redfishsc
Member
Anyone used the Woodchuck on end grain (bowls, for example)? Does it cut as well as a bowl gouge, or better?
Woodchuck on end grain?
- Thread starter redfishsc
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rjwolfe3
Member
I use the round woodchuck on my bowls and it turns better then a bowl gouge in my limited experience.
Wildman
Member
Which Woodchuck tool are you talking about? Depending upon the piece of wood, see either Pro-Pen or Bowl-Pro might be okay for rough out but would prefer the Round-1 for end grain turning. All three tools will hog out a lot of wood but, what will the surface look like and do you like sanding forever?
I have done a lot of end grain turning with several different species of wood. Always had better luck with surface finish using a gouge than scrapper. Even when use a forstner drill bit on end grain will clean up the surface with either spindle or bowl gouge. May or may not use a scrapper on the bottom.
There are famous woodturners that use just scrappers and sandpaper to turn bowls. Does not matter if talking end grain parallel to the ways, side grain parallel to the headstock. Scrapper is the only turning tool they use.
Regardless of which Woodchuck tool you have give it a try! If you have to clean up the surface with a gouge no problem.
I have done a lot of end grain turning with several different species of wood. Always had better luck with surface finish using a gouge than scrapper. Even when use a forstner drill bit on end grain will clean up the surface with either spindle or bowl gouge. May or may not use a scrapper on the bottom.
There are famous woodturners that use just scrappers and sandpaper to turn bowls. Does not matter if talking end grain parallel to the ways, side grain parallel to the headstock. Scrapper is the only turning tool they use.
Regardless of which Woodchuck tool you have give it a try! If you have to clean up the surface with a gouge no problem.
redfishsc
Member
Yeah, I've actually learned how to use the bowl gouge (fingernail grind) as a shear-scraper pretty well. Just watch Bill Grumbine's first video on that one.
I definitely need the bigger one, I need to hollow out a 12" tall urn (not "hollow form"-- don't misunderstand that
). I'm turning the bottom half and top half as two separate bowls and then gluing them together to complete the "hollow form" look. I just don't have several hundred to put into a hollow form tool system that I'll use once in any given year.
But I can see this Woodchuck being something I'd use repeatedly.
So the round one for hollowing end grain??? OK. I would have thought the square one, but nothing is nicer than an experienced opinion! Thanks!
I definitely need the bigger one, I need to hollow out a 12" tall urn (not "hollow form"-- don't misunderstand that
). I'm turning the bottom half and top half as two separate bowls and then gluing them together to complete the "hollow form" look. I just don't have several hundred to put into a hollow form tool system that I'll use once in any given year. But I can see this Woodchuck being something I'd use repeatedly.
So the round one for hollowing end grain??? OK. I would have thought the square one, but nothing is nicer than an experienced opinion! Thanks!
KenV
Member
I have the woodchuck in a metal handle (Kelton). It is my go-to tool for roughing out and hogging away material. Works with bark or heartwood, work on side grain and end grain for roughing. It is a solid worker inside or out.
With a light touch, it streams off acrylic pen blanks -- with a heavy hand it breaks small objects.
It is not a finish tool and can do some spectacular tear out with knots and such.
As much as I love the simplicity, I move to a bowl gouge or to a cup style carbide tool (Hunter or Eliminator) and shear scrapers for fine finish work and surface preparation
I am well satisfied
With a light touch, it streams off acrylic pen blanks -- with a heavy hand it breaks small objects.
It is not a finish tool and can do some spectacular tear out with knots and such.
As much as I love the simplicity, I move to a bowl gouge or to a cup style carbide tool (Hunter or Eliminator) and shear scrapers for fine finish work and surface preparation
I am well satisfied
bitshird
Member
I'm not a great turner by any stretch, that's why I made the Woodchucks, So here or hear from the horses mouth(I hope this is the right end) like a few guys have said there are some turners that will only use a scraper start to finish, I'm sort of in that group, I do own a couple of Doug Thompson's excellent Bowl Gouges, and if used properly an experienced turner with a good fingernail grind gouge like Doug's Jimmy Clewes model will remove more stock at a safer speed than a dufus like me can spinning at frightening RPMS.
