Input sought on a first set of lathe tools & PPE

[Jay Michaels]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Jet 1221VS as my first lathe after much research, but I have yet to do much research on the tools that I'll need to go with it. (I'm planning to get it during their 15% off promo this month).

Is there any go-to reasonably priced first set of lathe tools that come highly-recommended? I'm not looking to spend a fortune, but I don't want to buy garbage either.

On that same front - is there a good, reliable, and reasonably priced first face shield that many here prefer?

[Thomas Wilson80]

It depends - do you have any idea what you want to turn?

I had used my FIL's lathe with his Harbor Freight tools to turn some ornaments/pens but when I got my own lathe, I wanted to turn bowls and since I had some experience sharpening already, I purchased a Thompson bowl gouge (not cheap, but excellent quality). I later purchased a Thompson spindle gouge and skew chisel, along with a different brand thin parting tool. With those 4 tools I can do most everything that I wanted. Sure, other tools may make be easier/more convenient for certain cuts, but for starting out those 4 will go a long way.

Tom

[Jay Michaels]

Thomas - thank you for the response.

I envision most of my turning will be small projects like tool handles, ornaments, maybe a mallet or two, and then the bulk of my turning will likely be bowls.

[Prashun Patel]

I would get the benjamins best basic turning set. It’s surprisingly a good value and versatile.

More important than any tool is the sharpening set up. What are you planning for that?

[Jay Michaels]

Prashun - thank you for the quick reply - I'm going to check out your recommendation.

And on your second point; what would you recommend for someone new to the woodturning arena like me when it comes to a sharpening station? I'm a relatively experienced woodworker, but have limited metalworking skills and tools (I have nothing useful for lathe tools, I don't believe, as all I currently have is a handheld angle grinder for my lawnmower blades and a small set of sharpening stones for my card scrapers and chisels).

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I would get the benjamins best basic turning set. It’s surprisingly a good value and versatile.

More important than any tool is the sharpening set up. What are you planning for that?

Welcome!

I will agree with this. Get a "cheap" set and your sharpening setup. That way you won't be grinding down your high dollar tool steel yet. Practice and learn to sharpen on the cheap tool steel. Harbor Freight also has a CHEAP set. I still have and use most of them today. Most are re-ground to unique shapes and purposes. The final plus to getting a cheapo set.
As others have also said, what you turn determines which tools to invest in the beginning. Eventually you will own many tools. So, another plus for getting a cheap set. You get a lot of tools and you can try different paths.

[Richard Coers]

PPE is effectively nonexistent at retail outlets right now. No dust masks, no face shields available. With every set of lathe tools bought, about 1/3 of those tools are never used. You'll need a spindle gouge, maybe spindle roughing gouge, parting tool, bowl gouge, and a scraper. The sizes of all those are proportional to the size and style of work you will attempt. Most cheap sets have horrible bowl gouges in them, if at all. Most importantly, you'll need a 1725rpm grinder with aluminum oxide wheels and diamond wheel dresser. Also a Wolverine sharpening guide with the Vari-grind gouge attachment. This is especially critical if you buy cheap tools. If you don't have a way to sharpen chisels, don't buy a lathe.

[John Keeton]

Richard is correct. I started out with a Harbor Freight lathe and their “better” set of tools. They were OK for the money spent - about $40 at the time. I still have a couple of them that have been modified for specific use. But, my advice to you is to first think about a sharpening setup. Good tools can come later, but without learning how to correctly grind a gouge and having the equipment to do that your experience will not be as satisfying. I can easily turn with a cheap tool that is properly ground. I will have to sharpen it often, but my experience will satisfying. On the other hand, a nice Thompson or D-Way gouge improperly sharpened will be very frustrating.

