Violin Forum/Message Board

[catbrain]

My current back plate is a one piece fancy flamed back. The wood is just "monster" hard. Like cutting aluminum

The wood seems all most too hard for the gouges. I bought a right angle pneumatic die grinder and some 3 inch 40 grit flap discs.

Anyone tried this idea for roughing out very hard wood ?

Tim

[John Cadd]

I will start by asking about the flame in the wood . Some makers manage to keep the surface smooth and others end up with physical ripples --not just a visual illusion . That will complicate your efforts . What width of gouge are you using? Maybe a narrower one would reduce the struggle . Medically I would avoid the effect of clouds of dust .
Japanese gouges are not as common as chisels but they might help .Any small planes work better with high speed steel for stubborn wood .
Gouges can work better (for your wrist and hand )if you adapt them to have a pistol grip .It saves a death grip on a straight handle and spreads the load .
Another approach is toothed blades .Better than lots of dust .

[catbrain]

thanks john.....
my main gouge for roughing out is about 1 inch wide and curved. Worked fine up till now---- (till I hit this rock hard stuff)

I will try the disc tomorrow. Will know in the first 2 min if there is going to be a dust tornado----

[John Cadd]

You could try a more complicated way using fine drills which know exactly where the arching goes up and down. But that needs more preparation .Then cutting already drilled out wood is a lot easier .

[John Cadd]

Hold on we seem to have sidestepped the whole Sharpening theme .Too early to give up yet .

[John Cadd]

I fitted a plywood pistol grip on a wide gouge that has a curved blade.(lengthways). The edge is about 4cms wide. When cutting hard wood I have the hndle gripped and the blade gripped.Both fists are doing the work. I seem to be unusual in the way I use gouges . I always twist the blade as I push. It`s more effective than just pushing straight . I don`t see videos where the makers twist and push together .
The wider blade makes it easier to keep the edges above the surface. That avoids splitting the wood .