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Bowl Gouge
Bowl gouges are traditionally large, curve-edged chisels with rounded ends. They’re mostly for rolling and shaping inside and outside curves on round projects like bowls during face turning (i.e. removing wood from the top or bottom of a workpiece rather than the side).
When selecting your first bowl gouge, choose one with around a 1/2-inch blade width and an elliptical blade end profile. This feature lets you use the tool in a wider range of curve-shaping situations.
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Spindle Gouge
Curve-edged and rounded like bowl gouges, spindle gouges are a smaller and finer version. They’re meant for fine detail work on chair and table legs, spindles and other long, cylindrical workpieces.
Like bowl gouges, they can create different effects depending on pressure and blade angle. As with all lathe accessories, choose one with a long handle (at least 12 inches) that’s easy and comfortable to grip.
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Lathe Calipers
Pincher-style lathe calipers precisely measure the thickness of objects that can’t be measured directly with a ruler or tape.
Similar in mechanics to needlenose pliers, calipers can be gently pinched down on either side of a cylindrical woodturning project for an accurate readout of its thickness. This is essential in precision work like turning chair or table parts. Be sure to choose calipers that can hold their position at a given thickness.
