What do "sweep" numbers mean?

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21 posts in 832 days

819 days ago

Topic tags/keywords: sweep adze gouge travisher

I was looking at a charmaker’s adze that was advertised as having a #5 sweep on ebay.
I saw a bunch of irons here for making your own travisher with various sweep numbers.
I also saw gouges with sweep numbers.
Clearly, the lower the number, the larger the radius. But a No. 5 sweep on a travisher iron seemed to have a much larger radius than a No. 5 sweep on a gouge.
Is there a standard radius for these numbers or is it just a manufacturer’s personal designation?

4 replies so far

Loren home \| projects \| blog 4887 posts in 1818 days #1 posted 819 days ago	It’s an old system. What the numbers mean in terms of tool geometry varies from maker to maker.
bluplanet home \| projects \| blog 21 posts in 832 days #2 posted 819 days ago	Thanks, Loren I was coming to that conclusion, but needed confirmation.
CharlieM1958 home \| projects \| blog 14858 posts in 2388 days #3 posted 818 days ago	I found this bit of info on the web: The blades of gouges range from flat to a deep U-curve. The angle of this curve is called a sweep. Gouges are classified numbers that indicate both the angle of the sweep and the width of the blade. Sweep angles are numbered between one for a flat blade and 11 for a U-shaped blade. The width of the blade is measured in millimeters. For example, a gouge marked 3/15 has a number three sweep and is 15 mm wide. -- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
mpounders home \| projects \| blog 598 posts in 1065 days #4 posted 818 days ago	Here is a handy link to a chart used by Pfeil show the different sweeps and sizes for their carving gouges…maybe it will be of some use? -- Mike P., Arkansas, http://mpounders1.blogspot.com

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What do "sweep" numbers mean?

4 replies so far

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4 replies so far

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