How Expensive is Turning

[Rich Riddle]

Dad just purchased a decent lathe to start turning some projects and indicated some of the items used in turning can cost a bit. Just how expensive is turning?

[Dennis Ford]

There is no accurate answer to your question. If you search you tube, there are turners using home made machines and home made tooling and others using $10,000 lathes, high quality chucks and powder metal gouges. Both are wood-turners although the size and quantity of their turnings differ greatly.

In general it is much less expensive than bass fishing and only costs as much as you have.

[Brian Kent]

round figure, same amount as the lathe.
Sharpening system and free wood are necessities.

[Thomas Canfield]

Turning projects also can cover a vary wide range for simple pens kits at $3 and free wood to $40+ kits and very exotic wood/blanks to turning large pieces of exotic woods. Getting in touch with a local turning club is a good way to look at different types of turning and also get some training. Turning can be very relaxing when turning just for the fun of it, and there are a lot of nice turners out there that are very willing to share their experience.

[Wayne Kuhn]

Well you need a lathe, turning tools, at minimum a spindle roughing gouge, spindle gouge, parting tool. A grinder to sharpen and preferably a jig for repeatabilty while sharpening. For bowls a faceplate, a chuck and bowl gouge. consumables such as screws, sandpaper and finishes. Everything else is icing on the cake.

[Dan Masshardt]

I've spent quite a bit on turning stuff but I've paid for the vast majority of it by selling turnings.

[Marvin Hasenak]

It al depends on how well you know your lathe and how to use it. There are a lot of "accessories" today that are ne won the market within the last 20 to 30 years. You do not need them, but you will soon want them. It is up the individual to control their spending habit with new tools.

[Tom Brouillette]

They don't call it "The Vortex" for nothing. I have easily matched the cost of my lathe (Nova 1624) with accessories, tools, and ancillary equipment that I had no idea I needed (okay - wanted, but I convinced my wife I needed them). I could easily match the number again in the next year, but I can tell you I've never enjoyed something so much in my life.

[John Keeton]

It would seem that after awhile, one finds an equilibrium with what they enjoy turning and that affects the "need" for new tools and accessories. I have been turning for 6 years, and the urge to acquire has faded. I still occasionally buy a new gouge, inexpensive gadget, etc., but the need or desire for more expensive acquisitions seems to have leveled off. That isn't to say that I haven't spent more than the cost of the lathe, but most of that occurred in the first 3-4 years as I was exploring the various avenues of turning. There was also the two lathe upgrades, ending up with the Jet 1642-2. Had I simply started there, my outlay would have been $6-700 less. That would be my primary suggestion - buy a decent size lathe to begin with, and you will not spend needless money on accessories that may not transfer to a larger lathe.

[William C Rogers]

$$$$$ The more you learn the more you spend. Basic is the lathe, a sharpening system and some chisels. I started turning pens on a midi lathe. Great fun as you could finish one in less than an hour. Then I turned a projects such as pepper mills small vases. Think of lathe chisels as saw blades, but many different choices. I easily have over $500"in just a few Sorby chisels. Now I am just learning to turn bowls. Bigger lathe, more chisels. I do all kinds of wood working from building cabinets to making cutting boards. Turning gives me the most satisfaction. I wish I could spend more.

[Prashun Patel]

"round figure, same amount as the lathe."

I agree with Brian (and applaud his pun).

You'll go nuts trying to pin a number down, and still be way off.

No matter what you turn, you'll probably NEED about 3 tools, each costing between $20 and $100. But you'll probably WANT another 3-5 for embellishments or for different sized objects, or just because!

The big reason this is a moot exercise is because as a new turner there are a million accessories you don't know you don't "need". Sharpening wheels, tool rests, gouge grinding jigs - and that's just sharpening.

I felt like I was learning a new, expensive language when I figured out what steady rests, hollowing 'rigs', live centers, scroll chucks and pin jaws were.

And don't even get me started on CBN ;)

The awesome thing about turning is that it's incrementally expensive. You can do a lot with a very basic, inexpensive set of tools and accessories (let's call that number $200). From there, you can improve things marginally with "little" $50, $100 upgrades over years. So, while it puts a leak in your bucket, it's a slow leak. Feel better? I don't, either...

