basic tools quality and price

[musomaniac]

ok guys my next question is , what tools will i need , i am going to have a bash at turning a bowl after i've watched as many youtube tutorials as possible ,
i dont want to spend a fortune on top quality gear just yet , but i would like something reasonable at the same time , any ideas ?
also how often would they need sharpened , i know that is a general question , and depends on how often it gets used , but just an idea would do , which leads to my next question ....... how do you go about sharpening them , is a jig required

 

[IHc1vtr+]

Hello and welcome to the forum, I myself am a newish turner. I found the chisels from below excellent (and no worries about sharpening for a while).

Start out with the square carbide as i did, no worrying about angles ect. I now have the square, round and detail chisels and am over the moon with them.

http://www.ukwoodcraftandcarbidechisels.co.uk/

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

ok guys my next question is , what tools will i need , i am going to have a bash at turning a bowl after i've watched as many youtube tutorials as possible

You will need a bowl gouge (3/8" is a good place to start) and you would benefit from a round nose scraper also to help with transitions from wall to base, particularly with deep bowls. You'll also need something to help cut the tenon or recess chucking point in the base. I would suggest you get a 1/2" skew and a parting tool. The skew will allow the dovetail to be formed on recessed chucking points, the parting tool any straight cuts for tenons etc.
i dont want to spend a fortune on top quality gear just yet , but i would like something reasonable at the same time , any ideas ?

As long as you buy HSS you wont go far wrong so even the £14 Axminster bottom of the range tools are perfectly adequate given they're HSS. The next step up (Henry Taylor or Crown or Hamlet) have better handles typically. Turning tools frequently come up for sale here so keep your eyes skinned for bargains

also how often would they need sharpened , i know that is a general question , and depends on how often it gets used , but just an idea would do , which leads to my next question ....... how do you go about sharpening them , is a jig required

Turning and sharpening are joined at the hip....one cannot become competent without the other. Read Keith Rowley's seminal book and join a turning club would be my advice as well as watching you tube tutorials from the likes of Mike Waldt who does a lot for beginners. A simple dry bench grinder for circa £50 will get you started. Jigs are helpful for pretty, single faceted bevel grinds but developing the skill of freehanding is a very useful tool to have in your bag

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Thinking more....my turning club has a library of DVD's from the master turners like Richard Raffan et al. Jimmy Clewes, a Geordie lad has made about 5 or 6 now and he is not just an excellent turner but a gifted presenter and teacher too so if you can get hold of his back catalogue I would. That also holds true for Glenn Lucas, an irish turner, famous for bowls in fact.

 

[duncanh]

Hello and welcome to the forum, I myself am a newish turner. I found the chisels from below excellent (and no worries about sharpening for a while).

Start out with the square carbide as i did, no worrying about angles ect. I now have the square, round and detail chisels and am over the moon with them.

http://www.ukwoodcraftandcarbidechisels.co.uk/

Whilst those tools and others of their type do work I'd recommend learning to use traditional style turning tools made from high speed steel and they will often be more versatile.

As to the original poster - why not come along to probably your most local club to get some advice, watch some demos and get access to the book and dvd library Northumbrian Woodturners meet on the second Friday of the month. July's demos should be really good - spindle turning on the Friday and a day long demo by Simon Hope on the Saturday.


In case you don't know about it, probably the closest place to get tools and supplies is Axminster in North Shields. It's not entirely clear when they finish, but they appear to have some turning workshops on Tuesdays including one that was running today

 

[musomaniac]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131515483018? ... EBIDX%3AIT
i've just seen these on fleabay , would they be any good

 

[musomaniac]

bob i've just been looking on axminster , they dont have a 3/8 bowl gouge in stock , would a 1/2 do instead

 

[musomaniac]

well i never got an answer on my above post link , so i went ahead and ordered them , they arrived today , just hope they are good enough to practise with .

 

[n0legs]

well i never got an answer on my above post link , so i went ahead and ordered them , they arrived today , just hope they are good enough to practise with .

My son in law bought a set just like that for his dad, but with the Faithful branding. They're okay.
He asked me to get them sharpened as he had made a real mess of them by having a go himself. I dropped them into a local specialist I know, when I collected them he commented how good the steel was.

 

[woodpig]

I'm still a novice myself and although I've got a fairly good selection of turning tools one of the easiest to use with difficult timbers is a heavy duty round nosed scraper. Mine is 1/2" square section and is a joy to use. Easy to sharpen as well. Without going out to the shed, I think mine is a Crown or Hamlet.

 

[BearTricks]

I have that exact same Neilsen set, it came thrown in free with my lathe. They're not too bad. They don't take as much of a beating as my Sorby tools, but they get just as much use.