Reply To: Uneven bevel on new gouge
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Welcome to the world of carving.
Hirsch is a good quality modern make. Hirsch will use the ‘Continental’ numbering system, it differs from the ‘Sheffield list, but that’s for separate research. A Continental No:7 is a fairly deep gouge so I have to presume that you will use it for scooping cuts.
First, if you’re not happy with the gouge – send it back untouched because any shortcomings will always sit at the back of your mind and a decent supplier should always want a happy customer to come back for more…… unless he’s an undertaker.
The first thing to say is that sharpening carving gouges requires you to forget everything you know about sharpening conventional wood-working chisels – they are two different beasts that are used in different ways. With gouges, it all has to be done free-hand because you need to concentrate on developing a cutting shape, not a flat uniform bevel – jigs are next to useless, in my experience. But, there are many carvers and each has developed their own style; some like it straight, some like rounded corners….. it depends on your style and your work.
However, that bevel shape in the photo, whatever the angle, is in my experience, useless for carving. Most ‘new’ carver’s tools require quite a bit of work to get them to meet individual carvers needs and no two carvers are the same.
In use, carvers’ gouges are generally sharpened straight across, with crisp corners (unless you have a specific use for rounded edges in carving) and always have a ‘rounded’ bevel, tip the heel, so that the heel is able to pivot cleanly as a scooping cut descends and changes direction. If the heel were clearly defined as a straight line it would result in splitting out. As well as that, many carvers will grind away the ‘ears’, which are the sharp corners at each side edge of the bevel so that it too is a smooth curve – this prevents splitting out at the edges of deep cuts. The degree of curve and amount of rounding as well as the resulting aggregate bevel angle will be determined by your own style of carving and the wood you use.
All that said, to determine a good gouge from a useless one, means that the thickness of the metal from one edge of the gouge, down through the root, to the otheredge is exactly the same. That and an unmarked inside surface are the most important things to consider. Everything else can be remedied.
I hope that this doesn’t put you off….. but do persevere, it’s very rewarding and there are lots of decent tutors of carving out there both as books and online.