13

My father no longer uses his shop (for the most part) and the tools are going to me.

Over time and disuse some of his turning tools have disappeared or fallen into disrepair. I would like to start learning to turn, but I will need some new gouges. What are the "must have" gouges for a beginning turner? I have already purchased a 1 inch flute roughing gouge.

Daniel B.
  • 5,404
  • 8
  • 30
  • 68

3 Answers3

15

A large part depends on what you ultimately plan on turning. However, this is the set I bought when I jumped into the hobby.

enter image description here

3 of them I almost never use even now.

  1. 3/16-Inch Parting Tool - used to 'cut' the work-piece off its base. Once I got a chuck I use this surprisingly little but still a must have.
  2. 5/8-Inch Spear Scraper - like the round nose scraper this is used to shape your pieces. It has a point and two flat edges giving you options for smoothing and shaping. rarely use for my turning
  3. 1-Inch Skew Chisel - used for smoothing, tapers and beading, as well as v-cuts. Started using it a lot, but have moved away from it.
  4. 5/8-Inch Skew Chisel - same as the one above, but smaller and easier to guide. I also rarely use this one
  5. 5/8-Inch Round nose scraper - I tend to use this one on a lot of things. It works great for cleaning up the inside and outside of bowls and makes a nice smooth surface. LOVE this one, one of my most used tools and I have bought 1 or 2 more of different sizes
  6. 1/2-Inch Bowl Gouge - primarily for hollowing out bowls, I've used the round nose scrapper to do the same thing. Took me a long time to learn to use this correctly and I have a different one that I like more but a bowl gouge is good if you plan on turning bowls.
  7. 3/4-Inch Spindle Gouge - to round spindle stock. Used a bit, very useful
  8. 7/8-Inch Roughing Gouge - also to round spindle stock. Use it all the time, similar to the one you bought, I've also bought a couple others of different sizes.

Oh, if you are just going to buy them one at a time, then it is a good idea to go for quality. These aren't bad and I started with 'cheap' because I didn't know if I would like turning. Since then I've bought a set that cost more than my first lathe.

bowlturner
  • 15,982
  • 6
  • 42
  • 92
  • The hurricane one I got looked high quality, but I'm not really sure. I'm not after brand names, but what should I be looking for? – Daniel B. Mar 26 '15 at 15:25
  • @DanielBall Doesn't look to bad, and it has a high ratings. Though everyone seems to say it needs to be sharpened before you use it. Mine were very cheap (I paid $40 for that same set 6 years ago) and that chisel is still one of my favs. My spendy ones are powder Metallurgy, and they need sharpening about 1/5th as often as my HSS – bowlturner Mar 26 '15 at 15:31
  • @bowlturner what is the purpose of each tool and what types of projects dictate which tools? – rob Mar 26 '15 at 15:45
  • 1
    @rob Ha! Good question! I'll have to update my answer. – bowlturner Mar 26 '15 at 15:46
  • @rob No problem! We want good answers, and somethings we just 'assume' – bowlturner Mar 26 '15 at 16:08
  • Dad suggested i might want a larger gouge for bigger projects? – Daniel B. Mar 26 '15 at 16:39
  • 1
    @DanielBall eventually, a 1" gouge can do a lot and if you haven't done any turning, it is certainly (IMO) big enough to start with. I think my biggest one is currently a 1". Start with the basics and as you see what you WANT to do get the tools to do that. – bowlturner Mar 26 '15 at 16:42
  • 1
    You can always make a larger cut with a smaller tool- the reverse isn't true. – TX Turner Mar 26 '15 at 19:33
  • 1
    Generally, I find that I reach for one of four tools- a diamond parting tool for making tenons and recesses; a fingernail grind bowl gouge for roughing and shaping; a round nosed scraper for smoothing, and a small skew for crisp details or smoothing out long sweeping curves. I have a spindle gouge and a detail gouge that I rarely use. – TX Turner Mar 26 '15 at 19:36
  • Are the numbers in the description counting them from left to right in the box in the image? – FreeMan Mar 26 '15 at 23:48
  • 1
    @FreeMan yes they are, thank goodness – bowlturner Mar 27 '15 at 01:21
  • This is a timely update, I've been meaning to ask you a question on tooling! Have you gone to the dark side and gotten any carbide-tipped tools? A friend just made himself a lathe (which I intend to beg time on sometime soon) and I was curious if you had thoughts about whether carbide tools could be his sole turning tools, along with files and sandpaper of course? He'll exclusively be spindle turning from what I understand and mostly shorter stuff (handles) & some small decorative items. I'll be borrowing his tools for my stuff, initially for making a set of best London pattern chisel handles. – Graphus Nov 30 '21 at 19:50
  • @Graphus I have added a couple carbide tipped tools to my arsenal, and I think you could get away with them, especially for spindle turning, if you start out with round stock. But if you start with tree branches or stuff (and I do) I have a hard time believing that a roughing gouge wouldn't make your life a lot easier. While I do tend to use what I have to do a job, when I have the money I like to get the 'right' tool to make it easier the next time! ;) – bowlturner Nov 30 '21 at 20:28
  • Thanks! I'll suggest getting a roughing gouge, right tool for the job and all that. I suspect it won't be added to his shopping list though because he won't be doing enough turning to justify getting a decent one — here just the one gouge from a name brand could cost more than an entire set of carbide tools from China, and a spare insert or two O_O – Graphus Dec 01 '21 at 14:22
  • BTW he is using branches! Following my lead in using branches collected on hikes, when a neighbour trims a tree etc. as a good way to get handle stock for free (although mine were previously all planed to shape, which results in slightly more pleasing grain patterns than when you turn them). Currently he's muddling along with the rudimentary scrapers he has, although indeed rough shaping can be slowww. The tools are converted files, which many turners issue dire warnings against using because they're far too brittle to be safe on a real lathe, but as this is a low-power setup it could be OK. – Graphus Dec 01 '21 at 14:29
  • @Graphus Well I would still recommend buying even a cheap roughing gouge, the time saved will more than make up for the $20-30 spent. Seriously. and if the files are correctly tempered, they should be ok, especially for a low speed lathe, if they are just ground to shape only, then be careful, and always wear a face shield. – bowlturner Dec 01 '21 at 14:52
  • Oh if only we could get 'em for only 20-30 bucks! Here the cheapest brand name ones are probably from Crown Tools, and the 19mm (3/4") would be over $110 delivered :-( Re. the converted files, I don't know if the bodies were tempered so I'd have to assume they weren't. I'll be using the carbide tools by the time I get some time on the lathe, but I'll pass on the recommendation to always wear a face shield when using the files.... doesn't bear thinking about what might happen if one snaps or shatters hitting a knot, or if there's a bad catch! – Graphus Dec 01 '21 at 21:22
6

