Suggestions..

[turner.curtis]

Hey guys and gals!

I have a few questions and hope that some of you can offer some suggestions.

Have been turning for about a month now and have turned about 40 or so slimlines. I am now starting to get an itch to try another style kit based on a lof of the great looking pens I have seen people post pictures of here. Long story short, I would like to branch out and try another style, any suggestions on what I should try next?

My second question revolves around knives. I currently haev a set of standard chisels, and am getting tired of spending as much or more time sharpening than actually turning. I am looking to get a new set and would prefer to stay below $100.00 on them, any suggestions? I was looking at teh PSI 8 piece HSS or the Anniversiary Edition 6 piece HSS set from them also.

My last question for the time being, is that I am also looking in to acquiring a chuck to aide in turning other things. I was looking at the Nova G3 or the CSC2000C from PSI, any suggestions there?

Not sure if it plays in to the suggestions or not but I currently have a Jet 1014VSI lathe.

Thanks for your time!
Curtis

 

[bensoelberg]

I really like cigar kits. They are not too different from slimlines, (a couple more components) but look and feel significantly more substantial. I can't really say much about your tools, because I'm pretty new myself. I bought a Nova G3 in June and love it. If you're willing to wait awhile, CSUSA will sometimes run a special where they include 2 additional sets of jaws with the chuck. It's a great deal.

 

[ed4copies]

Just addressing tools.

Why a set? For pens: a good skew, maybe a good roughing gouge, any old parting tool.

If you are doing other turning, maybe a set makes sense. For me, I use the skew 99+% of the time.

 

[turner.curtis]

Thanks for the input guys.

@ed4copies, that is just it, I do not know what I do not know right now as such not sure what I should really do. I have mainly been turning pens, but have a feeling that I will be trying some small bowls and other projects as I build some experience.

Curtis

 

[ed4copies]

Curtis,

I have been turning a long time, I have dozens of tools. Probably a hundred or more, all together. I use no more than 10.

IF you decide to do bowls you will take a lesson or see a vid and you will NEED the tool the demonstrator used, which won't be in your tool SET.

Buy a couple decent tools----on sale, if at all possible. Focus on the steel---good High Speed Steel (HSS) tools by any name will all perform nicely. Don't like the feel after you've used it for a while, turn your own handle and replace the one that came with the tool.

Use wet sharpening, so you don't sharpen away expensive steel.

 

[GoodTurns]

tool suggestion.... I wish the woodchuck had been my first tool! search in classifieds for posting by bitshird. I'm with Ed on the set, you MIGHT use two of the set tools regularly, pick a good skew and practice with it, it will take care of most of your needs.

kit suggestion.... any of the Sierra type single barrels are a simple to make kit with lots of variety in platings/details. MOST of the kits are the same difficulty when turning, I still avoid tenons just because they are a nuisance. Anything without them is about the same to turn. How much do you want to spend!!!!?

 

[turner.curtis]

@ed4copies - Thanks again for the suggestions. I will start looking and see what I can find on sale. Like I mentioned I do not know what I do not know so I really appreciate any information I can get ahold of to try to make the right decision especially considerig the potential price difference and the blanks / kits I can get with the that money to turn more and increase my experience.

Curtis

 

[turner.curtis]

@GoodTurns - will do a search now for the woodchuck, appreciate the kit insight. I figure currently until I build more experience and can turn something that looks good I will try to stay with the less expensive kits, although I do also realize I need to start turning other types to gain that experience as well and to have more variety available for that interesting blank I expect to run across one day...

Curtis

 

[hdtran]

Thanks for the input guys.

@ed4copies, that is just it, I do not know what I do not know right now as such not sure what I should really do. I have mainly been turning pens, but have a feeling that I will be trying some small bowls and other projects as I build some experience.

Curtis

Do you have a grinder or other tool to sharpen your gouges/tools? I found that sharpening is not a huge chore when you have the proper jigs and tools.

That said, I am coveting (and am about to buy) one of Ken Ferrell's carbide tools (leapwood-pens and/or woodchuck-tools).

I have a Nova chuck or one of its Oneway clones (for making a pepper grinder, and turned christmas ornaments), a spur center that I don't use, and a morse taper tail stock drill chuck. If you get the Nova chuck or a clone, you may choose to drill your blanks from the tail stock, rather than using a drill press.

 

[turner.curtis]

@hdtran - currently I am sharpening by hand using my old bench grinder and a wet stone set or 400/600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I only hit them on the bench grinder after I got them and decided they cut like crap and decided to re-angle a couple then sharpened them back up. I have looked at tool sharpeners over the years and have waffled on them everytime. Maybe it is time to invest in a sharpener or at the least a jig for the bench grinder.

Thanks for your feedback!

Curtis

 

[turner.curtis]

The woodchuck is interesting. I actually still have some carbide inserts at home from when I was playing with metal lathes years ago. I may try to whip up something to hold one of them and give it a try, or maybe take one of the old tool holders I have up to a friend and have him grind or turn to round and insert in a dowel.

