I think gouges with deep flutes milled from round bar and HSS turning tools both arrived about the same time during the woodturning renaissance of the early 1980's. I have some deep fluted Sorby gouges that appear machined, not forged, from 'Sheffield steel'. They are of fine quality, but I don't think they are HSS. Probably there was a transitional period during which deep fluted gouges were milled from carbon steel? If true, can anyone give me a source for inexpensive carbon steel gouges milled from round bar? Why? Because I want to try bending a bowl gouge tip to finish the center of deep bowls. I know that there are such bent bowl gouges available, but I never see them mentioned here. Anyone have experience to share? Are they any better than a steep bevel on a 'straight' gouge or a scraper for getting at the center of a deep bowl, etc?
If anyone is still reading, I have twisted a skewed scraper so that the shaft lies flat on the rest and the cutting edge is presented to the wood at a shearing angle. You old f...s might remember those safety razors that twisted the blade so as to shear the whiskers when pulled across your face. As with bevelling the fluted side of gouges or using small engine valves for 'disc' scrapers, my twisted shear scraper (mind?) worked, but was not much of an advance. Guess I'll put them away with the vertilathe and the snorkle. ;) Arch
Fortiter,