Tool question

[John Whiteney]

Hello,

My son recently got a lathe (delta 460-46 I think). He has expressed interest in making some handles for tools. However he will obviously need some tools to actually make those handles. I have been scouring forums trying to find out what tools those may be but I am still unsure and was hoping you guys may be able to help.

I thought he could use a Roughing gouge (3/4inch), a skew chisel (1 inch), and a parting tool. Would these three tools be enough for someone to make tool handles?

Thanks,
John

[Mark Greenbaum]

As long as those 3 tools are sharp, or you have a way to get them sharp, and the lathe has a tool rest, and a tailstock with some sort of center - they should suffice. I've been using a $30 set of 8 HSS tools from Harbor Freight for the past 5 years for most of my spindle turning projects. One of the club members actually used sharpened screwdrivers for his first turning tools.

[Roger Chandler]

I would recommend a spindle gouge, over the skew, as for a newbie, the learning curve is so much easier, and for handles is a good choice for beads & coves. If they are smaller handles [hand tools] a 3/8" size would be ideal.

[John Whiteney]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Would the parting tool be needed to make handles? That is the one I am having trouble getting, and figure he could grab one later... but if it is needed to make handles I would like to get him one now.

[Aaron Craven]

I wouldn't call a parting tool strictly necessary, but it is one of the more common/useful tools. For a beginner set, check out the Harbor Freight set mentioned previously. Make sure the set is the High Speed Steel (HSS) set (they sell a cheaper set, but the steel is basic tool steel and doesn't hold an edge well). It should cover most of the basics and then some (though it doesn't include a bowl gouge) for a very reasonable price.

[Brice Rogers]

A few thoughts:
1. In theory, a person could use JUST a skew to make handles. (I think that there is a Youtube video on using a skew to make handles with a title something like "screw the skew"). But there is a bit of a learning curve for a newcomer and he may experience some scary catches and lose interest in turning.
2. Buying a full set of Harbor Fright :eek: tools isn't that expensive and will give him all of the tools that he needs to start.
3. Some people have complained that some HF tools weren't hardened. So, perhaps you may want to go to the aisle with the files first in order to check the hardness of the HF woodturning tools while you are still in the store. If the file skitters off, they are hard. If the file takes a chunk out of the tool, it is soft. Then you'd want to put both the files and tools back on the shelf. ;-)

[Reed Gray]

Find the nearest club, and you can probably google that. Just about all clubs have mentors, which is huge in learning, no matter how many You Tube videos you watch. Basic tools, SRG (spindle roughing gouge), skew, scraper (I use them more than most...), bowl gouge, and detail/spindle gouge. A parting tool comes in handy, but not totally necessary, you can get by without one, or get close enough and then saw off the stub...

robo hippy

[John Whiteney]

Good to know the parting tool isn't needed to make handles. Again my intention was to buy as few full tools as possible to do the tool handle making (I was looking at the Crown Pro PM ones), then buy a couple other common Doug Thompson tools which he could then make handles for.

Also I live in Canada, so the Harbor Freight option wouldn't be possible.

[Brice Rogers]

John,
If you bought HF through a catalog, how bad would the shipping be?
Isn't there a store similar to HF in Canada? Stockroom supply?

I've purchased 7 Hurricane brand tool - 4 gouges and 3 round nose scrapers through flEEbay. They were relatively inexpensive and decent value for what I paid.

[John K Jordan]

Good to know the parting tool isn't needed to make handles. Again my intention was to buy as few full tools as possible to do the tool handle making (I was looking at the Crown Pro PM ones), then buy a couple other common Doug Thompson tools which he could then make handles for.

My opinion is the parting tool, although not absolutely necessary, is very useful for handles and lots of other spindle turning. Not only is it used for parting, it is quite valuable for sizing. I set a cheap vernier caliper to the desired diameter then hold it in the groove with one hand while cutting the groove deeper with the parting tool. This is a great way to work if you want to make several things that are close to the same or if you are sizing the tenon on the handle to fit a ferrule. The parting tool will let you easily cut a square shoulder for the ferrule and even flatten the whole tenon.

My favorite parting tool for this is an 1/8" diamond shape (cross section) but other widths and shapes also work.

It is wise not to go crazy and buy too many tools at first. For general spindle turning there is a short list I would hate to be without:

Skew chisel (1" is fine, another smaller one eventually)
Roughing gouge (I like the 3/4". The Thompson 5/8" St.Leger is my favorite smaller gouge.)
Parting tool
3/8" spindle gouge
scroll chuck (eventually, expensive but makes lots of things easier)

Note that you can do the roughing with the skew chisel but the roughing gouge is easier for a beginner.

I assume he has a bench grinder for sharpening. (The old saying "if you can't sharpen, you can't turn wood" is true.) Sharpening can be done freehand but the Oneway Wolverine jig makes it easier and is what most people use with the grinder. Their Varigrind jig is perfect for sharpening spindle and bowl gouges)

JKJ

[Aaron Craven]

...I've purchased 7 Hurricane brand tool - 4 gouges and 3 round nose scrapers through flEEbay. They were relatively inexpensive and decent value for what I paid.

Agreed. Hurricane tools are a good value and decent quality. Benjamin's Best is good as well. Doug Thomspon's tools are by far the best I've used, but it helps to understand what makes them the best. He uses a type of steel that is very strong and holds an edge longer than other tools. It is as important for a new turner to learn to sharpen tools as it is to learn correct technique at the lathe. So having an edge that needs to be refreshed periodically is not only normal (with any tool) but good practice for a learner. As good as Thompson's tools are, they are very expensive (a direct result of the high quality steel he uses). They are highly regarded primarily because that steel holds an edge far better than regular HSS tools. For me, the price means I have a decision point to make: do I have to sharpen this tool often enough to merit the cost of a Thompson tool? In my case, this primarily means bowl gouges (I turn more bowls than anything else).

