Gouge Sharpening

[mustanggt]

I know I've seen these sharpening stones in my travels somewhere but can't remember. They are convex and concave to make sharpening them easier. Paul Sellers has his method but I can't do what a master can do so I thought those would be a real help. Anyone familiar with those stones?

[okawbow]

I use 400 and 600 grit wet n dry sandpaper to sharpen my gouges. I make shaped guides from wood and pull the gouge backwards. Try to keep the inside curve flat, so you don't change the angle.

A few strokes every few minutes will keep them sharp.

[mustanggt]

Ok. That sounds easy enough. Thank you

[Mark Elliott]

I think Woodcraft has them.   I was never able to use them to much effect.   I use a regular diamond stone like a file to sharpen my gouges.   If I need to take a burr off an inside edge,  I have a set of Arkansas stones with rounded edges.   I also have a tapered stick loaded with Simichrome to hone the inside.   I use a leather strape with grooves cut in it to hone the outside edge. 

[Elnathan]

Are you talking about slipstones, like these: https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/THO/item/MS-HTS.XX
or stones like this: https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/THO/item/NO-FS76 ?

I have a slipstone and find it very handy. I never tried the second type of stone, and I don't see the advantages of that shape over the combination of a standard flat stone and a slipstone.

[SingleMalt]

Someone on the web has ceramic slips in several shapes that are perfect for gouges.

[B.Habermehl]

The easiest way I've found is to get a piece of fine grained wood use your gouge to cut a clean groove in it with the grain. Charge the groove with jewelers rouge, and use the groove as a strop pulling the gouge backwards. Make up a similar wood slip for the inside. You can make up a block with all your most commonly used shapes carved in it and have a really handy tool for in project tune ups. BJH

[mustanggt]

Thanks for the replies fellas. I'm looking at your advice.

[PPatch]

The easiest way I've found is to get a piece of fine grained wood use your gouge to cut a clean groove in it with the grain. Charge the groove with jewelers rouge, and use the groove as a strop pulling the gouge backwards. Make up a similar wood slip for the inside. You can make up a block with all your most commonly used shapes carved in it and have a really handy tool for in project tune ups. BJH

Good advice. Use anything you can to strope those gouges, I sometimes charge a cardboard roll with simichrome and use that. For anything over a #4 gouge I use diamond stones and do them by hand on the outsides then do the insides with either a slip stone or those cardboard rolls. In the end you have to think of those gouges as just curved surfaces that you sharpen anyway you think up and do not be afraid you will ruin one because you can quickly get one back to shape. Once you have them how you want them it does not take much to keep an edge by stropping them when they began to require more force to cut.

dave

dave

[B.Habermehl]

Here's a tip from cave man 101. You can even use a dirty piece of card board on a flat surface to strop an edge in cutting tools in a pinch. Back in my waterfront days I got quite a reputation with our riggers for sharpening their knives, a vital tool for them. BJH

[Bill Raby]

To strop the inside of gouges I cut a bunch of different size dowels to about 8 inches, then wrapped them in leather and glued them to a board. Charge it with diamond powder and it keeps the gouges razor sharp.

[mustanggt]

All good ideas. Thanks fellas.