duckkisser Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 ok our school is talking about geting some lathes and were going to get a delta 46-460 hopefully!! i need to get a prity decent set of tools that isent 200 dollers a tool. http://www.thompsonlathetools.com/pricelist.asp been told these are prity decent tools what should we get as a basic kit so that i can get the kids started. what ones do i want to start them learning off of as well as myself. i might be able to milk this a bit and get a collection of tools rather then a very basic 5 piece set. but i need to know which ones to get for the starter kit and then any extras we will find very usefull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted October 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 a forum member offered to sell some robert sorby tools are they a prity decent tool or do they dull very quickly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 I'm going to put my two cents in, and then explain why I went my route. Take it for what it's worth... For just starting out, I'd go with a mid - level or entry level tool set for the students. something that will be easy enough to sharpen so that they get the idea, but hard enough that they don't have to sharpen every three breaths. So (given my limited exposure to these tools), I'd start with HSS tools. Probably Wood River. Now, I started by buying an 8 piece set from Harbor Freight. I did this deliberately. I wanted something to learn on, both in cutting and in sharpening, before I spent "real money" on a set of "real tools." Keeping in mind that the tools will get smaller as you sharpen them, I figured there was just enough good metal in the HF Specials to get me to the point that, once I felt I had a pretty good handle on how to use them, I'd be ready to treat myself to some real tools. I have to say, I am surprised by the quality of the skew. If it wasn't for the fact I don't know how to sharpen it, it would probably be the best tool of the bunch from their set. And I did make my own version of the Wolverine for basic grinding, but lost the parts I was acquiring for a fingernail (or is it Irish?) grind. Being on the broke side of cheap, I figured I could make most of the same set far cheaper than the Wolverine was offered at. Which brings up a second point: don't forget to get a few sharpening jigs, too. (Or make them.) The students will be needing that lesson as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted October 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 going to get the wolverien jig i hear realy good things about it. want to get some decent tools since the longer they stay sharp the better that way i wont have to worry as much about tear out from dull tools going to get decent tools while they are giving me money never know when that is going to happen again. but ill look at the wood river tools what do you know about robert sorby tools or the thompson tools for myself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 Until Roger mentioned the Thompson tools, I'd never heard of them. I had been setting aside all the pennies I could to save up for the Sorby Sovreign system (one basic handle, and you can add length or side bars as needed, and change out the cutting tools when needed) as that "ultimate tool." the longer I turn, the more I discover that tools are how you use them, not how much you paid. Nothing against the Sorby tools, but now I'm looking to get tools with dedicated shafts. I'm seeing the benefit of having more than one shaft on hand, instead of taking however long to switch the gouge for the scraper (as an example). I'll still probably get a Sorby tool or two, but it will be in the nature of a specialty tool, not my primary work horse. My hands-on experience with these is fairly limited: one gouge and a brief stint with a skew, but it was definitely an improvement over my HF Specials. (Not having multiple sets to choose from yet, I have no other comparisons to offer.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystyk Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Sorby tools are very nice. They are not all the mix and match mentioned, there is a full line of dedicated tools. As for what you need for starters, that would depend on what kind of turning you are planning on. Spindle or face. For face turning a couple of bowl gouges ( different sizes) and a 1/4" parting tool will get you far. For spindle turning a Roughing gouge, a couple of spindle gouges, a skew and a parting tool will do well. Also a band saw and drill press, but hopefully you have them already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 thanks mystyk not shire what are turning projects will be think start simple, pen, wistle, decoration, paper weight ect... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
went_postal Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 I have a mixture of Sorby and Crown tools... all have held up well and don't require sharpening every 10 seconds. Of course... that is dependent on the wood you are making into sawdust. If I recall correctly... I bought two "essential" chisels to start out with: A Bowl Gouge A Diamond Parting tool I was told early on... You can use a bowl gouge on spindles but you can't use a spindle gouge on bowls... so the bowl gouge was more "universal." I also used that bowl gouge as a rouging gouge for a long time and it worked out okay... I enjoy having a rouging gouge as well though. The nice thing about bowl gouges is that they are typically pretty long and stout. In my case I have a Sorby with a "fingernail" grind. Lord help me... learning to grind that bad boy (even with the wolverine) was insane. The nice thing though... the people over at OneWay are AWESOME and answer the phone when you have questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted October 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 good to know struggling with the thought of sharpening my tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 There's another issue with the grinding jigs, though. Sorby tools are ground differently than most other tools. I think it's a European versus American style issue, but I'm not positive (since I only have one set / source for my tools). However, I heard this directly from a Sorby representative while he was doing a turning demonstration at my local Woodcraft, so I have no reason to doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger T Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 JHop I think very few turners stick with the grind that comes from the factory. Unless you get an Ellsworth gouge with his style of grind on it. Most guys that have that gouge will try and retain it. I have a mix of tooling, that is all ground the same way regardless of manufacturer. Just my .02 Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted October 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 ok so the guys in charge of the vacational department got a lathe donated....i hooked it up and did little playing with it for the first time with the cheapy tools that we had.(man they need sharpening lots of tear out). this lathe was so filthy i put on some plastic gloves to clean it and scrubed it down.it runs decent little pain to change the belts for different speeds. its ok to play with but the brushes are shot(built in 84 and sat in garage) so i have to manualy turn the motor to get it to start turning. im realy going to push to get a delta 46-460 for the class and some semi decent tools that we wont have to sharpen every half hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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