Curtis

 

[wizical]

If you are going to buy a chuck, take a look at Vicmarc. IMHO, they make the best Wood Chuck on the market and if you buy the Dovetail Jaws as well, you can drill your blanks on the lathe, that is what I do and it is great, no hassles!

I just bought myself a set of the Easy Wood Tools from CSUSA, They are great! Easy to use and never really require sharpening! Just a touchup every now and then. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me

 

[hdtran]

@hdtran - currently I am sharpening by hand using my old bench grinder and a wet stone set or 400/600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I only hit them on the bench grinder after I got them and decided they cut like crap and decided to re-angle a couple then sharpened them back up. I have looked at tool sharpeners over the years and have waffled on them everytime. Maybe it is time to invest in a sharpener or at the least a jig for the bench grinder.

Thanks for your feedback!

Curtis

I used to sharpen freehand (well, almost freehand) on a grinder and/or sander. I finally bit the bullet a few years back, and bought the wolverine jig for bench grinder. You may want to check that your grinder is a slow speed (1700 rpm) as opposed to 3400, to reduce heat buildup when you sharpen. Anyway, I use the long handle on the wolverine jig almost all the time. The small jig for the 'fingernail' grind is very nice if you need to grind a tool for face work or bowls.

 

[Drstrangefart]

If you wanna harden your tools at the working surface, you can heat it with a torch until it's glowing, and touch it with one of those magnet-on-a-stick deals. If the magnet doesn't attract to the steel, drop it in water or motor oil. Use a wet sharpening system to get the edge to really want. You have just tempered your steel and it should be a LOT harder to dull out. Probably take longer to sharpen the first time, but wouldn't be a problem for me.

 

[JimB]

Since you didn't say what set you have or what is in your set it is really hard to give advice on what you need. You may already have everything you need.

As for sharpening, I'm going to guess the reason you spend so much time sharpening is becuase you are not using any jigs and therefore are not getting a consistent edge. You can make a jig for your grinder out of scrap wood and you will spend much less time sharpening. A quick touch up on the grinder and you will be back to the lathe.

 

[turner.curtis]

I appreciate the insight guys!

The chisels I have currently look like these although I paid a bit more for them... http://www.amazon.com/piece-Wood-La...ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1291830956&sr=1-6
I appreciate the tip to process them, but was concerned about not being confident in the Chineese steel and it potentially just becoming really brittle and not getting a good tempering due to the unknown carbon content.

The set I was looking at before reading the suggestions to stear clear and look at individuals was: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038UVUQW/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A2GJWAGCLWRNHP

Now I am looking at these 2 mini sets.

Has anyone tried these? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KI8D2O/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

If not will probably go with: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000223MK/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A18GOTPZXJ4GOE

As for the other kit styles, I am still undecided... Does anyone know of a vendor that has a sample pack of 1 or 2 of each style that they carry?

 

[ctubbs]

Ken Ferrell makes the woodchuck pen pro as well as the bowl pro. I bought the latter so I could turn either pens of bowls. It is an amazing tool. His site can be found here;
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=53620
I use the bowl pro, a skew, a cut off tool and on occasion to keep in practice a gouge. I have just started trying PR turning. I have cast some practice blanks and they came out way rough. I can take the woodchuck and round the blanks and take off ribbons of PR so easy that it must be illegal.
Charles
disclaimer; I am in no way connected to the Woodchuck manufacturer financially.

 

[soligen]

As for the other kit styles, I am still undecided... Does anyone know of a vendor that has a sample pack of 1 or 2 of each style that they carry?

I dont know of a set package, but Exotic Blanks has a volume discount for mix & match purchases on some their kits. You could pick 1 or 2 of each. I think you need to get to 7 kits, but check their web site. you can also upgrade the refill on a some of them (parker style refills) - which will really change (improve) the way your pen writes.

 

[alphageek]

Although it is possible to mix and match and get a sample, I'm not sure that's what I would recommend..

Let me ask this another way.... What is your goal for next pens? Slims are great because of low cost and flexibility. I can say that I have tried many different kits and like some more than others.... But what do you want to DO next? If you can answer that it can affect our answer... Sierra, cigar and jr gent are the obvious answers to me, but for different reasons.

 

[BigguyZ]

I like cigars. They are a good step before going to the higher end capped pens. But I'm also partial to the Sierras, since they're easy on the budget, balanced well, and don't take a lot of material.

I will also say the woodchuck tool is great. That, a skew, a scraper, and a parting tool will get you far when it comes to pens. For bowls, a roughing gouge and a spingle gouge are good adds.

 

[JimMc7]

Like most of the earlier posters, I use a skew for most all penturning. If you sharpen on a grinder you'll create a hollow grind on the edge. You can use a diamond plate to hone the hollow ground edge several times before you need to re-sharpen on the grinder. This gives you more time turning and less time sharpening.

Ken's woodchuck is also a great tool for harder materials like some of the Trustone blanks -- these dull an HSS edge quickly.

I use this honing plate from CSUSA to freshen skew edges:

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/s...amond_Honing_Stone___big_diamond_honing?Args=

 

[turner.curtis]

Thanks once again for all the advice guys.

