Which tools for what process

[Rob Holcomb]

Hello everyone. As I was turning my first piece last night, initially I had no particular object in mind to make. I just wanted to try out the different tools I got with my cheap Harborfreight set to see what they were used for. By the time I was done, I had made a little goblet out of Ash. Nothing good enough to post a picture of though. The whole time I was turning, I kept wondering which tool to use. When I was done, I still had no idea. I know enough to figure out that using a roughing gouge for detail work wasn't the right thing to do, but I found myself doing just that and it worked but I had to be extremely careful and was barely touching the wood to avoid taking off too much. The set I bought came with a 1'' & 3/4'' roughing gouge, a 1/8'' parting tool, a 1/2'' & 1'' skew chisel, a 1/2'' round nose scraper, a 1/2" beveled scraper and a 1/4'' spindle gouge. Is there a tutorial online that explains the uses of each of these tools or would someone be kind enough to take the time to educate me? Thanks in advance!

[John Keeton]

Rob, the "3/4" roughing gouge is probably a spindle gouge. The corners are probably ground back a little on it. I can actually use that tool for a lot of shaping, and then use a detail gouge for finish beads/coves. I started off trying to use the skew a lot, and got to where I could use it fairly well for beads, etc. But, I find the detail gouge does really well for that.

I would recommend the Grumbine DVDs to start with. That is what was suggested for me, and they were great!! You will learn the proper technique and sharpening tips, as well. Bill shows how to do the various cuts, etc. Well worth the cost, and you can quickly resell them.

Sounds like you were using some of those tools for doing "bowl" work, and none of them are designed for that. You should consider getting a bowl gouge quickly. Many, including Steve Schlumpf, have recommended the Benjamin Best bowl gouge (5/8") to start with. I have the Thompson 1/2" - same size I think. Lot more metal and better tang in the bowl gouge for when you get a catch - when, not if!!

There is also a link to some videos from the UK (United Kingdom) on doing the various cuts, etc., but I have lost the link. Perhaps someone will post it again.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Rob - the Harbor Freight tool set is for spindle turning only - DO NOT use them for bowls - they are not built to withstand the rotational forces!

Best source for beginners - in my opinion - is Peter Hemsley's site. Check it out: http://www.peter.hemsley.btinternet.co.uk/CDB/Technical/Beginners/beginners.html

Looking forward to seeing some of your work real soon!

After you get an idea of what each tool can do - on spindle work - here is a link to a short series demonstrating some of the various cuts. http://www.turningtools.co.uk/videos/videos.html

[Rob Holcomb]

Thank you John and Steve for your input. I bought the 3 piece set of Benjamin Best bowl gouges to start with. Since I'm so new to turning, I didn't want to spend a lot of money right away. When I get better, I will upgrade. Until then, I have some tools to learn with. I looked at the webpages suggested and they were very informative. Next payday I'll invest in the Grumbine videos too. You can't learn enough. From this site's members and all the tutorials out there, this is going to be a lot of fun!

[Roland Martin]

You will very quickly get sucked into the "VORTEX" The writing is on the wall. Have Fun!

[Scott Hackler]

If I had to narrow down one tool that I Iuse the most it would be my Sorby 3/8" bowl gouge. (a little harder to rough out with this one) but after its round, I use the 3/8 gouge for 90% of the whole bowl. A scraper is really handy to clean up cut marks, too.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I would say, if you're going to turn bowls, that you should invest a good bowl gouge. I have a Sorby 3/8 bowl gouge, I use it for most everything. I also just ordered 2 Thompson gouges. Looking forward to when they come in!:) I don't know anything about the BB gouge set. I have thier bowl scrapers, and I like them. I ordered a Thompson gouge the same size as the Sorby, so I can attempt a head to head comparison.

[Bill Bolen]

Although I have and use 2 thompson bowl gouges I started with a 3/8 BB bowl gouge. Good tool and still have it although the Thompson's see alot more use...Bill..

[Steve Mawson]

Ron,
You might try You Tube. There are lots of short video's on woodturning. Just remember that some folks post video's just to see them selves, or so it seems to me, but you still get to see how some folks do different turnings. The other thing is to find a club if there is one close by because there will be members that probably would be willing to help. Wood Turners are a generous bunch of folks.