What to get with Holiday gift cards for a new turner

[Matt Drummond]

Hello Turners!

tl;dr: What is the best bang for my buck for a new turner at Woodcraft if they have $115 in giftcards?

I received $115 in WoodCraft giftcards for the Holidays and am looking for some guidance into what I should get. I'm really new to turning, have really just made shavings, and a small top. This is a new hobby for me and I want to make sure I get the best bang for my buck.
What I want to to do is to be able to turn small things (pens, small bowls, etc).

What I have:

Lathe (Spur and small face plate that came with it)
Spindle tool set from HF
Grinder for sharpening


My interpretation of best options:

4 Jaw Chuck (would require some additional money)
Bowl turning tool set
A turning class
Pen Mandrel
Wood blanks (I feel like I should get this (http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2083045/44598/100-Piece-Pen-Blank-Assortment.aspx) as it seems like a great deal)


I think the 4 Jaw chuck would be a great addition and add a lot of versatility as well as simplify my way to becoming a well seasoned turner BUT I have heard you can do everything you need with face plates and a chuck isn't necessary. I learn a lot and very well from watching others on YouTube and then taking those ideas/approaches over to my shop and just play on the lathe to figure it out, which makes me hesitant to pay for a class, but am I being naive to think that I can just pick this up all self-taught? The bowl turning tools will obviously be important but is it something I should do now or will I get a better bang for my buck by focusing on making pens and other spindle type turnings for now?

What are your thoughts? What have you found great value in as you learned the craft?

Thanks,

Matt

[Roger Chandler]

Since you have a faceplate, If I were you I would definitely get a bowl gouge and a scraper for finishing bowls. A scroll chuck will come to be an invaluable tool, but for now you can get by with a faceplate.......just leave yourself a little extra wood to hold the screws and turn it away when you reverse.......which can be done by making a jam chuck.

[Dennis Ford]

You CAN do everything with face-plates but a chuck makes it more fun. I would consider a good bowl gouge (or two) to be more important than a chuck. A turning class could be the most valuable, if it covers anything new to you.

[Doug W Swanson]

The blank set you linked to is probably a good start. I'm sure you'll be some decent blanks and some blah blanks but it seems like a decent price. Once you get the hang of pens with some of these blanks, then it's time to get into fancier blanks like burls. The 100 blanks, a mandrel, some kits and bushings would put a good dent in your gift cards.

For a chuck, I've bought a couple reconditioned ones directly from Nova. They may be reconditioned but I don't see any difference from new. Plus the savings was considerable. Barracuda chucks are also a good deal and come with a variety of jaws. I had a couple of these for years until I upgraded to my 3520. Since the Barracuda is a direct thread 1"-8, I couldn't use them without an adapter. That's when I sold the Barracuda chucks and bought some Novas.

For bowl gouges, I find Thompson tools to be the best value for the money. Buy the un-handled versions and make your own handles. I know that Woodcraft has decent tools but I like the value of Thompson vs what you can buy at Woodcraft.

For me, I would probably buy the pen stuff at Woodcraft and save your money for purchasing the other items elsewhere. Hope this helps!

[Greg McClurg]

Personally I think the best bang for your buck is to take classes if you don't have access to a mentor in your local turning club. Classes will give you the opportunity to use various tools, and will be a huge help in assisting you in deciding what your first purchases should be. This could help you in buying quality tools that you need and avoid paying for items that you probably will us little or not at all. Just my opinion.

[charlie knighton]

dust protecction

[John Keeton]

No two turners travel the same road in their journey, and the journey is more important than the destination. I will go against the tide here and suggest that if you truly do learn quickly, lessons may not be the best expenditure. As a self taught turner I feel my experiences and experimentation have provided a broad education while letting me find my true interests. On the other hand, I had 45 years of woodworking experience behind me. That background was invaluable, as most of those skills were transferable.

Spindle turning and bowl turning are two different worlds, using different tools and different techniques. Personally, I think it is best to learn spindle turning first - coves, beads, and sweeping curves. Many folks move quickly to turning vessels without learning those skills, and is somewhat like learning to drive with an automatic transmission. One rarely goes back and learns a stick shift. A well rounded turner should have both sets of skills.

I would recommend a nice spindle detail gouge and several hours of practice on spindle cuts. Then, acquire a nice bowl gouge and transition to vessels. There is an abundance of good material on the web, as well as a lot of garbage. Do some research to learn which videos are instructional and which are not.

As far as the gift cards, they are good for awhile and I would not be in a hurry to burn them!!

[Thom Sturgill]

Unfortunately $115 might be spent all on one tool. The blanks look to be a good deal even if you used them for honey dippers and other practice. A few pen kits, mandrel, bottle stopper kits, and other accessories could easily use up the rest of the money. Spindle work is good practice at tool control and can be very rewarding. Add a scraper and you can make small boxes using the faceplate, glue blocks and jamb chucks.

When you are comfortable with that, find a mentor and get some training in bowl making and tool selection and sharpening.

I agree that Doug's unhandled chisels are a better bang for your buck and handles are easy to make with your spindle tools, but that is not at Woodcraft. On the other hand, I feel that that quality of steel *needs* CBN wheels ($$) and you probably need to invest in a wolverine rig first.

[Lee Koepke]

Wide Open!
I am not sure where you are located, but buying blanks wouldnt be my first choice, good thing about turning, especially pens, you can get stuff pretty much anywhere. I have found a few pieces of spalted firewood and sold 5 pens worth this holiday season.

The suggestion for a reconditioned Nova is a good one, i have had mine for awhile and its useful for bowl turning. I did take a bowl turning class when I wanted to start turning bowls because the technique was different than spindle turning, and I wanted to spend some 'hands on time' with some sort of instructor. If you have a wood turning club nearby, you most likely can get that from there. I have learned that woodturners as a group are very helpful!

[allen thunem]

matt are you a student??
where are you located??

[Ben Darrah]

I would start with a sharpening jig and class if you don't have one. I found learning to turn was much easier once I learned to sharpen. That being said, $115 will probably not cover it all.

[Arlin Eastman]

First thing you should do is find out if there is a turning club where you live. They can help you in so many ways we could not.

Arlin