Rookie with a dumb question....

[Barry Stratton]

Sorry folks, I know this has been asked many times, but I can't find it......

What is a decent, relatively inexpensive set of lathe tools for a rookie turner to start with?????

I just got notified that my Jet mini shipped with an estimated delivery date of March 3 - 23. I've got a Woodcraft slow speed grinder w/AO wheels and Wolverine sharpening jig ordered already. All I need now is some actual gouges, skews, scrapers, and I dunno what else. I've got a huge stack of birch firewood to practice on as well as a bunch of pine 2X.

I plan to build a bench to bolt the lathe to and have been thinking about making it wide/long enough to mount the grinder on it as well. Is that a good plan?

Thanks for the help, cheap (and expensive) shots expected and appreciated!

[Dick Parr]

Barry the best set of inexpensive turning tools to get are from Harbor Freight Tools, you can get them on line. The have a pretty good set of HSS tools that will last a long time and give you an idea of what you really want to use in the long run.

Good luck and have fun.

[Barry Stratton]

You are a gentleman. THANKS!

[Jim Dunn]

Barry others may disagree with me but I'd not mount anything to the lathe bench like a grinder. To much grit comming off the grinder. I'd put it in an out of the way corner near the lathe. Also I noticed that turning the inside of an anything you need all the room on the lathe bench you can get. To deal with your body/arms/lathe tool handle, ect.

[John Shuk]

Another vote for the HF set. Great starter set for the bucks fo sure.

[John Hart]

I'll throw in a vote for the HF set as well. That HSS set that comes in the wooden box. My BIL got it and I had the chance to use them a couple of times. They work quite well.

[Barry Stratton]

HF set on order, and grinder will not be placed on same bench as the lathe. THANKS Dick, Jim, John, and John!

[Pat Salter]

Was just telling a fella today who came over for some "spinny" lessons....
Only dumb question is the one that's not asked......

same thing can't be said about answers cause some of them really are dumb.:D :D :D

[Paul Douglass]

I think you made a good choice for a starter kit. They have 2 different sets, least they did when I bought mine. One was around $10 and one (the one I bought) was around $30. They works pretty good to learn on and you don't mine learning how to sharpen on that cheap of a set. You will also get an idea of what type of tool you like to use the most and you can go more expensive with the type you like individually. Did that make sense?