[Brian Myers]

:p As expensive as your bank account will allow :rolleyes:

[Dan Hintz]

How expensive is a car?

You can buy a Yugo and be happy with it until it dies. You can buy a Ferrari and double the price tricking it out with all kinds of doodads.

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

3 tools, and 3-5 more for embellishments?

nonsense! I'm one tool away from greatness! now...which one should I buy next? :D

it's very easy to acquire more and more tools - especially if you're like me and want to turn a wide variety of things and each one might need that "one" special tool to do the job. Sure - you can use tools for more than one type of cut - but if that "one" tool can do it faster, cleaner, and with less sanding...what's another $50? :D

[Robert Henrickson]

It would seem that after awhile, one finds an equilibrium with what they enjoy turning and that affects the "need" for new tools and accessories. I have been turning for 6 years, and the urge to acquire has faded. I still occasionally buy a new gouge, inexpensive gadget, etc., but the need or desire for more expensive acquisitions seems to have leveled off. That isn't to say that I haven't spent more than the cost of the lathe, but most of that occurred in the first 3-4 years as I was exploring the various avenues of turning. There was also the two lathe upgrades, ending up with the Jet 1642-2. Had I simply started there, my outlay would have been $6-700 less. That would be my primary suggestion - buy a decent size lathe to begin with, and you will not spend needless money on accessories that may not transfer to a larger lathe.

All very good advice. It can be very easy to spend money. “One tool away from greatness” is a byword, although in practice it often seems to be one more, one more.

Exploring various types of turning can incur added expense, but the exploration is a good idea. Where you start turning may not interest you ultimately. If you try alternatives, you may well encounter something else which is much more appealing.

My zigzag path might be illustrative. A traditional spindlework turning I encountered in a museum collection where I worked initially piqued my interest in the idea of turning. Unfortunately it seemed very complex, so the idea went to the backburner; I did collect information on the craft. It was, however, roughly 20 years before I even bought a mini lathe; I soon bought a larger lathe (Jet 1642). Even when I started turning, it not spindlework but rather bowls, lidded boxes, then hollow forms, plates, etc. Those are among the common sorts of things beginners tend to try. I have to admit that pens, peppermills, and various other things often turned have never interested me, even though they are spindle turning. In eight years of turning, I have made only one pen but two baseball bats, several footstools, and a chair! I will likely turn another couple bats for my grandson and a chair, but I’m not sure I’ll ever do another pen.

It was several years before I did much spindle turning, yet it was that sort of turning which had first intrigued me. Eventually I decided to try what had grabbed my attention all those years ago. Over the past 4 years, that has become a primary focus in my turning, with various ideas spinning off. I’ve discovered an interest in the history of turning, and traditional turning. But I still turn many bowls, plates, and other things.

[Dave Cullen]

How expensive is any woodworking endeavor? Same answer.

It's pretty much like any hobby, it's as expensive as you allow it to be. Some people get by with very little investment, some feel the need to have every gadget. I'm in the middle of those, I buy what I need when needed. But I got by with a $80 set of spindle tools and a bench grinder for 20 years before I got "serious" about the hobby.

[Reed Gray]

When I first got started, I figured the cost of 'accessories' was about the same as my lathe. Well, several years later, I changed that formula to 2 to 4 times the cost of the lathe, and that does not include the shop...

robo hippy

[Thom Sturgill]

Yes there is a minimum number of tools you need, but which ones? Depends on what you want to do. Before I retired, I ought many tools including duplicates thinking that after retirement I would not have the cash flow to purchase replacements. Gouges ARE consumables, albeit ones that wear down fairly slowly if you buy good steel. I upgraded the lathe once - from a Jet 1220 to a Jet 1642 1 1/2hp. I may yet upgrade again, but will almost assuredly buy an additional small high Speed lathe for turning minitures.

I own probably twice the dollar value in tools and accessories as the cost of the lathe. That includes 5 scroll chucks, a collet chuck, and a vacuum chuck as well as a couple of faceplates. I have multiple skews and multiples of gouges (both spindle and bowl). I also have a considerable set of hollowing tools ranging from sharpened allen wrenches to $100+ commercial rigs.