I was trying to prove a point to my son in law on a piece of end grain bone dry nasty Maple, he was using a Bowl Pro, and I grabbed my 1/2 inch Jimmy Clewes signature gouge, which I had just sharpened, he was turning a 9 or 10 inch piece of wood which was already form turned on the out side and was working towards the inside with the live center still in, I slowed the lathe down to around 800- 900 RPM, and started piling up the most beautiful stream of ribbons nice and curly which I thought amazing since the wood was so dry.
Andrew was getting a snow shower of chips and dust turning at around 1500 or a bit more, I'm not trying to talk myself out of a sale, because the Woodchucks are great tools and are easy to use, AND I have never had to sharpen one :biggrin:and back to the Round one, I do wish it were a bit more robust, but to keep a balance with the 11mm round insert, which isn't cupped like the hunter's it's only on a 7/16ths Stainless steel square bar, in both an 8 inch and a 6 inch, I use it to finish most of my inside work, I will semi finish with a 2 in radius insert and finish off the piece with a Round 1. This is as honest of an appraisal as I can give, BUT don't compare apples to oranges, IF you are a well skilled turner, I would put the money into Doug's tools, If you are like me, I'd buy mine, they are much easier to use, , but it's hard to beat the feel of shear scraping the inside of a bowl with a good gouge, IF you can do it!! And it's always fun to learn some new tricks to put in your tool bag.
I was trying to prove a point to my son in law on a piece of end grain bone dry nasty Maple, he was using a Bowl Pro, and I grabbed my 1/2 inch Jimmy Clewes signature gouge, which I had just sharpened, he was turning a 9 or 10 inch piece of wood which was already form turned on the out side and was working towards the inside with the live center still in, I slowed the lathe down to around 800- 900 RPM, and started piling up the most beautiful stream of ribbons nice and curly which I thought amazing since the wood was so dry.
Andrew was getting a snow shower of chips and dust turning at around 1500 or a bit more, I'm not trying to talk myself out of a sale, because the Woodchucks are great tools and are easy to use, AND I have never had to sharpen one :biggrin:and back to the Round one, I do wish it were a bit more robust, but to keep a balance with the 11mm round insert, which isn't cupped like the hunter's it's only on a 7/16ths Stainless steel square bar, in both an 8 inch and a 6 inch, I use it to finish most of my inside work, I will semi finish with a 2 in radius insert and finish off the piece with a Round 1. This is as honest of an appraisal as I can give, BUT don't compare apples to oranges, IF you are a well skilled turner, I would put the money into Doug's tools, If you are like me, I'd buy mine, they are much easier to use, , but it's hard to beat the feel of shear scraping the inside of a bowl with a good gouge, IF you can do it!! And it's always fun to learn some new tricks to put in your tool bag.
KenV
Member
Good summary Ken --- and the addition of skils to turning is one of the objectives we should all have. I still will not give up my woodchuck nor my bowl gouge.
redfishsc
Member
Ken, was that "frightening RPMS" a typo or was that just you being you? LMAO good one.
I already have a nice 5/8" P&N bowl gouge that I sharpen with a Sheppach wet dry, using a Tormek jig (don't tell Tormek I said that).
I haven't tried to hollow any end grain with it, but I am only going to get one shot at this urn.
Let me consider the options here but I really like the idea of the woodchuck.
Do you have a model that will accept both square and round tips, or are they going to be shape-specific?
I already have a nice 5/8" P&N bowl gouge that I sharpen with a Sheppach wet dry, using a Tormek jig (don't tell Tormek I said that
). I haven't tried to hollow any end grain with it, but I am only going to get one shot at this urn.
Let me consider the options here
but I really like the idea of the woodchuck. Do you have a model that will accept both square and round tips, or are they going to be shape-specific?
Wildman
Member
Grest review Ken! Thanks for information.
nava1uni
Member
I use my woodchuck for making bowls and it does a great job. I use a scraper and a bowl gouge for fine finishing.