beginners tools

[Chuck Pickering]

I am interested in learning to turn wood projects such as tool handles, spool knitting jigs, etc. I have a small lathe.

Can I get recommendations of lower cost starter tools that I can learn with, and practice sharpening on, while not breaking the bank?

I am experienced with a metal lathe and grinding bits for it.

BTW, I'm in E. Tennessee, near Jonesborough, so if there are any wood turners near me, please give me a shout.

Chuck

[Brice Rogers]

I bought a number of Hurricane brand tools (bowl gouge set of 3, skew, round nose scrapers (2 or 3), plus a square nose scraper that I ground into a negative rake scraper. They aren't in the class with high-end tools (that may cost 2X-5X as much), but they work pretty well. And they stay sharp for a reasonable amount of time. I think that Benjamin's best may be similar. I also have a set of old craftsman tools and regularly still use the two smaller skews, the parting tool and a few others. These are the HSS ones that are shiny - - not the ones that are rough and black (which I don't care for). But I have also picked up a few higher end tools at discount prices at swap meets.

Harbor freight lathe tools are cheap, but I don't hear many singing songs of praise.

So, perhaps start out with tools like Hurricane and then as you find whether or not you like woodturning, have figured out how to sharpen them w/o taking off too much metal and perhaps wear out your tools through use (rather than through unnecessary grinding), replace them selectively with higher end tools.

[tom lucas]

Brice gives some good advice on brands. As for what specific tools to buy as your first: spindle roughing gouge, 1/2 spindle gouge, 1/2" bowl gouge, 1/8" parting tool. Then add maybe later 3/4" skew and small scraper (or bedan or v-tool). the skew can be used in place of the SRG but it's harder to use, though way more versatile. You can also buy bars of high speed steel and make your own tools and handles. I just made a dovetail mortising tool that allows me to cut the dovetail with the tail stock in place. It cost me less than $15.00.

[Melvin Feng]

What sharpening system do you have or intend to get?

If you were planning on freehand sharpening, I would personally recommend starting with a simple set of carbide tipped tools instead of traditional tooling. It is a bit of an investment to get a jig sharpening system (I have the Oneway Wolverine system on an 8" slow speed grinder with two CBN wheels, plus some added accessories, so it is pretty expensive, but you don't need all of that to get started).

I started with easy wood tools (they were the only ones I knew of when I started many years ago, there are a whole bunch of options now, including generic ones on amazon that are pretty inexpensive, but I don't know how good they are). I am actually very glad I started with the carbide tools as I didn't have the money or time to invest in learning how to sharpen while also learning how to use a lathe for the first time. I gained experience on the lathe, and only recently after many years have invested in traditional tooling and the sharpening needed for it. I now primarily use the traditional tools, but there are certain operations that I still use the carbide tipped tools for, and I am glad that I have them (I also now have some hunter carbide hollowing tools, which I think are fantastic when I am doing hollow forms).

Before I got the sharpening system, I tried to freehand sharpen some cheaper traditional tools, and it was horrible for me. I thought I was doing ok at first, but when I got to my gouges with variable geometry at the tip, there was no way I was able to freehand that well with a single facet. I soon after bought the wolverine system, and after some practice became proficient, but it was an additional cost for sure.

[Scott Winners]

I don't have a lot of experience, but I am about one month in turning spindles only. I can see I might maybe get into hollow forms some day, but for spindles all I need is:

1. big roughing gouge for getting to round. I think mine is either one inch or 3/4".
2. skew, mine is one inch
3. parting tool
4. scraper

I found these basic four with four other chisels on craigslist local to me for under $10 each, I think I paid $75 for all eight. I got Buck Bros high speed steel. They are more than adequate for my minimal skill level to learn all the basic cuts, and sharpening.

Sharpening is a challenge. I already have a bench grinder, a belt sander and a full set of stones. Instead of buying slip stones I used the lathe to make three specific diameter dowels so I can wrap sandpaper and hone the inner channel of each of my three gouges after touching up the outer bevel on my belt sander. I have seen a few youtubes about sharpening jigs for lathe tools on bench grinders. I personally will probably (if I need one) build one like that kid (8-10 years old?) from the UK out of wood.

If you are coming at this with no sharpening equipment carbide chisels might be a good choice, though I have never used a carbide tool on a lathe. I bought a lathe after I had a pretty well equipped shop.

