Lathe tools needed/recommendation

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Mike5753

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Aug 11, 2010
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Chicago, Il
I am looking for a set of tools, If someone has an older set they have no longer use would welcome a trade. I have some wood I could cut into blanks, I have cherry, walnut, maple, red oak, paduak, a little purpleheart. As an alternative what would be a recommendation for a inexpensive good starter set.

Mike
 
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Mapster

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May 21, 2010
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Go to PSI and you can get a 1/2" gouge for about $20. You can do anything with a gouge, it is the only tool you NEED when you start.
 

JerrySambrook

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Dec 4, 2006
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Southwick, MA, USA.
Actually, you would be better off buying one good roughing gouge about 3/4" to 1" and using that. You can make many more useful cuts such as the simple roughing, planing, pealing, and even use the wings in a bevel rubbing cut like a skew. I used only a Sorby 3/4" roughing gouge for years, due to space and money constraints
This advise is only good if you are turning just pens, if anything else, then a 3/8' to 1/2" bowl gouge is a more verstile tool that you can do all but the very finest bead and cove work with.

Jerry
 
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Padre

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Actually, you would be better off buying one good roughing gough about 3/4" to 1" and using that. You can make many more useful cuts such as the simple roughing, planing, pealing, and even use the wings in a bevel rubbing cut like a skew. I used only a Sorby 3/4" roughing gouge for years, due to space and money constraints
This advise is only good if you are turning just pens, if anything else, then a 3/8' to 1/3" bowl gouge is a more verstile tool that you can do all but the very finest bead and cove work with.

Jerry

+1 Get a good gouge and KEEP IT VERY SHARP
 

spnemo

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Aug 21, 2010
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Tustin, MI
+1 on the Harbor Freight tools but be sure to get the High Speed Steel. The others are junk!
 
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Jun 28, 2005
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Holland, Mi, USA.
For whatever its worth. I would recomend the HF set for 2 reasons. Cost being #1 and if you are learning to sharpen it doesn't hurt so bad if you mess one up. If you know what you are doing in that area, go for a better tool.
 

rjwolfe3

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Feb 12, 2008
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Mansfield, Ohio, USA.
Personally I started with a skew myself. I went with PSI rather then Harbor Freight for a set but if I was doing it over I would go with the Harbor Freight. I don't use a gouge for anything now and really never used it much back then. Learn to sharpen whatever tools you get. Makes for a much more enjoyable turning experience with sharp tools.
 

ROOKIETURNER

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Feb 26, 2010
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Naperville, IL
Mike,

The HF set that they are speaking of is the one I was using last Thursday when you came over. It is the one that I would recommend. Not a bad price and you get more than you will use to start.

HF also have a small set of tools. I found a few to be useful. One in particular when cutting the center band tenon on a Euro pen.
 

ROOKIETURNER

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Not wanting to hijack a thread but since sharpening was brought up, what sort of an angle does everyone use on skews? I've tried all over the gamut but never seem to get great results with any angle I chose. I always seem to have to use an aggressive angle of attack with the skew to the blank to get a decent cut, but then its too deep of a cut.

If all that makes any sense.

But always negates what you just said. I would start a new thread so that Mike can get his question answered.
 

snyiper

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Aug 24, 2009
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St Inigoes, MD
I too use only a Skew and a carbide tool like the woodchuck. I have gouges and parting tools but those are the two most used.
 

sbell111

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Jan 16, 2008
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Franklin, TN
Thanks for input I will stop at HF this morning. I know I will eventually replace them.

MIke
Turning tools are consumables, little different than sandpaper and CA glue. No matter which ones you buy, you'll eventually use them up and need new ones.
 

BigguyZ

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Aug 8, 2007
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Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
I bought the HF tools and stiff use many of them. It'll give you a good idea of what profiles you can use. But they used to have a set with dark wood handles. If your local store has those, get them in lieu of the light-colored handles. I can't remember why, but I think it's to do with the darker set having better quality steel.

Personally, I make most of my cuts with a scraper. I use my skew for rounding over blanks, but the scraper has more control to get precise depth, IMO. A sharp skew can leave a smoother cut, but if you sand anyways, it's not that big of a deal.
 

aggromere

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I agree with the gouge idea. I use a 1 inch gouge a lot. As long as you keep it very sharp it can do just about anything any other tool can do and it is easier to use I think.
 

jskeen

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Oct 11, 2007
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Crosby, Texas, USA.
If you get into doing any kind of bowl turning you might be interested in making one of these ...

http://aroundthewoods.com/oland.shtml

This is one of the most fabulous websites in existence for the new woodturner. Read every page of it and you will get more ideas, hints, projects and instructions than you will be able to complete in years. The first one to start with is the basic outline for a sharpening jig. I built my version of it years ago, with a 19.99 walmart grinder, and still use it today everytime I turn. total cost was about $25 for the grinder and some nuts and eyebolts at the hardware store.

I believe he has instructions for a pyramid tool or 120 degree point tool there somewhere, but I'm not sure that's where I saw it. If not, here's the readers digest version. Go to a pawn shop and pick up a few extra long drill bits between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. You want the ones that have a longer non fluted section. Use it or a new bit the same size to drill a hole into a handle blank the depth of the flutes + about an inch. If the fluted section is too long, you can snap off some, just leave about 2 inches of flutes + 1 inch of solid to epoxy into the handle. Turn the handle to fit your hand, and then epoxy in the drill bit with the flat, non fluted end out. Wrap a wet paper towel around the shaft about an inch back, and use some tape to secure it so it won't get into the grinder wheel. Get a cup of water and put it near the grinder. Dunk the tip from time to time to keep it from getting too hot, as you grind a flat on one side of the end about 1/3 of the total diameter. turn the handle 120 degrees and repeat twice. You can adjust the distance the tool butt is from the grinder wheel to change the angle till you get a sharp point with a flat edge about 1.5 times the diameter of the tool and all 3 angles as close as you can eyeball it to the same. This tool can be used to turn decorative grooves with the point, and you can use the angle edge almost like a skew to face or round the end of turnings. A very useful tool to have, and total cost is usually about a quarter for the used drill bit. If you get a drill bit that won't hold an edge, heat it with a torch till the epoxy turns loose, trash it and try another one. No great loss.

Another "usually" free tool is the dreaded butter knife parting tool. I say usually free, cause I know one guy that used one of his wife's good butter knives, and it cost him plenty! But any other butter knife will usually work, and actually a very old one from a junk store or "anteek maul" has a better chance of having better steel, so don't be afraid to risk 50 or 75 cents to pick up a few to try. Just set the butt down far enough from your grinding wheel to give yourself about a 45 degree angle on the first grind, and with the spine of the knife down "teeth up" grind the round tip to a sharp point. The arc you grind should be about 3/4 inch. Then turn over and relieve the point down about 1/4 inch, giving you a compound point somewhere in the vicinity of 70 or 80 degrees. Turn some scrap wood to a dowel, and part down into it about half way every half inch or so, about 5 or 6 times per knife. Discard the ones that get dull the quickest. I actually have an old carbon steel chef's knife that I ground the edge off of till the blade was a little over an inch wide, and did this too, so it's a little heavier, and it's my main parting tool, I use it more than my 3 or 4 purchased ones.
 
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