[Gary Petersen]

+1 on Richard's suggestion for the Oneway Wolverine sharpening guide and the Vari-Grind jig. Couple those with a slow speed grinder and you'll be in good shape for sharpening. I bought the Benjamin's Best High Speed Steel (HSS) tools for my starter set. They've done will for me, though admittedly I'm still a new turner, having bought my lathe just five months ago. I also have two carbide tipped turning tools for turning more dense and hard items, especially acrylics. You may not need those if you're turning just wood.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

your sharpening is important. A jig is an absolute must for anything for bowl turning. 99 % of what I do is spindle turning and I have never even taken my jig out of the box. I haven't needed it. I am also using the same Craftsman turning chisels I got when I was a senior in high school, 50 years ago. (I was away from turning for 40 years.) I learned "old school" and still turn that way for the most part. The new fancy multi-parabolic edges on bowl gouges require jigs and grinders. Those tools can do amazing cuts on spindle turning too. Spindle tools are generally not to be used for bowl turning. They can be dangerous for that purpose

[Ben Darrah]

Jay, Find a wood turning club in your area. Get with some of the mentors. Most clubs have a mentorship program of some type. See what you like to turn and buy your tools from there. Also have them teach you to sharpen and show you their equipment. Everyone here has given reasonable advice, but nothing beats hands on.

[Brice Rogers]

The previous suggestions for Benjamin's Best is fine. I bought the equivalent with the Hurricane line. I also have an old set of Craftsman tools (the shiny ones) that I still use. I inherited a set a dark colored (not shiny) Craftman tools and didn't like them. After I bought the first 2 or 3 Hurricane tools, I bought another, and then another.... They seem to work okay but probably aren't as good as tools costing 4X as much. But most things in life are related to cost and value. A $10,000 bottle of wine is likely to taste better than a $3 bottle of wine.

[John K Jordan]

... - is there a good, reliable, and reasonably priced first face shield that many here prefer?

I keep three of these in the shop for myself and for visitors/students. Light in weight. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VY3ACE
I also have a Trend powered shield but I haven't used it in years.
A normal face shield from a welding supply house will work as well, the type used when grinding and wire brushing.

Remember, nothing with stop a huge piece of wood coming off the lathe at high speed toward your head. Many lathes come with safety cages for protection. Few people use them. Some defense mechanisms: keep the speed low, secure the work well, don't get catches, stay off to the side since most projectiles will be close to the plane of rotation, don't turn crappy wood with cracks and voids. Face shields are great for keeping saw dust and chips out of the eyes.

My advice for beginning turning - become proficient in spindle turning before starting on bowls. You will be glad you did. Spindle turning will teach you the fine tool control that will let you turn anything with ease. Also spindle turning is a lot safer.

JKJ

[Edward Weingarden]

Under the topic of PPE, don't forget about hearing protection. While the lathe is not a noisy machine, other machines in the shop (if you have them) will exceed the safe decibel level. I have significant hearing loss and one of the contributing factors was working with wood working machines without any hearing protection. Any amount of "injury" to your hearing is permanent and additive. In other words, if you notice ringing in your ears (tinnitus) after using your machines, you will now have diminished hearing, and it is permanent. You may not notice it at first, but if you continue to work with machines without protecting your hearing, each insult adds to the previous one until one day you'll be aware of tinnitus that never goes away. It's insidious, so you don't realize the harmful effects until you do, at which point the damage has been done and is irreversible. Even with a high quality hearing aid, I still have trouble hearing when others speak to me, or watching TV. I would strongly urge you and all others that work in high/loud noise environments to protect your hearing. You can use either the foam plugs, or the over-the-ear muffs. Look for the ones that offer the highest noise reduction level.

[Paul Haus]

I'm on my 3d lathe with another one inherited in the wings. I've been doing mainly spindle turnings for furniture repair etc. for over 40 yrs now so that's where my experience lies. I have a mixed bag of chisels (mostly HSS) from a wide range of sellers that I've used for years. I have Craftsman, Bens Best, Sorby, and some from garage sales that are no name but look to have been quality in origin. Big thing for me is I had the sharpened correctly to start then I dress them using various diamond stones before use. I've recently added a couple of carbide tools lately but have not had enough time with them yet to form a solid opinion.
Based on my results, if you keep up with them a good HSS tool touched up regularly with a diamond stone will be sharper than any carbide tool will ever be. Big thing is the HSS chisel will not hold an edge as long as a carbide one will.
IMO get some 'decent' HSS tools for now, use them and learn to keep them sharp. Once you are experienced and comfortable there then start looking at upgrading as time and money permits.