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GOUGE THICKNESS:

To change the overall gouge thickness, the dial on the side of the carriage must be turned.  As set, to thin the gouge the dial should be turned clockwise.  To thicken the gouge, the dial should be turned counter-clockwise.  DO NOT loosen the screw in the center of the dial.  It is held in place with a thread locking compound.  Loosening this screw could result in damage to your machine.

CENTERING THE BLADE:

The blade should be centered to achieve the optimum gouge.  The blade is held in place by a center screw located inside the slot in the top of the carriage and by two side adjusting screws located on either side of the carriage,.  If you find that the cane from your gouger is thinner on one side than the other, the blade may not be centered.  To determine which direction to shift the blade you should gouge a piece o cane until the carriage "bottoms out."  Turn the cane in the bed, lower the carriage into position, making certain that there are no shavings in the slot.  While looking carefully into the slot, make another pass with the carriage noting the side that cane comes through the slot.  For example, if can e comes form the right side of the slot, the blade is off to the right and should be shifted toward the left.  Sometimes no cane will dome off after turning the cane in the bed, but the gouge will not be centered.  Gouge a piece of cane (both directions) then mark the cane at the end that was at the front of the gouger on the original pass.  Measure the cane to determine which direction the blade is off and adjust to center the blade.

SHIFTING THE BLADE SIDE-TO-SIDE:

To shift the blade to either side, the screws on either side of the carriage should be moved.  To shift the blade toward the right, the screw on the left side of the carriage should be tightened.  Likewise, to shift the blade to the left, the screw on the right side of the carriage should be tightened.  Note: I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT THE SCREWS BE TURNED NO MORE THAN 1/16 OF A TURN AT ONE TIME. Also, in making this adjustment, it may be necessary to loosen the opposing screw-normally loosening the opposing screw will allow the blade to move sufficiently for a change in the gouge.  In loosening the opposing screw, I recommend that it be turned no more then 1/16 of a turn at one time.

CANE PREPARATION:

Cane should be prepared by splitting, cutting and pre-gouging while the cane is dry.  Before gouging, cane should be soaked, bark side down, for approximately two hours.  Before gouging, the cane should be wiped with an absorbent cloth to remove excess moisture and dirt.

GOUGING:

The gouger should be placed on a sturdy table.  Clamping the machine is not advised.  The rear cane clip should be helped down and the carriage lowered into position carefully.  Dropping the carriage onto the cane could result in the blade shifting or damage to the roller plate.  The cane should be gouged until the carriage "bottoms out."  The cane should then be turned 180 degrees in the bed and the gouging operation completed.  Only a slight shaving should come off after the cane is turned.

MAINTENANCE:

After gouging has been completed, the machine should be brushed off - including the blade, roller plate and roller.  A light oil should be applied to the blade shaft and roller bearing to prevent rust.

SERVICE:

To provide optimum performance, you gouger should be serviced regularly.  This routine maintenance should include cleaning, checking all parts for wear and trueness, as well as grinding the blade.  The gouger should be packed carefully so that the carriage will not come in contact with the roller plate and that the gouger blade will no contact the bed or cane stops.  Usually a piece of cotton serves this purpose well.  In addition, the carriage should be secured so that it will not move on the shaft during shipping.