As you begin to read articles in wood carving magazines or start researching new tools to buy, you will notice that some of the gouges have strange numbers along with them. For example, you might see that a particular project was completed with a #11 gouge or a #9 gouge. If you want to purchase the same tools for you projects, you need to know what the number signify.
Here is the answer that you have been looking for. The numbers represent the “sweep” of the gouge. The “sweep” is the diameter of a circle that would be created if you placed the gouge straight into the wood against that cutting edge and made a circle with it. Therefore, the lower the number of the gouge, the flatter it is. So a #11 gouge compared to a #2 gouge would be more curved.
Sometimes, there are other numbers also associated with gouges and other wood carving tools. For instance, a gouge in the wood carving store may say 1/4 by 8. That means that the gouge is 1/4″ wide and the sweep is #8.
When referring to v-tools, they with have numbers that represent the angle of the “V” and the width between the top of the “V”. They usually look something like: 45 degree 1mm. This denotes that the angle of the “V” is 45 degrees and the “V” is 1mm. Obviously, the larger the degree of angle, the groove that will be made in the wood will be wider.