Basic woodturning tools – which makes the most sense to splurge on?

[John Kananis]

I second this motion!! Seriously.

unfortunately there are probably more than a few that can't joint or attend local turning clubs but youtube videos are a great alternative..... It's about time John K Jordan did a Skew Video

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I use a skew more than anything. My favorites are old craftsman skews picked up at flea markets, or online. I have several skews, from a large 2 inch down to a really old carbon steel 3/8 inch skew. The important part of the skew is how heavy is the thickness of the steel. Some are only 5/32nds thick but an inch wide. They chatter and vibrate unmercifully. the craftsman brand skews that I use are about 5/16ths thick x 1 inch. sharpen easy The are multiple varieties of steel for cutting tools. Carbon steel still seems to get sharper easier than HSS and others but it also dulls fastest. My 30 to 40 year old Craftman skew chisels are HSS but not really high grade modern HSS and they do great. Beware the cheaper sets. Some of them have 1/8th inch thick x 3/4 inch skews that really are tough to use.

a skew chisel can lead to scary catches. I still get one or two in an afternoon, but usually because I got careless. One of the best videos on skew chisels is by Alan Lacer. As I recall Stu Batty also has a good one. The best I found was a German turner in German. I couldn't follow his German, but what he demonstrated seemed to make it all come together for me. The skew has a heel to the edge and a point. Use the middle of the cutting edge and stay away from the heel and the toe and then, only use the toe or heel when they are in the down position. heck, I often use a skew to part off. A skew can also be used as a scraper. Try to avoid using it as a scraper. Use the skew to take thin hair like shavings off the work, it will need almost no sanding.


Many Old world turners use a skew that is wider at the edge than at the handle. Such skew chisels are great for finish cuts on really soft wood like Linden, called Bass wood i the US, ( European Linden is called lime. very similar wood. in fact many of the Linden trees in the US are actually hybrids. )

[Dwayne Watt]

but I dislike sharpening.

Like others have said, get a slow speed grinder and a grinding setup jig of your choosing. Sharpening turning tools with the proper jig is much simpler than sharpening flat work tools, IMHO. Even sharpening my flat work tools became a tolerable job when I invested in a WorkSharp system (but I still don't really like sharpening planes, hand chisels, etc despite not having to do that very often). On the other hand, turning tools need to be sharpened frequently. Sometimes every few minutes or less is necessary depending on the type of wood on the lathe. It is very easy to stop turning and successfully sharpen a bowl gouge with a jig (30 seconds, tops!). No jig is needed or really recommended beyond the grinder's tool rest for sharpening roughing gouges, scrapers, parting tools, or skew chisels.

[Paul Haus]

I enjoyed reading others comments here. I will start off that I've been turning for over 50 years. In that time, I've gathered a fair number of new and used turning tools. I have some carbon steel ones that are high carbon steel and maybe 3/16" thick (pushing 80+ years old) while others are relatively new and HSS. I even have some carbide ones.
I'm going against the grain here; carbide IMO has a spot in most turners' toolbox. When I can't do the whole turning with a carbide chisel, I like to use them to rough out the turning then finish it up with the steel ones that are appropriate for the situation. Using the carbide chisels reduces the amount of sharpening you'll have to do.
Having said that, the majority of my turnings are spindles: things like table and chair legs, balusters, etc. You don't have the selection in carbide tools you do in steel, so you'll likely need to use steel ones somewhere in your project.
Being I closed my shop when I retired, I don't have the time constraints I used to. I have a couple of grinders, but I like to spend the time with either a diamond or Arkansas stone when it comes to touching up my chisels, feels a lot better than putting it through a grinder and you lose less metal with each shapening. Yes it takes more time than a grinder but it feels good doing it by hand.
My 2 cents.