For me the important thing is that turning keeps me intellectually and physically engaged. I have seen too many fade away and die quickly after retirement. My father, a luthier, gave up when his vision started going (probably just cataracts), and his hands got unsteady. When he came down with lung cancer he literally just folded up and quit. So encourage your father to get involved, join a club if there is one nearby.

[terry mccammon]

I figured that accessories were about the same price as a lathe. So when I realized that I had two or three times my lathe cost in accessories, I bought a more expensive lathe. Problem solved.

[Brian Kent]

Oh yes, and a chainsaw, a bandsaw, and a truck.

[Russell Neyman]

What a great question! I don't have much to add to the previous responses, except:

If I were starting over today -- your father isn't, because he already has the lathe -- I'd purchase a good used lathe and buy new (or almost new) tools and accessories. Lathes, like cars, depreciate most right after they leave the showroom, but maintain that secondary value for quite some time. Other than a couple of $9 bearings (a simple fix) and a few pulleys, there just isn't much that can wear out. Point is, you can almost always re-coup your investment.

If you join a club (most woodworking retailers honor members with discounts) you'll quickly become part of a social network that will get you cheap wood. I'd join a club BEFORE buying things.

As a bonus, turning will keep your mind active and your backside off of a barstool.

[Joe Kaufman]

I figured that accessories were about the same price as a lathe. So when I realized that I had two or three times my lathe cost in accessories, I bought a more expensive lathe. Problem solved.

Third move for me in 10 years. I still have a little head room B4 accessories = 3X the cost of the last lathe upgrade. :D

[Allan Speers]

I figured that accessories were about the same price as a lathe. So when I realized that I had two or three times my lathe cost in accessories, I bought a more expensive lathe. Problem solved.


:) - Post of the year !

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Don't let the cost of woodturning scare you away. The chainsaw, bandsaw and truck are only required IF you want to get free wood......

[Aaron Craven]

Wow.... I love all the advice here. I agree with the basic premise:

It's as expensive as you want it to be. You can get away with a relatively cheap lathe, some cheap tools (but get decent steel), and a way to sharpen... but you're going to quickly getting into the "wants"... I would suggest that in addition to the lathe, you're probably going to find you want a good chuck. You don't need one, but it makes many things much easier.

[robert baccus]

Roger that!!

[john taliaferro]

Look up bass pro and ck the price of a 200 hp mercury out board [ 17400 ]and you still need a boat. This is a very cheep Hobby even with my old truck and tilt traler, winch, some nice chainsaws ,lathe and tools to suite .

[Len Mullin]

Bottom line, it's expensive!!
Len

[Bill Boehme]

This is the only instance that I've seen in which the cost of the tools equals the cost of the lathe.

http://www.robin-wood.co.uk/wood-cra...ning-in-china/ (http://www.robin-wood.co.uk/wood-craft-blog/2015/09/30/fantastic-video-of-foot-powered-bowl-turning-in-china/)

[Dan Hintz]

Lathes, like cars, depreciate most right after they leave the showroom, but maintain that secondary value for quite some time.

Not necessarily. I purchased a Jet 1642 several years back, set it up, but never had the chance to run it. The poor thing sat for an entire year before I made a sweet deal on a Robust. I sold the Jet for several hundred $s in profit, a much greater return than the stock market. Lathe prices had increased so much on that year alone purchasing my "used" (but unused) piece was still a steal.

[peter Joseph]

$1,056.74....

Approximately...

[Russell Neyman]

Don't let the cost of woodturning scare you away. The chainsaw, bandsaw and truck are only required IF you want to get free wood......

Funniest thing written this entire thread.

[John Sincerbeaux]

"Is turning expensive?"
I think if you want to turn "expensive" things like large hollow forms, you will need "expensive" tooling. Of all the turners I know who turn large hollow forms, their setups are well north of 10k.

