Tools

[Winter577]

Greetings everyone!
I'm not even a beginner yet, but have been wanting to get into turning after brief exposure to it years ago in high school. This past christmas I recieved a small beginners lathe, but although I'm itching to begin turning projects I haven't had a chance to get any tools yet due to finacial reasons. I was wondering if anyone here would be kind enough to offer me some tips on tool selection so I can begin with a set that will preform well.

[JimQ]

You are probably going to want to start with a "bargain" set of tools to learn with because you will need to learn to sharpen them too. It can be very intimidating to put an expensive set of tools to a grinder before you learn to sharpen them properly. Get some inexpensive High Speed Steel (HSS) tools, not Carbon Steel.

Here in the lower 48, I would recomment the Harbor Freight set of tools, but I don't know what brands you have up there.

An even bigger recommendation is to find a local turning club. The American Association of Woodturners list 3 clubs in Alberta. You can find more info at:

http://www.woodturner.org/community/cha ... apter+List

Most clubs have some sort of mentoring program for Newbies. Best of luck, and welcome to the addiction known as turning.

JimQ

[Robert Gulley]

"I was wondering if anyone here would be kind enough to offer me some tips on tool selection so I can begin with a set that will preform well."

Welcome to the world of turning! As Jim suggested, find an inexpensive set of tools to begin with. Be wary of some tool sets, however, because they don't offer a good selection of tools. An experienced turner can help you shop, and depending on what type of turning you want to do, can help guide you. A woodturning club is the best place to get help.
If that is not available to you, you might want to check online at several of the woodworking stores such as Rockler and Woodcraft, Penn State Industries, or Craft Supplies (www.woodturnerscatalog.com, I believe), and examine the tools they sell, especially to get an idea of what is out there for the type of turning you want to do.
A 3/4" spindle roughing gouge, a 3/8" spindle gouge, 3/4" round nose scraper, 1/4" parting tool, 3/8" bowl gouge will get you started quite well for most types of turning.
As I mentioned before, if buying a set of tools, make sure the tools have the right shapes to them - some of the cheaper sets are what I call hybrid tools - basically spindle tools that are slightly modified to cover bowl turning as well, therefore doing neither well.
Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask any questions along the way - we are always happy to help in any way we can!

[Winter577]

Thanks for the advice. There is a good woodturning club around here, but have been hesitant to join due to my weird schedule.
I have had my eye on a set of Samona chisels that has all of those sizes. It'll probably be a slow process to piece together a workshop one thing at a time as I can afford it. Yesterday I was in looking at a couple of grinders, as I'd like to have a sharpening system in place first. Would I notice a big difference between a 6" grinder and an 8"?

[Robert Gulley]

6" vs 8" grinder
There is not a lot of difference between the two - far more important is the type of wheels on the grinder. For lathe tools you want to have aluminum oxide wheels (white, blue, red, color isn't important). If possible, put a 60 or 80 grit wheel on one side, and 100 or 120 grit on the other side, to give you a more course side for shaping the tool and a finer grit for extra-smooth sharpening. If you watch for sales at woodcraft you can pick up an 8" grinder with two aluminum oxide wheels for around $75 US. The advantage here is that the wheels, which normally run about $25-30 US each, come with the grinder and so you are getting an 8" grinder for almost nothing.
Overall, I think the Oneway Wolverine system is the best for sharpening jigs, and since it's Canadian made, it may be cheaper for you than it is for us in the states.

[Robert Gulley]

Just got a Penn State Industries catalog this morning and they list a set, #LCAN6S a six piece set, for $44.95 (US). It is made of high speed steel, and has all the basics in it except for a decent spindle gouge (the one in the set is one of the hybrid ones I mentioned in a previous post). But for starting out, it really looks like a good set. Just add a 3/8" spindle gouge at some point and you will have everything you need to do a lot of turning. For less than the cost of a single "name brand" tool you get 5 highly usuable tools and one okay tool.
Their web address is: www.pennstateind.com

[Winter577]

My shopping choices are a little bit limited in my area... mainly because I can't afford the trip into Calgary. The Windsor Plywood store here has a 6" General slow speed grinder on sale right now. I'm pretty sure the wheels are the ones you mentioned as the employee that first showed me that one is a member of the local woodturning club. I think that area in the store is sometimes used by the club. A couple of the larger lathes (which I tend to drool over whenever I'm there) show some definate wear and tear.
I may just have to splurge a bit this weekend and pick up that grinder. I'm determined to start turning something by the end of the month!

[JimQ]

Winter, After the lathe and tools, the next most important thing to buy is face and lung protection. I know they are expensive, but they are cheaper than the ER. Some thing like the Trend AirShield provides both.

Wood dust can be a severe irritant to the lungs, some can trigger bronchial attacks in people that don't have asthma, some cause allergic reactions, and some can be toxic.

The real fine dust also causes irritation to the eyes, and may cause scratches on the cornea. And then there are the flying chips and occassionally large chunks to have to duck.

JimQ

[Winter577]

You bring up a really good point there, and it something I've already got covered. I plan to get myself a faceshield and I can get decent quality disposable dustmasks from my work.

[JimQ]

Those soft or formed disposable fiber dust masks are not very effective against fine wood dust. They simply do not fit tightly enough to the face. They allow more to get past than they trap. I started out with them, and would begin having asthma problems in 15 minutes. With my Trend AirShield I have yet to have any, even after 4 or 5 hours.

JimQ

[Winter577]

These ones do form a good seal. I've used them before. Not to worry, I like to play safe.

[N_Addy]

Winter, make sure you can find the Aluminum Oxide wheels that Robert mentioned. Like he said, you want both 60-80 and 100-120 grit.

In shopping for a grinder I found that there are NO standards when it comes to size. Arbor sizes, wheel widths, etc are all over the place. What looks like a good grinder may not work with the A/O wheels that are available on the general market.

I purchased a Grizzly 8" grinder just to find out that it would not work with A/O wheels. I called Griz and even they admitted that it was better suited for course (i.e. low grit) wheels. I had to return it. Eventually got the Woodcraft slow-speed grinder that Robert also mentioned. It works great!

[Winter577]

I'm pretty sure the grinder I'm looking at has the A/O wheel of the grits mentioned, but I'll definately be making sure before I make any purchases. I really appreciate all the great advice you've been offering. I'm very glad I came here.

[Winter577]

All right, got my tools, got my lathe set up, got my safety gear, wouldn't ya know it... grinder is on backorder

[Robert Gulley]

Of course!! Isn't that just the way things go!
Hang in there, it will be worth the wait!!