Thanks to the advice of you members, I have finally decided which lathe (Jet mini) and which set of turning tools (Crown) to buy. Have the lathe but the tools??? Have looked at lots of "personal choice" type lists and since new to turning still can not decide which tools I should have to start turning. I have discovered that "sets" of tools are not always the best way to go and therefore have decided to order individual pieces. I think a bowl gouge, spindle gouge, a scraper and a parting tool, are necessary? But if you experienced turners can say exactly which tools one should start with and what size of each of those tools one should have, it would be a big help. I think 6-8 tools maybe right all together. Thank you.
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beginners tools
- Thread starter gary7
- Start date
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
My list of must have tools. 1/2" bowl gouge. Round nose scraper, the thicker the better. Parting tool(I have a half dozen different ones and they all work so just buy the best deal. That covers bowls. for Spindles and small projects, 3/8" spindle gouge, 3/4" rough out gouge. That's really all you actually need. I like to use the skew on spindles, about 3/4 to 1 1/4". A flat scraper is occasionally handy for cleaning up the outside of bowls and for inside some boxes. I could turn a huge amount of work with just those tools. I have a huge number of tools because I like to experiment and I make a wide variety of pieces, however I use the ones I just mentioned way more than all the rest.
I would add a skew, 1-11/4" to John's list. I would take that skew in hand and learn to use it before I pick up another tool. The skew will teach you a lot about how cuttting tools work and how to control them. If you do not have friend that can get you started get Alan Lacer's tape, "The Skew Chiesel: the Dark Side and the Sweet Side".
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gary7 said:
As you go over those "personal choice" options, remember. They had no idea even of what they dislike until they'd used the tool. Further, what tools one actually uses now -even if now is after twenty years - is subject to change with experimentation in angle of grind, angle of attack, appealing project and more than a bit of tool snobbery.
Get the 6 or 8 piece sets for a hundred bucks and learn how you turn. That's the first step toward your personal list, and your training in how to sharpen and apply the tools to wood. Even a bowl is a spindle turning until you start to hollow it, so they all apply.
If you're going to try a bowl, get a middling bowl gouge of about 3/8 flute size to add to your set. One reason you need to do this is because they're generally longer than the same size in spindle gouges, the second is that drawing back the edges too far will make them less capable in spindle work.
You'll end up doing 90% of your work with your favorite tools anyway. With me it's about 10, with some, less.
MichaelMouse said:
I agree with Michael on this, and being a newbie myself I can speak from recent personal experience. I've been turning since August of this year and started with an 8 piece set of no name tools. I have already purchased a number of Sorby, Crown and Taylor bowl gouges, scrapers and skews to replace the tools from the no-name set with better quality ones. However I learned how to sharpen on the no-name set 🙄 No sense in taking a chance on ruining expensive HSS if you can help it.
And speaking of sharpening, don't forget to factor that into your shopping list. It is an absolute must! Learning to turn can be difficult and frustrating at times. Doing so with dull or poorly sharpened tools could ruin the entire experience.