[Mark Greenbaum]

What a great question! I don't have much to add to the previous responses, except:

If I were starting over today -- your father isn't, because he already has the lathe -- I'd purchase a good used lathe and buy new (or almost new) tools and accessories. Lathes, like cars, depreciate most right after they leave the showroom, but maintain that secondary value for quite some time. Other than a couple of $9 bearings (a simple fix) and a few pulleys, there just isn't much that can wear out. Point is, you can almost always re-coup your investment.

If you join a club (most woodworking retailers honor members with discounts) you'll quickly become part of a social network that will get you cheap wood. I'd join a club BEFORE buying things.

As a bonus, turning will keep your mind active and your backside off of a barstool.

Joining a club has other added benefits: mentors, being notified if there's an estate sale with turning equipment, scholarships to turning classes, and free wood. I've enjoyed all of the above, and demonstrated at local arts & crafts fairs to help promote the club. We have about 180 members, and I'd say almost all of them are better turners than I am, so I can learn a lot of things.

[Jimmy Edwards]

Rich, I've got 4 lathes ( 3520b, Jet 1442, 2 Jet 1220vs midi's- new), Jet 18 in. bandsaw, Craftsman 14 in. bandsaw, 4 routers, 9 chucks Vic sn2, 2 grizzly. Leigh 24" dovetail jig, Leigh FMT jig. every bit Leigh makes, Jet 16-32 sander, about 30 lathe tools, about every power hand tool known to man, 3 chainsaws, 30 ton log splitter, 2 cannister dust collection-Grizzly, 8 hp chipper shreder, and many, many, more woodturning and woodworking toys. Many annual fun trips to symposiums Colorado, Idaho, SWAT, AAW etc, 50" color tv and cablevision in the shop, electric heat and cooling in the shop and the list goes on and on. Never kept track of how much. Why buy all that? I don't know. Just thought I had to have it. All that and I am still a low end intermediate turner but I am a very happy low end intermediate turner.

[Dan Masshardt]

Rich, I've got 4 lathes ( 3520b, Jet 1442, 2 Jet 1220vs midi's- new), Jet 18 in. bandsaw, Craftsman 14 in. bandsaw, 4 routers, 9 chucks Vic sn2, 2 grizzly. Leigh 24" dovetail jig, Leigh FMT jig. every bit Leigh makes, Jet 16-32 sander, about 30 lathe tools, about every power hand tool known to man, 3 chainsaws, 30 ton log splitter, 2 cannister dust collection-Grizzly, 8 hp chipper shreder, and many, many, more woodturning and woodworking toys. Many annual fun trips to symposiums Colorado, Idaho, SWAT, AAW etc, 50" color tv and cablevision in the shop, electric heat and cooling in the shop and the list goes on and on. Never kept track of how much. Why buy all that? I don't know. Just thought I had to have it. All that and I am still a low end intermediate turner but I am a very happy low end intermediate turner.

You aren't allowed to count the log splitter and chipper. That's just reaching. Haha. ;-).

[John Grace]

Another thought to consider...I think it's safe to say that we've all purchased tools, woodworking/turning or otherwise, that we never really utilized sufficiently to justify the costs, etc. One of the great things about Craig's List and forums such as this is the opportunity to sell off under-used tools to recoup at least some of those dollars to go towards things we really need or as a means of finding those marginal tools that we may not use often but definitely need. I have bought and sold a number of tools over the past year as my focus has shifted from flat woodworking to almost exclusively turning and further down to a particular type of turning.

[glenn bradley]

Cheaper than golf but, not by much.

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

You aren't allowed to count the log splitter and chipper. That's just reaching. Haha. ;-).

naw - you need those to gather "free wood" - I'll allow them.