Not that I disagree with any of the above, but keep an eye out for John K Jordan to post here, he is a fantastic resource.

[Bill Bukovec]

Hi Chuck,

You may want to visit Klingspor in Hickory, NC . They have Turner's on staff that would be glad to help you get started. They also had a turning group that met on Saturdays. I suspect the group will get together once covid dies down.

NCWW ( North Carolina Woodworkers) has outreach and training. It's free to join and they have some very gifted Turner's .

I'm not too far from you in Mountain City, hoping to retire soon.

[Todd Trebuna]

I started with a set from Harbor Freight. I wish I’d asked that question here first. I have the Hurricane Bowl gouge set, I think it is a great value and teaches you how to sharpen. I also have a couple of Sorby chisels and think they are good quality for the money.

[David Bassett]

What sharpening system do you have or intend to get? ...

Melvin opens with a key question, but then hints at something to consider even before that.

Easy Wood Tools made carbide cutters popular for turning. (There may have been other first, but less marketing, and there are certainly many after, some arguably better and some more economically priced.) The big allure was no sharpening and very easy for beginners to get acceptable results. Best justification I've heard for these types of tools was from a teacher that used carbide insert tools in his introductory classes. His reasoning was with them 100% of his beginners were successful and while 90% went on to traditional tools, which require more skill and (can) produce better results, they all had a satisfying start and a clear path to initial success.

If, or once, you decide to use traditional tools sharpening becomes a major impediment to success. (Dull tools don't work well!) I strongly suggest the One-Way Wolverine system, (base, arm, and Vari-Grind 1 jig), not because it's inherently the best, but because I've found that's what 95% of online instruction materials and 100% of local classes use. (For me, it's best to not be the pioneer while I'm still the pupil.)

As far as tools, several names of budget tools were thrown around. (Don't do HF! I'm convince the people that are happy with them got very lucky in the heat treat lotto, most people have found them to be a waste of money.) Hurricane & Benjamin Best are good. Old Sears, as long as you get HSS, are good. Also, I've used Wood Craft's WoodRiver tools in a class and they were good and budget priced back then. (Last I'd looked they'd edged towards premium, so check for sales, etc.)

(Or, you can always buy once (& cry once) and just get a couple Doug Thompson or D-Way Tools gouges & handles. )

[Chuck Pickering]

What sharpening system do you have or intend to get?

i have the standard bench grinder, and another set up with an alox cup wheel, and a diamond cup or carbide. I have an adjustable table built by a tool and die maker friend. I have just downloaded a plan for a sharpening jig based on the One Way system.

Next question, do M2 turning tools hold an edge for a reasonable amount of use? Say, for a handle or small spindle... I have watched Doug Thompson's excellent sharpening video...

[Chuck Pickering]

I started with a set from Harbor Freight.

What did you think of them? How did they perform? And, which set?

[John Keeton]

Chuck, I also started with the HF set 11 years ago and still have 2-3 of them that have been repurposed. The low end set is to light weight to be useful, especially for a beginner. However, I would not recommend getting any “set.” I would recommend beginning with spindle turning, which sounds like what you want to do. The tools you need for that are minimal. The suggestions for which tools by Tom Lucas are good. And, while Hurricane seem to be well accepted, they are M2 HSS, which is the common steel for most all lower end tools. For the money I would prefer Benjamin Best from Penn State. For inexpensive tools I think they are the best value.

[roger wiegand]

There are good used tools in abundance out there. Start with an AAW chapter near you, join, and let folks there you are looking for tools (most clubs are meeting by Zoom these days) Chances are good you will have multiple offers, some of them probably for free. Our club, for example, has loaner lathes and tools for beginners. Craigslist, FB marketplace, and of course Fleabay have tools available most every week. You don't need the latest and greatest powdered metal technology, good high speed steel tools from the likes of Sorby, Crown, Henry Taylor, or any of the myriad ones just marked "Sheffield" are just fine. If you need to buy something new Packard woodturning offers a very reasonable line. For some tools the old Craftsman HSS tools are fine, other have odd shapes that aren't helpful. A good quality AlOx wheel of 80-100 grit from the likes of Norton is essential for sharpening. If you can spring for a CBN wheel you eventually won't regret the investment, but that's not where I'd spend money first. A solid platform for your grinder is a near-essential though -- I you learn like I did on a cheap Sears 6" grinder with a sheet metal platform and get good with it everything that follows will seem wonderful! The wolverine is pretty much the gold standard. With HSS tools you don't need to worry about finding a slow speed grinder, unless you turn them cherry red you won't wreck them. Buying unhandled tools can save some money and give you a fun first project to work on. A piece of firewood and a plumbing connector for a ferrule and you can make as good a handle as any. With many of the cheaper tool lines (and some of the expensive ones) I'd urge throwing away the handles that come with them and make handles the right size for the tool and shape for your hands.

