure,,and plenty of valid reasons for different angles,,and can be backed up by the popular carvers and people are selling their ideas through books,,DVDs,,seminars,,tools and what not,,and they have to make a living,,but I only have to make a living producing carvings as do most other full time carvers I know who couldn't tell you the angle of their chisels either. I tend to think most people have a difficult enough time getting a chisel reasonably sharp ,,than confusing the issue whether they have the actual 15.375 to 20.687 degree angle on their chisel.Gimme a break! Most people wouldn't know or see the difference to make a valid call.I only know it cause the chisel doesn't slice with the minimum amount of effort using a long thin taper to keep my stop cuts perfect and the shear cuts glistening..( I have no clue as to what my chisels are,,let alone measuring it) Do they hold up,,sure,,do I have to buff 'em,,yeah,,when I think about it,,do I use mallets and really pound on them,,sure,,are they in neat holders,,,no,,they all lay around and play with each other till I pick them up,,I carve too fast and switch too often to bother with putting them away each time,or,,I use one well past it's prime and choose another simply cause it's sharper (you can do more with one chisel than most realize),,,do I strop them,,sure,,sometimes as much as twice a day if I can find it..and as sacreligious as I am towards my chisels,,,I use the same basic set of 14 or so I bought 15 yrs ago,day in,,day out,, to do 95 percent of all my carvings and they're still chipping away at it.I own many more,,,but generally don't use them.I don't like chisels with "heft" at all.I don't like short chisels,nor palm chisels and I do work in some crazy situations and at times very small. I have somewhere around here ( haven't seen them for years) some slips cause I read about inside bevels which I don't use,,and I'm carving all the time in "reverse" mode ,,work just fine and hasn't stopped me yet. I read about the sandpaper thing and tried it,,results weren't too bad,,but hated it,,also tried a variety of diamond stones at woodcrafters,,I had to apologize to my pocket knife for doing so.But if some sharpening tool helps someone get a decent edge,,then keep using it.And I think if you're a carver,,you should at least learn how to sharpen your own chisels,,it kinda goes with the territory. So as you can see it's really not an issue for me,,carving is.I don't really think there is some magic trick,,new gadget,,undiscovered secret,,or special tool to make life easier for a carver.There are many systems on the market,,I'm sure for the money they work, but I'd rather buy chisels and wood and learn what they can do and what I can do with them,and use some basics to keep them sharp than go on a quest for the elusive right angle for a certain wood.For some people,,if they work,,great,,use 'em all,,,I'm just not interested. O.K,,it's only my opinion and way of doing things,,but you asked,,