What turning tools?

[Skunkeye]

I just got my Powermatic 3520 lathe (still on the pallet!) and have zero turning experience. I do have some hobby metal lathe experience. I plan to turn small to medium size bowls, drawer pulls, legs, pepper mills, etc.

What do you folks recommend for a set of turning tools. I'm not afraid of a grinder, but I see a lot of carbide insert type tools out there, my gut is to go with tools I can just sharpen myself.

I don't care about the initial outlay, I just don't want to be selling a set of nearly new turning tools on ebay in a month because I bought crap. Any brands to avoid?

Thanks.

I

[duckkisser]

i just bought my lathe the delta 46-460 and i did alot of soul searching for lathe tools. if you want some realy good one the robert sorby tools are prity good,http://www.robert-sorby.co.uk/ much more expierenced turners have recomended that i get the thompson tools http://thompsonlathetools.com/. i went with the sorby tools because they are established company and the price was a little better here is what i got http://www.amazon.com/5pc-Robert-Sorby-52HS-Lathe/dp/B004HJ3BRO/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1322082978&sr=1-4 http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Sorby-842XLH-Bowl-Gouge/dp/B001HMVCPW/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1322082948&sr=1-1 as i get more tools and shapers ill probably branch out to other companies. the tools came sharp i did work the bowl gouge a little as it was catching a little but that can also be on me since i am just starting.

you will probably want to make bowls and you might want to do some research on geting a cole jaw chuck so you can hold your projects or some kind of sucktion chuck.

how come you went with the powermatic that is one hell of a lathe to pick up if you dont even know if you like turning. did you get a good deal or win it?

[Skunkeye]

I looked around a bit and it came down to One Way, Vic Marc, or the Powermatic. The other lathes were a little more than I could slide by the spousal unit. I almost decided to build a bow lathe like that Moroccan video, but my belly won't let me contort into that position.

[duckkisser]

so far i realy like my delta i dont plan on making huge platers and pillars just small bowls, hollow forms, ect...... stuff like you mentioned. i can afford the 600 for my lathe but i cant afford 3.5-4k for a powermatic.

[DaBear]

This may sound like odd advice, but I'd buy something 'mid range' at first (I have the base Lee Valley tools and like them). Reason being is that you will be doing lots of sharpening with them, and that's a skill you need to master. Also, that way when you mangle the tool end, you won't cry (as much anyway).. Once you get a good feel for sharpening, as well as what types of tools you like to use (gouges versus scrapers for example), you can by a 'top of the line' of whatever tool that is.. My other suggestion would be that if you plan to do bowls, get a good jig for sharpening your bowl gouges (Oneway has a nice one, there are others..) Also, based on my own 'mistake', I'd advise you getting a variable speed grinder instead of a 'one-speed'.. Welcome to the money pit we call turning, and hope you find this useful..

Cheers,

Da Bear..

[Roger T]

First of let me say that I have no affiliation with any tool maker or tool seller. That being said, here are my thoughts on a decent set of turning tools.

Bowl Gouges:

V Gouges in 5/8, 1/2, and 3/8

U Gouges in 1/2 and 3/8

Spindle/Detail Gouges

1/2" and 3/8"

Some type of parting tool.

Skews

1" or 3/4 and a 1/2"

Scrapers

There are just so many scrapers to choose from, get the thickest you can find in scrapers.

A 3/4 or 1" sq end,

a 3/4 or 1" round nose

And a spindle roughing gouge, any size you prefer, I have a 3/4" and 1 1/4" and use both frequently.

That will give you a good assortment of tools to get started with, but like most turners, after you have some hours under your belt at the machine, you will discover that you will be wanting to add to your arsenal. I VERY highly recommend getting a Wolvering Grinding system, and using that to sharpen with. Get the Original Vari Grind with it for doing the gouges. It will give you repeatable results each and everytime you go to the grinder. While you can learn to freehand sharpen, have consistant bevels on the tools takes a lot out of learning to turn.

As to the manufacturer of the tools. Sorby tools are great, as are Pinnacle, Taylor, D-Way, Thompson, and Glaser.

I feel that for the money spent, that the Thompson tools are the best value on the market at the moment. (Coming from a guy that does not even own a Thompson Gouge or tool). You can buy them unhandled, or you can purchase handles from him. You can even purchase premade wooden handles from many of the online sellers.

A few other things you will want to add to your tool kit would be a chuck or 2, with a few sets of jaws. A GOOD Faceshield or some type of face protection. Safety glasses alone are inadequate. A Jacobs chuck, with a #2mt on it for drilling on the lathe.

Welcome to the Vortex. The force is strong young woodspinner!

Please complete your profile, as we may have a turning member or someone close to you to help you get started. Try and find a mentor, that will shorten your learning curve by a ton.

I am always glad to help out. Just post a message, or PM me.

Roger

[Skunkeye]

Thanks for the replies. I spoke to Doug Thompson from Thompson Lathe Tools and he is getting me lined out. He answered an email on Thanksgiving, and called me today to double check the order. Great service.

Funny, too. I asked him why he was working on Thanksgiving and his reply was, "I'm retired...so I work all the time!"

[Darnell Hagen]

Like Bear said, get some cheap tools just to practice grinding on. I have the LV HSS economy set, and I gotta admit I ground off a lot of steel before I got the hang of it.

Ok, that's a lie, I ground off a lot of steel before I gave up and bought a Wolverine.

[sj2494]

to be honest i mostly have the wood river stuff and it works great the robert sorbys that my uncle has work a little better but its mostly how you good you sharpen them that will determine how they work. get a nice low speed grinder to sharpen the wet stones are nice but a grinder is much more speedy just make sure you dont sharpen next to a pile of shavings. also start off with real tools not the carbide tipped ones you can you tube exsploding turning i have exsperience with these carbide cutters catching in the wood and its not fun i had my wirl with them and my rockler one hit the bin after about a week

[ViolinMagick]

The very best thing you can do when you are getting started is to find a local wood turner and ask for help getting started. You can usually get some time at least watching and sometimes actually doing wood turning and it will help you a ton with regards to going from zero knowledge to enough to not get yourself injured.

Watching Youtube videos will only get you so far. Most of the videos that I have seen on there are done by people who are self taught and don't actually know anything about turning. If you are doing it right, you should only need to sharpen your tools a couple of times a year with a quick honing on a stone in between.

Finally, start turning small stuff. Don't be afraid to turn up the spindle speed as long as the piece is balanced. If you make a mistake, you will simply break the piece and have to start over. If you start turning something like a piece of 4"x4" oak and you make a mistake, it could be deadly. Make no mistake, wood turning is fun and I have done it for over 30 years. But, it is also dangerous and getting help early on may just keep you in one piece.

In answer to your question, I really like lathe tools that have nice long(18" or longer) handles on them as they are much less likely to wind up stuck in the ceiling. This is a great set of beginning tools for your lathe. I like it enough that I am buying it myself to replace the tools lost in the fire. http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2005238/13699/WoodRiver-High-Speed-Steel-Beginners-5-Piece-Turning-Set.aspx

I hope this helps. Remember: Safety first.

Cheers,

VM