The opinion on HF tools is that it's very dependent on the luck of the draw, some are fine, others not.

I'd urge a small number of decent tools to help focus your efforts. A spindle roughing gouge, 3/8 detail, 1 to 1-3/8 skew, a parting tool, and a good bowl gouge (parabolic flute with an Ellsworth type grind) will let you do 90% of all turning projects. Add a round nose scraper and you can do almost anything except maybe deep hollow forms. (Yes, this from the guy who has probably at least 40 tools on his rack)

I'd wait on carbide tools until you develop a specific need for them, if ever. My observation is that they are not conducive to skill development in beginning turners.

[Melvin Feng]

i have the standard bench grinder, and another set up with an alox cup wheel, and a diamond cup or carbide. I have an adjustable table built by a tool and die maker friend. I have just downloaded a plan for a sharpening jig based on the One Way system.

Next question, do M2 turning tools hold an edge for a reasonable amount of use? Say, for a handle or small spindle... I have watched Doug Thompson's excellent sharpening video...

If you have a set of angle gauges, you should be good on any flat lathe tools with your adjustable table, and once you have your jig based setup, you should also be able to do the compound geometry for most gouges.

Is your bench grinder a 6 inch or 8 inch?

I think M2 is a great metal to begin learning how to sharpen. I had a super old harbor freight set that I practiced on, and then practiced on my inexpensive sorby and then my ellsworth signature gouge before buying my more expensive tooling. I now primarily have and use D-Way, which were quite an investment (i've now spent more on D-Way tools than I did on my lathe! I doubt I'm alone in that regard though).

For your basic traditional tools, others have given some good suggestions. I'll second the skew, detail spindle gouge, bowl gouge, and negative rake scraper. Size of tools depends on size of work you plan on making, and the size of your lathe to a certain extent. Many also get a spindle roughing gouge (I also have one), but if you learn how to do a peeling cut with your skew, it can cut as fast if not faster than the spindle roughing gouge. You also need to know which tools should not be used on bowls (for safety reasons) like the skew and spindle roughing gouge and spindle detail gouge (except for very specific precise tasks - I've seen some use a spindle detail gouge to clean up the tenon for their chuck, but that's it). Pretty much anything used for bowls can also be used on spindles though. If you want to get fancy with your negative rake scraper, you can use a diamond hone card to remove the burr from the grinder, and then pull a fresh burr using a burnisher.

I do still think carbide tools have their place, and even though I primarily use traditional tools now, I still use my carbide tools for specific tasks, and it is what I am starting my 9 year old daughter on with the lathe. For people I introduce to the lathe for the first time I also always start with carbide insert tooling. It is only with those that show deeper interest and a desire to develop that skill do I introduce to the traditional tooling later. It helps to give them a quick win on the lathe (I often have people learn how to make pens first for the same reason, a quick win).

[John K Jordan]

...
BTW, I'm in E. Tennessee, near Jonesborough, so if there are any wood turners near me, please give me a shout.

Wow, that's about as East as you can get! I thought I lived in East TN but I'm all the way over near Knoxville!

Best thing to do is find a club. Unfortunately, due to the medical situation some clubs are not meeting in person. Hopefully this will get better at some point, but for now, even virtual club meetings could be quite helpful. Lots of clubs, like the one in Knoxville, have a variety of instructional demonstrations by Zoom meeting. The AAW website keeps a list of clubs across the country.

Another useful thing is joining the AAW, American Association of Woodturners. They have tremendous resources for beginning and advanced turners. They have a fundamentals program to help get started. And they keep a list of woodturning videos that have been vetted for safety and usefulness. There are many woodturning videos on YouTube but unfortunately many of them are downright bad - when starting out how are you supposed to know which are good?

