Built with heaviness in mind with a wide U-shaped flute, a roughing gouge is a great tool for tapering wood, creating cylinders and smooth planing wood. Beginner woodturners typically do well with a roughing gouge sized between 7/8 and 1 inch, especially when dealing with medium to large pieces of wood.

A medium-sized 1/2″ Bowl Gouge is ideal to gouge to start with. The 1/2″ size is great for shaping and refining small to medium-sized bowls, as well as being great for making finishing cuts.

The first, and a very obvious tool to get for turning wood bowls is a bowl gouge. I recommend at least two sizes: a more substantial 3/4” bowl gouge and a 1/2” bowl gouge.