I now offer several tools for sale which may be of interest to woodturners desiring to improving their turning experience. Some have been developed by me, some developed by others. All have been extensively tested for performance and value.
The Bottom Line depth gauge
It is crucial to know where the bottom of the inside of your turning is relative to the bottom of the outside. The ability to measure accurately means the difference between a funnel, a well proportioned turning, or a thick bottomed piece that may crack, but will definitely feel clunky in the hands of others. We all want to shoot for that well proportioned turning, right?
There are many different ways to measure the thickness of the bottom of a turning. Some are more accurate than others. This one is the most accurate and versatile, and is the end result of a plywood and dowel jig I built for my second video. The Bottom Line Depth gauge will measure the bottom thickness of any turning you make that has a hole of some sort in the middle. Finished rim bowls, natural edged bowls, hollow forms, vases, goblets, etc, can all be measured with a high degree of confidence and accuracy. The gauge is indexed off the ways of your lathe rather than the edge of your turning. As such, it works for natural edged pieces as well as finished edge pieces. It stands on its own, allowing for hands free operation. You can now use both hands to measure on the outside, find your pencil to mark the turning, or go have lunch while you think about how badly you really want to make that last cut. And, there are options! The gauge comes with a vertical indexing pin for manual measuring. Simply set the center horizontal pin to the height of your spindle, index the vertical pin, and you are ready to measure.
But this is the 21st century! Everything works better with a laser, right? Well, I don't know about everything, but this gauge works faster and easier than ever when you add the optional laser pointer to it. When you install an inexpensive laser pointer in the predrilled hole, you now have futuristic measuring capabilities as you prepare to go where no man or woman has gone before, down into the bottom of that turning with your turning tool!
There are two sizes of the Bottom Line depth gauge available. The small size handles lathes up to 12". The large size handles lathes from 12" up to 26". Unfortunately, this gauge will not work on lathes with tubular ways.
Wheel dresser
Enjoyable turning requires sharp tools, unless you like sanding away tearout, or thumping along with a dull stick against wood. Sharp tools require good sharpening equipment, and that equipment requires maintenance in order to work properly. If you are sharpening your tools with a grinder, then you need a wheel dresser. I have used many different types of wheel dressers over the years, and I can safely say I think this one is the best by far. This wheel dresser, manufactured by Sierra Mold in Carson City NV, is designed to index itself off a support table used with many grinders. One side is used for the popular Oneway Wolverine and other larger tables, and the other side is used for smaller tables. The wide range available with the threaded post allows this tool to be used with virtually any grinder and table combination on the market today.
It works by dragging a single point industrial diamond across the face of your grinding wheel. The diamond "dresses" the wheel, removing embedded metal filings and truing up the surface to give you a fresh, flat surface, the best one for all of your turning tools. The advance screw and locking knob allow the user to take off infinitesimal amounts of grinding material, increasing your control over the dressing process and extending the life of your expensive grinding wheels. The angle of approach make for a very smooth and fast operation, allowing you to get back to the fun part of woodturning - turning wood!
Pennsylvania Long Gouge
In the early part of 2008, I asked tool maker Doug Thompson to make me an extra long bowl gouge. He was hesitant at first, but made then made two, one for me and one for him. I turned the handles for both of them. Doug attended our Five Barns picnic in July of that year, along with a whole bunch of other people. We had a line of folks waiting their turn to use this gouge! It had the leverage of a long handled hollowing tool and the usability of a bowl gouge all rolled into one, making it ideal for deep bowls.
Doug announced his intent to make this a regular production item and put my name on it. The Pennsylvania Long Gouge was born. Reminiscent of the Pennsylvania Long Rifle, the gouge is longer than most, and works well for deep bowls or vases. Adding a curly maple handle adds to both its efficacy, and its comfort.
The gouge itself is Doug's 5/8" V groove bowl gouge, and sells for $105.00 plus shipping to your location. Curly maple handle blanks from Pennsylvania grown wood can be had for $25.00 plus shipping. When you are finished turning a handle to suit your own hands, you will have a tool that is approximately 39" long! This is great for hanging way over the tool rest to make those difficult cuts at the bottom of a bowl or vase.