Ball Gouge | Ø 30 mm Spherical Shaped Wood Gouge Power Carving Attachment for Angle Grinder | BAL.FG.2000

I bought this gouge to help in the wooden spoon making process and WOW! This thing was out of the box and throwing wood shavings within minutes. Definitely makes the process much easier than a knife. Now, I feel it's a little on the expensive side, but when you have a one of a kind quality product, I guess you can do that. They claim that it doesn't grab, but I did have some slight tugs while carving some curly maple. It could have been the wood, but honestly, it wasn't bad enough to cause me to lose control of what I was doing. Fantastic product!

This tool can make a bunch of wood chips in a hurry. I have used it to make wooden spoon and my first stab at a wood bowl. I used my battery powered angle grinder with the auxiliary handle and was able to control the gouge to make real smooth passes . On the bowl, I made intentional gouge marks both inside and out and am pleased with the results. I just wish I had found this tool years ago.

I'd never turned on an angle grinder when I bought it, and I found it very easy to use. Any power carving tools are and should be intimidating, but this is definitely a good entry point for beginners. Not a single catch so far, which has given me the space to get comfortable and dial in my technique (such as it is). Don't expect it to be a precision tool, take your time with it, and you'll have a blast, which is the most important thing-- your work will reflect that, too! Enjoy.

Nice little Tool. Takes a little getting used to but does a good job of removing material and shaping wood. It does have some limitations with getting to certain spots at the right angles and can be a bit tricky with wood that is very dry or chips easy. So care needs to be taken when working with elements. Would love to see an adapter or attachment that extends it safely so that you could hollow out deeper areas if necessary. Over all if you like clearing out and shaping wood this is a great tool to have and use once you get used to using it. It is worth the initial cost if you use it even sparingly.

I make wooden spoons semi-professionally and to this point have used a chainsaw wheel to rough-shape the bowls. This is a very cool alternative. It's not perfect since bc it's a spinning blade, you do need to be cognizant of the grain and dry wood is much more difficult to cut than green (as it is for any cutting implement). Relative to the chainsaw wheel, it's so much safer that I've given up the chainsaw wheels except for very large, very open vessels. The control that you have over this tool is much greater and the danger of kickback is much less. Also, should it hit and exposed flesh, it will cut less than a chain (tho I shiver to evaluate the damage that either would do). The ingenuity of the cutting edge is also very slick. Rotate the cutting ring for a new edge. And then flip to get a whole new cutting edge. I've shifted the edge once in fairly heavy use; the blade isn't carbide, but it's damn tough steel. The main thing like about it is the ability to cut very deep and very sharp curves in the small bowls of my spoons. As I mentioned, you do have to be aware of cutting against the grain - I've chipped out a number of edges when I neglected to watch this carefully, but when you cut with the grain, even on dried wood, it's a terrific tool.

WORKS GREAT

Best tool I own for help carving kitchen utensils and small bowls, it would probably be good for large bowls too, but that is why I have a lathe for. Used it almost every day for a month, so I can't speak to longevity. Doesn't jump like the cheaper balls, It'r not as cheap as those but I have a drawer full I will give you. Just experiment with the angle, and you will fly through soft wood, and move aggressively with hard. Did have to deal with some issues with mesquite, but I got through it.

It’s sharp. If it gets dull, you can rotate the cutter to reveal a sharp edge again. Reasonably easy to control. A short learning curve. Practice on a piece of scrap wood. Pricier than the copies, but worth it.