I think you are doing the right thing by getting even some low end tools and learning to sharpen. I see several people have mentioned some brands. Some people do start with carbide tools and apparently some never get past them. The variety and quality of your turnings may be limited with such tools where once you learn to sharpen "traditional" tools the world of turning is wide open to you. And it's really not that difficult, especially with a bit of instruction. Sometimes you can find used tools for little or nothing. Over the years I've accumulated a bunch of cheap or free used tools I use for trying special grinds and for students - great for practicing sharpening! Belonging to a club is a good way to find such tools.

I started out with a cheap set of Craftsman HSS turning tools from Sears. (I still use some today!) You can sharpen almost any woodturning tool with a Wolverine sharpening system on a bench grinder - use the flat platform for scrapers, skews, and spindle roughing gouges, and use a Varigrind jig or similar jig for bowl and spindle gouges.

BTW, I also have a small milling machine and metal lathe - so, so useful at times but the free-hand turning on a wood lathe is so much more fun! (And a great creative outlet!)

JKJ

[David Walser]

Chuck -- You've received a lot of good advice. As you're learning, if you ask five turners a question, you'll get 10 answers -- all conflicting. Here's one more.

Like many, I started with a HF tool set (the less expensive of the two sets). I won the heat treatment lottery and the set has served me very well. I still use one or more of the tools almost every time I turn. Having had luck with that set, when the 'better' HF set was on sale, I bought it. Unlike the first set, the tools in the second do not hold an edge. I almost never use them. Soon after I started turning, my wife and I took a week-long class at Craft Supplies USA. At the end of the class, I used the 20% discount they offered to buy some additional tools. These were from Hamlet and Henry Taylor. I still use those tools frequently. They are much nicer than the best of the HF tools I have. However, the difference isn't in edge holding ability. The difference is in the 'finish' of the tools. I had to spend a lot of time with a belt sander and a file to round over the corners of my HF skews so they would slide smoothly on the tool rest. That wasn't true with the Hamlet skew! Similarly, the flute of my Hamlet and Henry Taylor gouges arrived smooth and ready to use. That wasn't true of my HF gouges. Again, the HF gouges required liberal application of elbow grease to become useable. The problem is it took me a couple years of frustration to learn what was wrong with the tools and how to fix them.

I also have a whole bunch of Benjamin's Best tools from Penn State. (My family bought me the tools for Christmas one year.) In my experience, the Benjamin's Best tools are no better than those from HF. There are more variety -- HF only has the two sets and none include a bowl gouge, for example. Some of my Benjamin's Best tools hold an edge. Others don't. All of them came every bit as rough as the HF tools. You can go that route if you're willing to put in the work and willing to assume the risk that your particular tool won't hold an edge.

I used to advise new turners to buy the HF set that has served me so well or to get comparable tools from Benjamin's Best or a similar brand. I no longer offer that advice. My experience with the 2nd HF set and the Benjamin's Best tools has soured me on those sources. Also, most new turners aren't in a position to know what work needs to be done to such tools to make them serviceable. I had a jig and could put a good edge on my tools. I had no idea I needed to round over the corners of the sides of my skews. Nor did I understand that the flutes needed some polishing.

Given that, my advice to new turners is to buy a small number of 'house brand' tools from a quality turning supply store, such as Craft Supplies USA or Packard Woodworks. (I do not include Penn State in that group.) CSUSA has the Apprentice line of tools. They are made by Henry Taylor in England. The tools are 20% or so less expensive than the same tools in the Henry Taylor line, but they are not polished to the same level as the Henry Taylor branded tools. (The Apprentice tools do NOT require any additional work to be serviceable.) Packard has a similar line made by, IIRC, Hamlet. I have both Hamlet and Henry Taylor tools and prefer the Henry Taylor tools, but that has nothing to do with quality. I just prefer the feel of the Henry Taylor tools, so I prefer CSUSA's house brand tools to Packard's. Again, that's NOT a quality distinction. Just a matter of personal preference.

Which tools? Knowing what I know now, I'd buy a 3/4" spindle roughing gouge, 1/2" or 3/4" skew (one, not both), 3/8" spindle gouge, and a parting tool (most likely a 'thin' parting tool) from a quality house brand. If I were going to start turning bowls, I'd get a 1/2" bowl gouge from a quality house brand.