Gouges
Gouges
EXPERT KNOWLEDGE GOUGES
What are the differences between a Gouges and a Chisels?
Chisels are used in furniture making to chisel out or rework straight contours (wood joints). Gouges are used in sculpture for free shaping of wood. For this reason, the underside of gouges is round, while that of chisels is flat. Gouges usually have an octagonal handle that is flattened towards the front and no ferrule at the end of the handle. The octagonal handle serves to better orientate the cutting edge to the workpiece. With gouges, we often alternate between manual guidance and hammering with the mallet. The impact force when working with the mallet is lower than that of the chisel, which is why a clamp is not used for better ergonomics when using the hand guide. The blade of gouges is usually 20 mm longer than that of chisels to allow better access to deeper areas of a sculpture. There is usually no difference between the two tools in terms of the steel used. Many manufacturers such as Pfeil or Kirschen advertise the special tool steel. It is not officially known which steel is behind the tools from Pfeil and Kirschen. The hornbeam handle is usually found on Chisels. In addition to hornbeam, other hardwoods such as ash or copper beech are used for gouges. For both tools, there is a separate DIN standard in which Blade lengths, side chamfers for Chisels or the radii (semicircular cross-section) for gouges are specified.
DIN 5139 for Chisels
DIN 5142 for Gouges
How are gouges defined?
The stitches on gouges describe the shape of the iron in the front view. To simplify the selection of tools, these shapes were numbered consecutively. The shapes of gouges are based on a standard set by the so-called "Sheffield Illustrated List". The number has no meaning. It is often assumed that the number has something to do with the Diameter of the circle from which a particular stitch was taken. However, this assertion is not correct. It is quite possible that the engravings were not shaped as circles at all, but as Archimedean spirals.
Stitch details - differences between Manufacturers
Although the stitches of different Manufacturers usually follow the basic system of the "Sheffield Illustrated List", they may differ. To give you the opportunity to compare stitches, we print the stitch sketch on a scale of 1:1 in our catalogue wherever possible. Manufacturers often assign their own stitch numbers, especially for special stitches such as short and long offset variants, fishtail tools or dog leg stitches. Where possible, we also indicate the equivalents.
What information other than the stitch can be found on the handles of gouges?
The first indication on the handle of a Gouges indicates the shape. (see above). The second number, separated by a slash, indicates the blade width in mm.
E.g. 3 / 16 = stitch 3 with a blade width of 16 mm.
Use of gouges
Gouges are ideal for detailed wood carvings as well as working on complex shapes and are suitable for numerous uses in woodworking. These chisels are particularly indispensable for wood carving and the creation of decorative elements. Compared to other woodworking tools such as chisels, chisels or chisels (colloquially known as Skew chisels), Gouges offer special functionality for hollowing and shaping wood.
Working on flat surfaces with different stitches makes it possible to create differently textured surfaces. The larger the gouge, the stronger the texture.
a Firmer chisels, b Shape 7, c Shape 5, d Shape 7, e Shape 3
Tips for beginners
For beginners, we recommend starting with a gouge set that includes different stitch sizes. These sets provide a good basis for learning the various woodworking techniques.
Care and maintenance
To extend the service life of your tool, we recommend cleaning the blade after each use with a lightly oiled cloth. The oil film protects the tool from moisture and rust.