I do think a parting tool would be an important (though not entirely required) tool in your son's initial setup, but I also think you can buy on the very cheap end of the spectrum for that tool. Add a diamond honing card and he can keep the initial grind sharp on it as needed without returning to the grinder much at all. My recommendation would be something like this:

Initially, buy a very cheap skew, parting tool, and spindle roughing gouge. Ensure he has a way to sharpen these tools. Also, please please please make sure he has a face shield or at least eye protection. And by all means, find a mentor or a club for him to attend. Turners are among the kindest, most supportive people I've ever worked with and are positively excited to share what they've learned to anyone who wants to try.

After getting him started, if you want to buy premium tools, go for a good spindle gouge and an improved skew... or better yet, let him tell you what would be the best choices, remembering that cheap tools allow him to experiment and learn what he likes, but they require much more frequent sharpening.

[John Whiteney]

Agreed. Hurricane tools are a good value and decent quality. Benjamin's Best is good as well. Doug Thomspon's tools are by far the best I've used, but it helps to understand what makes them the best. He uses a type of steel that is very strong and holds an edge longer than other tools. It is as important for a new turner to learn to sharpen tools as it is to learn correct technique at the lathe. So having an edge that needs to be refreshed periodically is not only normal (with any tool) but good practice for a learner. As good as Thompson's tools are, they are very expensive (a direct result of the high quality steel he uses). They are highly regarded primarily because that steel holds an edge far better than regular HSS tools. For me, the price means I have a decision point to make: do I have to sharpen this tool often enough to merit the cost of a Thompson tool? In my case, this primarily means bowl gouges (I turn more bowls than anything else).

I do think a parting tool would be an important (though not entirely required) tool in your son's initial setup, but I also think you can buy on the very cheap end of the spectrum for that tool. Add a diamond honing card and he can keep the initial grind sharp on it as needed without returning to the grinder much at all. My recommendation would be something like this:

Initially, buy a very cheap skew, parting tool, and spindle roughing gouge. Ensure he has a way to sharpen these tools. Also, please please please make sure he has a face shield or at least eye protection. And by all means, find a mentor or a club for him to attend. Turners are among the kindest, most supportive people I've ever worked with and are positively excited to share what they've learned to anyone who wants to try.

After getting him started, if you want to buy premium tools, go for a good spindle gouge and an improved skew... or better yet, let him tell you what would be the best choices, remembering that cheap tools allow him to experiment and learn what he likes, but they require much more frequent sharpening.


He has goggles and the faceshield was the first thing he bought himself (good on him!). I have picked up a Wolverine to go along with the low RPM grinder he already has.

After reading lots of forum threads it seemed like I was better off getting him a few of the tools that he couldn't do without, then he could fill out the tools as he needed. Rather than buy a set, as the general consensus seemed like many will end up being duplicates and go unused. But it seems it is a good idea to get a lower cost set that he can use until he gets the hang of sharpening them instead of learning to sharpen on the expensive tools and take off too much steel.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

He has goggles and the faceshield was the first thing he bought himself (good on him!). I have picked up a Wolverine to go along with the low RPM grinder he already has.

After reading lots of forum threads it seemed like I was better off getting him a few of the tools that he couldn't do without, then he could fill out the tools as he needed. Rather than buy a set, as the general consensus seemed like many will end up being duplicates and go unused. But it seems it is a good idea to get a lower cost set that he can use until he gets the hang of sharpening them instead of learning to sharpen on the expensive tools and take off too much steel.

John KMS in BC Canada has some good tools for a good price (on sale now) and better quality than Harbor Freight, (which isn’t very hard to do :rolleyes:)

For making handels, a Spindle Roughing Gouge and a diamond parting tool is really all you do need, a 1/2” spindle gouge and a skew or scraper is also nice to have :)

https://www.kmstools.com/woodworking-23000000/wood-turning-23110000/tools-23110500/sets-23110503/

[Bob Bouis]

I would add that most high-end tools are compatible with interchangeable handles. It's also possible to turn small items like handles using...just the tool blade without a handle.

Personally I would not bother with high-end powdered metal tools for most applications--a bowl gouge, absolutely. They do tremendous amounts of work, far more than most other tools. Maybe a scraper for bowl turning. But a parting tool? Unnecessary. Also, powdered metal tools hold an edge longer but they don't get quite as sharp. Apparently not everyone agrees with that assessment, but it's been my experience.

[Len Mullin]

Good to know the parting tool isn't needed to make handles. Again my intention was to buy as few full tools as possible to do the tool handle making (I was looking at the Crown Pro PM ones), then buy a couple other common Doug Thompson tools which he could then make handles for.

Also I live in Canada, so the Harbor Freight option wouldn't be possible.

John, you can buy a descent 8 piece set of turning tools from Canadian Tire, they aren't very expensive. I've owned a set for years, they've served me well. If you don't want to purchase that set, then you could buy a set from Busy Bee Tools. You don't even have to have a store in your area, they sell over the net and ship everywhere. Lee Valley has a basic starters set, I don't remember the price right off hand, but, I do know they aren't very costly. If you want a set that PSI sells, then buy them through Wood Chuckers here in Canada, they are a PSI representative/reseller here. I could go on with Canadian tool suppliers, but, it would just take to long to list them all. Good luck with the suppliers I've mentioned, you should be able to get whatever you want from any of them.
Len