 |
Product Search
|
 |
|
Article Search
|
|
|
Resources
| |
|
Home > Wood Turning - Getting Started With Tools
We Have Found 1 Products for your search of Wood Turning - Getting Started With Tools.
Displaying Items 1 - 1:
Wood Turning - Getting Started With Tools by Darrell Feltmate
Once you buy a lathe you quickly realize that you have done exactly and only that, bought a lathe. Unlike most table saws that come with a blade to use, lathes seldom come with tools. It is necessary to have a set of tools in order to begin to turn wood. Unfortunately the array of available tools for wood turners is complicated for the professional to understand in its seeming complexity and is doubly so for the new amateur.
Some simple considerations help in the decision of what to buy first. There are turners who think that a beginner should never buy a set of tools but only get what is needed as it is needed. The difficulty with such an approach is :Beginners seldom know what tool is needed until they have attempted several cuts with different tools. Manufacturers tend to make specialized tools for specialized cuts that appear infrequently but advertising can make it seem like everyone who turns wood needs one. This leads to spending a lot of money on tools that are seldom used. In the middle of a simple beginner project, a tool may be needed that necessitates a trip to the nearest wood turning tool store or waiting for mail order to supply one.
Companies have answered these dilemmas by assembling "beginner sets" of wood turning tools. Generally these are designed for spindle turning but this is what most people start with anyway. The sets are likely to have a roughing gouge, a couple of spindle gouges, a couple of scrapers, a skew and a parting tool. Add a simple 3/8" bowl gouge or a small Oland tool and you are set up to learn both spindle and face plate turning.
The sets of course vary in price and quality. Similar looking sets may vary by two or three hundred dollars in price. Some things to look for are:High Speed Steel tools, which may be abbreviated as HSS. These will hold an edge much better than carbon steel tools and are also easier to sharpen without ruining the temper of the steel itself. High Speed Steel will be significantly more expensive than carbon steel and worth it. There is no need for the beginner to have the more elaborate and highly expensive steels that some professionals prefer. M2 HSS is a good standard and one most amateurs and professionals alike use.Comfortable handles are a necessity. You intend to use these tools for a fair period of time. Later on as you get used to turning, you will likely make your own handles. At first it is good to have them ready made. Look for handles that fit you hand well. As a general rule spindle tool handles should extend about 3/4 of the length of your forearm and bowl gouges should extend the length of your forearm.Reasonable looking grinds. Sharpening grinds vary with the individual turner but most use spindle gouges sharpened at about 30 degrees, bowls gouges at 45 degrees, scrapers at 70 degrees and parting tools at an included angle of around 60 or 70 degrees. Skews will likely be ground back at an angel of about 70 degrees and with an included angle of about 60 degrees. Most turning tools are not sold ready to go right out of the box and will need to be sharpened before use. Price is generally an indicator of quality but there are many good beginner sets on the market. If you look to fill the above requirements you should get a set that will stand you in good stead for a long time.
About the Author
Darrell Feltmate is a juried wood turner whose web site, http://aroundthewoods.com , contains detailed information about wood turning for the novice or experienced turner as well as a collection of turnings for your viewing pleasure. You too can learn to turn wood, here is the place to start. Wondering what it looks like? Follow the page links for a free video.
http://aroundthewoods.com
You can easily ask your questions about wood turning at his blog at
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com
as well as comment on any thing related to the web site, this article or other aspects of wood turning, art and craft.
|