A roughing gouge is important. But if you don't have to slow speed grinder with the necessary attachments it can be a pain to sharpen it once it dulls.

I am a beginner at turning as well. I bought a cheap set of turning tools on amazon and have buyers remorse. My wife doesn't want me to spend any more money on the shop this month so I started making my own turning tools.

I made a roughing gouge in an afternoon using some scrap wood for a handle that i turned with my cheap amazon set. I just used metal rod that i inserted into the handle and screwed a carbide cutter on the end (it was a spare from my joiner that has the spiral head. but these can be had on amazon cheap).

The carbide will last longer than the high speed steel and instead of spending a ton on sharpening equipment, i replace a $15 piece of carbide.

I used it recently on hard maple and padouk and it worked very well, and cost me about $20 all together, not to mention it was fun to make. I even got a round cutter from wood craft for $16 that i can switch out with the square cutter.

I could go into a ton of detail but there is a lot on youtube about making your own turning tools. Here's an example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUrGPvPumns

ProfessionalAmateur
  • 539
  • 3
  • 4
  • Turns out dad's going to buy me a set of Robert Sorby tools, so ... I guess problem solved, but this looks like a fun project to make. – Daniel B. Mar 27 '15 at 22:09
4

I started turning just about 4 years ago and jumped in with a starter set of tools and upgraded since then. This was about 7 lathe tools in a starter set and I had to also buy something to sharpen them with.

I have a new recommendation that has come to market in just the past couple of years that I think will encourage new folks without getting into tool overload.

Here is my is the Tools you need 101:

1) Lathe
2) A parting tool. You need one, preferably narrow kerf, end of story full stop.
3) A multi bit tool interchangeable cutting head on a tool. Circle, Square, Diamond point.
4) Diamond sharpening plate.

A few reliable brands: Rockler with their house brand, Easy woodworking tools, and Robert Sorby (others?).

Each tool has a set of Pro/Cons. I think you can get down two 2 tools if you go with the Robert Sorby solution. If you choose the other you can do it with 4 tools. This is enough to pretty much do 90% of woodturning; hollow forms being the need for more specialty things, and threaded boxes.

HSS (High speed steel) and Carbide do not have the same grain structure they behave somewhat differently and there are pro/con to using one over the other. Options for both on one tool are fantastic.

The big upside is you don't need to buy a sharpening system from the get-go (grinder, or belt) but rather just a diamond lap plate is sufficient. You remove the cutting head from the tool and just lap the cutter head on the diamond plate using water for lubrication.

After you start you can always add more tools ;)

PS. If you get into turning buy a 4 Jaw Chuck (number 5 on my list).

Daniel B.
  • 5,404
  • 8
  • 30
  • 68
Praxum
  • 71
  • 1