Andy Faust Posted April 1, 2017 Report Share Posted April 1, 2017 Hey I'm new to turning I've turned alittle in my high school shop. But that's been a few years and I never really got good at it. Looking to purchase my own lath I don't have any tools looking at the easy wood tools and thinking of getting a jet lath to turn mostly bowls but able to do table legs. Any suggestions for a beginner would be great thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewPritchard Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 Slightly surprised no one has responded to this. I'm relatively not to turning myself. However from personal experience, I would say easy wood tools are *so* easy to use. They very little skill needed to get started. I quickly outgrew them and bought for more traditional tools. As for the lathe, that will depend largely on your budget. Table legs will require a long bed length and with that comes a higher price - unless you're willing to figure out how to join several turned pieces together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 If you are considering the Easy wood tools you should look at Carter's "The Axe" line of tools. Same idea, much cheaper. I'm happy eith the three I bought. Made in the USA, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 I have been given 2 sets of recommendations with tools. Some say you should just go with standard steel tools, acquire the sharpening skills (and tools/jigs if you don't have them), and just work at it till you get good with the tools mainly because you will end up there at some point if you continue to turn. The other suggestion, which is what I chose, is start with Easy Wood carbide insert tools. It got me started turning without a long learning curve and turning out finished products quickly, which is where I get most of my satisfaction. After using the Easy Wood tools for a short time, I did end up buying a skew and a dovetail chisel (for turning the recess in the bottom of bowl blanks because bowls are about the only thing I turn). I use those steel tools for special tasks. I realize that the resulting bowl will most likely end up with a better surface from steel tools but, over a short time, I've gotten much better at getting a fairly smooth surface with the Easy Wood tools as I gained more control and improved my technique a little. The rest I clean up with a little sanding. So, if you want to get started quickly with a minimum of frustration, I can recommend the carbide insert type of tool. Easy Wood is a great company and the tools are readily available but I'm sure there are others which are good tools also. One other recommendation which also helped me with these tools is that running the flat side of the carbide insert over a diamond stone (I happened to have a 1000 grit version) for a short time periodically will keep the insert sharp. It really does work and makes them cut again like new; maybe better. Also, for me, since I really didn't know anything about turning, an introductory class isn't a bad idea, if you can find one that actually results in a bowl at the end of class. It helped me understand what the basics are and I found myself being able to turn a rudimentary bowl almost immediately. I took mine from a Rockler Store near where I live because the instructor was a good turner and very responsive and took his class once more after I turned for several months. The second class gave me a chance to find out what I wasn't doing quite right and was actually more helpful than the first one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmotjr Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 I think this was a duplicate thread, and never got deleted, but the more info we can share, the better. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 +1 on taking a class. My wife and I took an intro bowl turning class a month ago and we both got hooked. We've each turned another bowl at home and decided to take another class from the instructor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 If it's a duplicate, I hope I gave the same answer both times (if I answered before). As I get older I never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatCharlieDude Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 There are a ton of great videos on youtube. I like: Nick Zammeti NZ WoodTurning Carl Jacobson Mike Waldt SG Art Turning Also think about joining your local club, they're usually less than $50 a year and you can get lots of useful info there. You also might want to join a national org too like American Association of Woodturners (AAW). They have an beautifully presented magazine with lots of useful tips and how tos. They just finished their national convention so there's lots of youtube videos out there of demos. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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