Pro-PM Ellsworth Bowl Gouge

If you’ve been to your local woodworking store, or shuffled through one of the turning magazines, then you’ve certainly seen the sexy looking Crown Pro-PM black handled tools.  They stand out in a crowd and for good reason.   The Pro-PM tools are made from an advanced powder metal, then the molten steel is compressed and sintered.  This gives the tool a cutting edge which lasts up to 4-5 times longer than conventional High Speed Steel.

These bad boys aren’t cheap though … with the Ellsworth grind 3/8″ bowl gouge costing more than $110 in most stores at the time of this writing.  But don’t run away just because of the price … you might want to take another look and reconsider.  It took about two years before good old Saint Nick left one of these under my tree and let me tell you why I’m glad he did:  (1) the weight of the tool is perfect for bowl turning.  From the placement and thickness of the handle, to the length of tool, (2) the strength and extended lift of the powder steel is amazing.  On the few tools that I have from the Pro-PM line, they do without a doubt hold their edge longer and actually appear to get sharper than traditional HSS.  (3) They sharpen beautifully.  There are various grades of HSS and some are just ugly when they hit the grinder, however the Pro-PM powder steel works beautifully.  The results are consistently a clean, sharp edge ready to peel away a bowl effortlessly.

Personally, I started with an el-cheapo HSS set from Harbor Freight, then upgraded to a China-made set from Woodcraft and finally found my way to the Crown Pro-PM tools (which are made in England).  It took a couple of tries, but finally a quality tool that won’t break the bank (though it will bruise it!)

The Pro-PM line of turning tools are hardened to between 66 and 68 Rc, enabling them to have a vastly superior wear resistance, excellent grindability, superior toughness, a high working hardness and a high retention of hardness.

The handles are made of  ash and stained black.  The overall length of this tool is about 19″ tip to toe.

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