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TOOLS ADDICT....? NAH

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Hi I'm new to group and I'll just want to be sure, when Mme May said on her recommand list of chisels/gouges some numbers, those are for the Pfeil chart I presume, since on her additional set #1; we have a choice between a #2 or a #3, and on the Sheffield list those 2 are pretty different?

Talking about Pfeil and Sheffield list, am I the only one who buy gouge with a number stamped on it, and realize that's not fitting correct with the chart ? Especially with Henry Taylor and Stubai gouge... For my personnal information, when I check for the curvature of the gouge on my chart, do I incline the gouge at a certain angle or right at 90 degree ???

Hey not finished... What the HELL do I bought a MACARONI gouge, also it was in sale, since I have no f...urther idea what I can do with it...LOL

And, by the way, since now, Mme May congrats for your lessons it's really useful and well done, greatly appreciate. About your first book to come (congrats again) did I understand well, some of those lessons right now on this carving school rely on acanthus will disapear and be sale in a package with/or without the book? or those lessons now on school and the others who will go with the book will be completly different ? Well you see I'm questionning myself about the utility of buying your book since you had already and clearly explaned the process right now on your school classes, but I'm kind of nuts about any kind of woodworking books, and really easy to convince to buy it... Can we have more info about it, like dimension, number of pages and photos.

Thanks, and happy and safe carving everybody

Eric

 

 

Welcome to the forum Eric!

First off, don’t worry about being a tool addict. It’s better to have and not need, than to need and not have!

Yes, the sweep is what you would be looking at staring 90 degrees at it. Most companies follow different lists like you noted. That’s one reason why “similar” gouges would be different between the brands. Also, factor in machining differences...that can make a sweep a little off from what you might be expecting. Do you buy your tools in person or on the web? If you are in person, it would be too easy to get the sweep you need regardless of what it says. I buy mine from the UK, so I stick to one brand and know what I should be getting regarding sweeps.

Mill let Mary or others comment on the macaroni gouge...it looks funky, and I never bought one!

As for mary’s Book, you can get some great info and reviews if you go to Lost Art Press’ web site. Like tools, you can never have enough books...at least that’s what I try to tell my spouse. She’s not happy with my thinking on that either.

Cheers!

And then there's spoon bent gouges! Every manufacturer has a different idea of how far a bent gouge should be bent.

Thanks Matthew for the info about the 90 degre, and yep I buy carving chisels on the Web since I lived in Gaspé, Québec, Canada, kind of very little town with lots of  mountains, trees and ocean, perfect vacation place and the quiet place on earth, but for shopping...hum... well, we need internet LOL.

Thanks Tim, you're got a point with that too, some short bent gouges are for me (not just big... enormous hands ) impossible to use, especially with both hands on

Cheers

Eric, welcome.  and to every one else too............. go buy Mary's book,  NOW!   When you order it you also get a free dwn ld of the book. I've already read it twice and still can't wait to get the print version. the instructions for the carvings are very well done, showing in red the areas to be cut making them very clear.  Mary had sent my the pattern and photo for the Italian Renaissance Leaf chpt 11, back in Feb. it has taken me quite some time to get it about 75% done,  with the instructions from the book I carved it a right and left hand in about three days.   It was sooooo much easyer!!  Also the patterns from the on-line classes are different from the book.

Did I mention, GO BUY THE BOOK!!!

Than You Mary for all your hard work

Mike

Welcome Eric! And thanks for the plug and great review for my book Matthew and Michael 🙂

It seems that the English gouges (Henry Taylor, Ashley Isles, and Auriou - French, but designed by an Englishman) run flatter than the Swiss, Austrian or German gouges. So a #4 Henry Taylor or Auriou is closer to a #3 Pfeil.

#2 is sometimes referred to as a flat skew chisel (Dastra and some other German brands) and sometimes it refers to a very slightly curved gouge. That is usually the only difference between #1 through #11.

Enjoy the macaroni tool as a nice museum piece. Put it on your shelf, dust it off every once in a while and it looks really pretty. I have never had any use for that and never really learned how or when to use this tool. Looks really cool, though. I can't imagine sharpening it. Someone else may have used this??

Acanthus Leaf book: The videos that go with the chapters to the book will be completely new and will be available for purchase independent from the school. I'm finishing them up at the moment and really hope to have everything ready by the time the book is available in the end of November.

Check out my page here to see some of the photos of the acanthus leaves in the book and you can go to the Lost art Press page to read more about it (300+ pages). It took 3 years to complete this book, and I never knew there was so much to write on acanthus leaves...

Have fun and happy carving!

Thanks Michael for the review, as I said, really easy to convince, then I will try (subtly...) to let some clues for my wife as Christmas is coming.

Thanks Mary for the info, greatly appreciated. I forgot yesterday to ask one more question;

- I think, I will have difficulty to describe my idea, but I will try like that:

When I "present" any kind of chisels or gouges to make a normal cut, did all chisels and gouges (excepted the skew one, obviously) must have a square angle, 90 degrees, like horizontally with the shank (between the 2 end tips) and vertically with the honing outside bevel...? Because I buy lot of used tools online, and most of them are kind of roundish in any direction... Since now, I square them, but I don't know if it's me, or the others who have a grinding problem LOL. And am I the only one who use modified gouges, like grinding at 30 or 45 degree some point right, others point left, then the gouge looks like a "skew" gouge, I discovered that,  and for me, those make some undercutting in some ankward situations really easy.

Thanks again, and have a great day

PS: sorry everyone for the poor English, but I'm a French Canadian, and I do my best ??

Eric, ideally the carving gouge will be sharpened 90 degrees in both planes of reference as you say. Anything else becomes a skew chisel, or a bad sharpening event! And you answered why at the end when you mentioned undercutting. Knowing your tools are sharpened correctly will help while carving different shapes.

Not to take away from modified gouges. Certain carvings require a modification of some sort. Those are specific tho, like if you were carving some runs of fluting and wanted a sharp end cut. Most concave cuts in architectural carving can benefit from a modified gouge to an extent.

So yes, if you are buying used carving gouges and they are rounded or “skewed” to one side a little bit, it’s probably from a bad turn or two or three sharpening it. Just so I’m understanding you right, is this pic what you mean by sharpening to 90 degrees?

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Yes, the pic answer me for the 90 deg. from tip to tip and I suppose it also the same thing from the bottom of the gouge to the top, that's probably what's you confirm me when you say, "in both planes of reference"?

And when you talked about modified gouges "to an extent" do you means that the bottom is shorter than the tip, in that special case only?

maybe you can answer this one too; is it all gouges (whatever theirs numbers) who made a perfect circle when we continue your cutting in a round (Oh my, sound weird to write so badly = sorry LOL) Is the only exception is those veiners #10 and #11?

Thanks Matthew, for all those info, like you said, knowing your tools shapes will help me a lot to pick quickly the good one when I will make a specific cut.

Have a good day

Correct, it should be the same from top to bottom. Another reason for that would be for sharpening. Having a gouge that is squared up helps ensure that you are sharpening the correct way, every time. The easiest way to know you are sharpening the wrong way is if you start seeing deviations from that...then you know how to fix it. And get and keep that sharper edge.

The modified gouges can be shorter on the bottom or the top “wings”. It just depends how you want you cut to finish. Works the same with a veiner tool also. A quick google search will shed more light on this too.

And yes, except for the straight gouges ? all the numbers are based on the circumference of a circle...

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