Now - I do take issue with the 24" dovetail jig, 4 routers and the Jet drum sander. That's just overkill. :D


Another thought to consider...I think it's safe to say that we've all purchased tools, woodworking/turning or otherwise, that we never really utilized sufficiently to justify the costs, etc. One of the great things about Craig's List and forums such as this is the opportunity to sell off under-used tools to recoup at least some of those dollars to go towards things we really need or as a means of finding those marginal tools that we may not use often but definitely need. I have bought and sold a number of tools over the past year as my focus has shifted from flat woodworking to almost exclusively turning and further down to a particular type of turning.

it's also a great place to pick up tools from people that think they don't need them...not that I would do that.... :D

[Marvin Hasenak]

There is a big difference between need and want, we want a lot of "stuff" we don't need. Figure that out and your tool costs can drop dramatically. One mentioned 5 chucks, he needs one but he wanted 5. Same as me, I need one lathe, but I wanted another small lathe for buffing. I have a friend that uses a 1950's Sears Craftsman lathe, no chucks, just a faceplate, spur drive and live center. He makes do with what he has, and yes he can and does make hollow forms. We don't need a lot of "stuff" that we buy, we buy it because we think we need it, but in reality we only want it.

[Jeramie Johnson]

As they say to the cost of drag racing...... "How fast you wanna go?"

I started on a $100 craigslist Delta. Even turned my first hollow form in Oak end grain with it and sub par tools.

Would I want to do that every-time? nope, too hard on the body. I have the Grizz '0766 now and much sharper tools now. Wood still found free. :)

[William C Rogers]

There is a big difference between need and want, we want a lot of "stuff" we don't need. Figure that out and your tool costs can drop dramatically. One mentioned 5 chucks, he needs one but he wanted 5. Same as me, I need one lathe, but I wanted another small lathe for buffing. I have a friend that uses a 1950's Sears Craftsman lathe, no chucks, just a faceplate, spur drive and live center. He makes do with what he has, and yes he can and does make hollow forms. We don't need a lot of "stuff" that we buy, we buy it because we think we need it, but in reality we only want it.

I never know until I buy it if it is want or need.

[Brian McInturff]

You can spend as much or as little as you want. Myself, I've spent quite a bit. But I don't drink or smoke. Sold the Harley. So, I enjoy using the tools I buy. I see new tools as a way to learn. I won't put a price on it as my wife probably would faint...lol

[Russell Neyman]

...I think it's safe to say that we've all purchased tools ... that we never really utilized sufficiently to justify the costs....

Agreed. It's probably better to take your time in purchasing tools and accessories. I advise noobs to start with the very basics -- a spindle gouge, parting tool, and skew -- and buying the best quality steel available. Then, add the more advanced items as you gain experience.

I don't think I've ever seen one of those "starter sets" that was worth the investment. Either the quality is lacking or there are one or two items that are never used. We've all bought "gimmick" equipment that never really worked well.

[Rich Riddle]

Don't let the cost of woodturning scare you away. The chainsaw, bandsaw and truck are only required IF you want to get free wood......
I read about the "Vortex" and shunned. Dad already owns a truck, bandsaw, and chainsaw; however, if he didn't that "free" wood would not seem to actually be free at all. Sort of like some hunter spend more hunting that it would have cost them to simply purchase meat.

[roger wiegand]

I turned for the first five years with a 40's vintage bench top Delta lathe and set of Sears tools that I got for $80 for the lot plus a $10 garage sale bench grinder for sharpening. Learned a lot about holding wood with only one faceplate and one drive center. I did think this was a case where the "starter set" was worth the investment despite lacking quality, though it did have some oddball tools I never really used. Turning with inferior tools beat not turning.

Spent somewhat more since those days even though I use the lathe a lot less now :rolleyes:. Hope to get back to it once I shake the day job.

[Marvin Hasenak]

A lot of "rationalizing" on this thread, my grandpa called "rationalizing" lying to yourself to justify something you want but do not need.

[Brian McInturff]

Very few "need" to turn. It's a hobby, so it's a "want".

[Dan Hintz]

A lot of "rationalizing" on this thread, my grandpa called "rationalizing" lying to yourself to justify something you want but do not need.

I rationalize both needs AND wants... if I can't rationalize it in some form or another, then I don't get it. If I didn't spend time trying to do so, I would be "in" to WAY more hobbies than I am now...

[Dan Masshardt]

I don't rationalize anything. When I sell something I turned I take that money and buy more tools or supplies. Guilt and explanation free. :-)

[Rich Riddle]

It would prove very difficult to rationalize woodworking in general. That said, when I can repair what a contractor wants $10K to achieve for $900 because the appropriate tools are already in the shop it seems to justify itself.