@alphageek to be honest I am not really sure, sort of a blank slate here so to speak. From reading I figure I need to start taking some gradual steps toward harder and harder projects. I figured a good way to do that, gain more experience, and to determine what style I find to be interesting or may develop a niche for was to try to get a few of several types and go to town as time permits. I currently do not plan to sell any, just give them as gifts / suprises. Infact I mysteriously left 2 behind as a surprise to either the clerk or next customer after signing a credit card reciepts today.

 

[alphageek]

Then I'd recommend three things....

1) Cigars (Sierras won't be more of a challenge..so they are out IMO) and cigars will get you up into the parker or 9000 refill and still try different things....
2) Something in a european type? I havn't made those, but they are nice looking and have the tendon to deal with... Not as sure here, but these seem popular.
3) No new kit Slimline have a huge set of options - custom centerbands, no centerbands, and more? Share some pics of what you've done, we can recommend more challenges

Dean

 

[soligen]

The woodchuck is interesting. I actually still have some carbide inserts at home from when I was playing with metal lathes years ago. I may try to whip up something to hold one of them and give it a try, or maybe take one of the old tool holders I have up to a friend and have him grind or turn to round and insert in a dowel.

Curtis

Based on the one I tried, Metal cutting inserts are ground different. the one I tried had a little micro bevel I had to grind away to get good results. Took hours by hand on a diamond hone.

Inserts from bitshird are not that expensive and will have the right angles.

 

[robutacion]

Reading all your thoughts turner.curtis and all the decisions you have NOT made yet, I would suggest you to keep away from mini tools (gouges) they may be nice for pen turning only but useless for bigger stuff, as you indicated you may go for.

You have pretty much everything you need in that first kit of yours, the only thing is "badly" missing is a sharpening system of some nature, even if your grinder is not the best in the word. With that money you have to spend about $100 or so, get some decent sharpening jig going, if you are good making stuff you can make one up quite cheap, giving you enough to buy a white diamond stone for your grinder and a diamond T shape stone dresser, they are a must...!

You would be surprised how much better your existent gouges will cut if you do this. They will also hold and edge longer, have the right cutting configuration, last longer in between sharps, and will be sharpened a lot quicker when need to, this will also allow for the usable still within the gouge last a lot longer as you don't "destroy" near as much steal...!

Now, the next lot of available money should go to a decent carbide tool, a square one to start with and then a round one. These will do any turnings you may thing of, from pens to bowls, goblets, platters, vases, bottle stoppers, etc, etc...!

When money is no problem, is nice to have a good collection of the best tool brands, shapes and sizes, 85% of them will be never used or rarely, is most cases, still they are a nice thing to have and admire, and play with every so often but, with money restrictions as most of us have (even tough we all waste lots of money in tools that are rarely used, and this as just a fact...!) prioritizing is required for everything and turning is no different so think wisely, ask lots of questions and do lots of searching, you will learn a lot in the process...!

In regards to chucks, my suggestion is the Nova G3, amazing and reliable tool...!

Good luck...!


Cheers
George

 

[turner.curtis]

Hey guys thanks once again... I greatly appreciate everyone's input.

@Alphageek I had been thinking about centerbands after reading some of the advanced penmaking threads, but think with looking at the stuff I have currently, I may need to wait till I get some synthetic materials and black trimed kits. I currently only have gold and sliver kits and limited species of lumber that from looking through do not think will blend well.

@Robutacion thanks for the input and redirection towards a sharpener. I am going to search for some rough jig plans and a wheel that will fit my grinder. Based on some of the other sage advice from the other guys, I was looking to get just 1 or 2 inexpensive HSS knives for now, and some kits as I do only have a limited budget (about $250.00 USD) left for my wish list. I am hoping that if I am nice enough between now and April that the wife will agree to let me grab a woodchuck for my birthday. My thought process was that if I get some ok HSS knives and the G3 Chuck then use the remainder of what the "Boss" will allow on kits and more materials to get more learning accomplished with.

@soligen that is interesting, reading your reply I am glad that I did not try to make a tool holder yet. I am going to have to research that now though as it has my curiosity. I do not doubt you, just would like to know the physics behind why it is cut differently.

 

[alphageek]

Curtis...

You'd be surprised what you can do with simple materials.... see this link: note all are gold kits and only the first one uses a centerband. http://www.woodturnerruss.com/Pen10.html

And some of my coolest slims are just walnut and maple!

Dean

 

[turner.curtis]

@alphageek, yes that is the tutorial I read the other day that got me thinking...

 

[LEAP]

Curtis,
When I found this site I spent days looking at the photo albums of all the members here. The Slimlines then took up most of my turning for a while. The possibilities are endless. it was only after I inundated my family and friends with slimlines that I moved on to other kits. I started out with a tool set for pen turning but they have been collecting dust for years now. I only use two tools for almost all of my pen turning a good skew and a set of calipers. I have a woodchuck pen pro that I have used on some of the harder materials and it works great but 99% of the time I reach for the skew.