turning tools?

[Joe Mioux]

If one was in the market for turning tools, what brands are good, what type of tools would one purchase.... assume bowls, platters, spindles and other things, Gouges, chisels, scrapers?

in other words, what makes a good and complete set for most turning needs?

Are there different qualities of HSS , how can you tell from one mfr to another?

And what is considered better quality in HSS as it relates to turning tools.

also long or short handles?

just pondering these questions as I solve other mysteries of world this morning. ;)

joe

[Jack Mincey]

Best tool for the money are Thompson. I think they are the best tool period! Here is a link to his site. He sells them direct to cut out the cost of the middle man. http://www.thompsonlathetools.com/thompsonlathetools/
You have to make are buy handles for his tools. Length of handle depends on what tool it is. I like longer handles on larger bowl gouge than I do for small gouges and such.
Jack

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Joe,

There are different quality of HSS. Sheffield steel is probably considered the standard. Tool manufacturers? There is the big names...Robert Sorby...Henry Taylor.....Hamlet.....Crown.....all of which are generally manufactured in Sheffield, England.

Then there are the particle steel tools, a little higher priced, but hold a sharp edge a little longer. Thompson tools is one of these, IIRC.

There are the "shop brand" tools....PSI's "Benjamin's Best".....Woodcraft's "Pinnacle".....Crafts Supplies, USA's "Artisan". Most of these are manufactured in China except the Artisan which is manufactured for CSUSA by Henry Taylor in Sheffield, England. HF sells a set that is HSS manufactored in China. A lot of folks start with that set or Benjamin's Best if they have no sharpening experience. Why waste good steel while you are learning to sharpen.

Robert Larsen makes good HSS tools. The steel portion itself is manufactored for them in Sheffield and the tools are "handled" here in the states. They are a pretty darn good tool for the buck and I found them carried by a hardware store just 30 miles from me. I had several given to me and I have bought a couple more.

Handle length....well it depends on the size of tool generally and the forces that you will be experiencing while using a tool. It also depends on the size of your hands and body. I, being of good Southern Illinois oil field roughneck stock am a pretty good size lad. My Alan Lacer skews have IIRC 16" or 18" handles and they fit my meat hooks pretty good. Some folks find them overly large.

Spindle tools generally have are used for spindle work where the grain of the turning blank runs parallel with the lathe bed. A roughing gouge, a couple of different size skews, a spindle gouge and a couple of scapers will generally get you by.

Bowls and platters...a couple of different size bowl gouges....a couple of scrapers will generally get you by. They tend to be more strongly built as the are experienceing constant grain changes as a bowl blank has the grain running perpendicular to the bed of the lathe....thus your tools is cutting side grain...end grain...side grain...end grain.

Are you jumping into the Vortex Joe?

[Cyril Griesbach]

Well I can't improve on what Ken said and I'm not sure many others can either. And while he did mention sharpening I'll just expand on that and say that learning to sharpen your tools and learning to turn go hand in hand...side by side at the same time. That is, you can't do one without the other and sharpening turning tools is unlike most other woodworking tools. Thus Ken's advise about the cheaper brands of tools for learning to sharpen is good advise. Just one more word on sharpening...Wolverine.

Now, I own tools of most all the brands Ken mentions and I reach for the Thompson tools 99% of the time.

Cyril

[Bernie Weishapl]

I can't add much except to say that I have several different brands of gouges from PSI, Sorbies, Hamlets, Thompson's, etc. and like Cyril I reach for the Thompsons most of the time. I started with the PSI set and I think it was the the one for $59. That set has about all you would need to start from bowls to spindles. I learned to sharpen and turn with those. Then once I got it down pretty good I started adding a nice line of tools.

[Joe Mioux]

ok, thompsons are the one you reach for.

which ones for bowls and which ones for spindles?

thanks

joe

p.s., Ken, what vortex? ;)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I've got some good news Joe!


If you can't hear the wind of the Vortex wailing.....it's because you are already in! Enjoy the ride and the monetary outlay!

:D

[Bill Blasic]

Joe,
My favorite Thompson tool is the 5/8 V bowl gouge, I have three. Doug himself prefers his 3/8 and 1/2 bowl gouges, I use these also. Hey try one if you don't like it Doug will buy it back, how's that for a guarantee! And as far as spindle gouges go my favorite is the 3/8 detail gouge. As far as handles go I prefer the metal ones that are for sale by different people. I recently bought a couple from Dave Peebles and I have made my own.

[Cyril Griesbach]

I'm going to go along with Bill on the bowl gouges. I've got the Thompson in 3/8, 1/2 and 5/8 all "V" shape and use them all at different times. Mostly it depends on the size of the piece but also the cut I want to make.

As for handles I've got a Peebles, some Oneways and one I just got from Dennis Yoder. I like them all but the Oneways are just too expensive.