I have recently joined a wood turning club called the northern turners. This group is affiliated to Woodgroup SA  which has under its umbrella about 13 woodturning clubs in South Australia. There are 3 meetings a month which covers beginners , ongoing projects and a more formal meeting day which includes a demonstration.

This months demonstration was by a well known Australian turner called Tim Skilton  who besides turning is known for his passive sander.  Tim doesn’t have a website but if you google him you will see the sanders and pictures of this work.

He entertained and informed about 50 club members for the better part of three hours on all aspects of the bowl gouge. This included a potted history of the gouge , metal used to make gouges and the vexed topic of sharpening tools. All of this while keeping up a witty dialogue with the audience and demonstrating on a bowl blank.

There were lots of practical tips on how to use a gouge. I like many have experienced the gouge digging and taking a chunk  of the prized piece being worked on. Never thought about it but the gouge does jump from the smaller to larger diameter. This will inevitably wreck the the fine edge that you have just finished prior to hollowing out. The solution other than a a dedicated tool rest is to support the gouge with the thumb of your left hand firmly planted on the tool rest.

Well worth the trip to attend the meeting.