Weekly Discussion Topic - Week 4 - Tools!!!!!!!!

[SVB]

OK, so how many of us have a tool wall that either looks like or is on the way to something like this:

OK, so that may have been HT stand at the recent AWGB seminar (plug - Paul H - any news on 2020??), but which tools do we really need? Any droplets of wisdom on the perennial bowl gouge angle / grind shape debate?

Which tool did you surcome to the marketing b*******t and know you can do just as well with a normal tool but was a must have buy at the time?

So, Tools - GO!

:tool: :tool: :tool:

 

[Dalboy]

Not that many. My most used tools are what I would call the basic ones.
My rack looks a bit small compared to that on but what is not seen is another 20+ tools like threaders, texturing and a few other specialist tools as well as some small ones I also have a set of carbide tipped tools that were given to me but they get very little use why people rave about them I do not know as 99% of the work can be done with standard tools.

Those in the rack are what I use most of the time.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Every one of our club lathes has five tools on it permanently. A spindle gouge, a bowl gouge, a roughing gouge, a skew and a parting tool. They are thought to cover 95% of work and many members probably wouldn't even know what is in the tool cupboard. I have probably topside of two dozen, but many are old carbon steel ones than cost me pence and are ground for one particular job and some others are the same tool in different sizes.

 

[Sideways]

I'm a total beginner, figuring it out. I want to keep the set to a minimum and learn how to be competent with them. My interest is to learn to make bowls and hollow forms but it's useful to be able to do tool handles and the like. I'm not very interested in spindle work but I do appreciate the skill and art in such as lace bobbins and Margaret Garrard's Christmas ornaments which I'm sure the family would enjoy.
I've splurged on 3 new tools :
3/8 and 1/2" crown bowl gouges
19mm Colwin Way skew - because I realised that I needed at least one skew chisel and the shape, fit and finish just appealed to me.
And have a couple of used ones:
Roughing gouge
Diamond parting tool
I imagine there will be a few more before I'm done but let's see how far I can go before I give in and buy a scraper

 

[Dalboy]

I'm a total beginner, figuring it out. I want to keep the set to a minimum and learn how to be competent with them. My interest is to learn to make bowls and hollow forms but it's useful to be able to do tool handles and the like. I'm not very interested in spindle work but I do appreciate the skill and art in such as lace bobbins and Margaret Garrard's Christmas ornaments which I'm sure the family would enjoy.
I've splurged on 3 new tools :
3/8 and 1/2" crown bowl gouges
19mm Colwin Way skew - because I realised that I needed at least one skew chisel and the shape, fit and finish just appealed to me.
And have a couple of used ones:
Roughing gouge
Diamond parting tool
I imagine there will be a few more before I'm done but let's see how far I can go before I give in and buy a scraper

You can't go far wrong learning with the basic tools and then buy tools as you need them and not just because everyone else has brought them which many will end up sitting on a rack not getting used that much

 

[Honest John]

I have to admit I’m a tool tart. You can sell me any kind of shiney sharp thing =D>
Truth of the matter is that 90% of turning is completed with the basic tools mentioned. 1/2 inch bowl gouge would be a favourite tool, but I also like 3/8ths and 1/4 inch. I like the double ended ones and I have a conventional grind on one end and long swept back grind on the other. I’m not a great fan of the carbide tipped tools, but I sometimes rough out my segmented pieces with them. I once blew up an open segment vessel by being a bit aggressive with a carbide tip. Wouldn’t have happened with a good sharp gouge. Can’t realy see what all the fuss is about with carbide jobbies..... and that’s coming from a tool tart!

 

[marcros]

My turning is fairly basic and mainly pens and pepper mills. It is pretty much all spindle work. I like the carbide tools for roughing out. I find it much quicker than a roughing gouge.

A homemade carbide tool with a slight radius on, and a bedan cover most of my requirements, aside from a couple of specialist tools for particular parts of pepper mills. A small ashley Iles mini skew is handy on pens, although I would like to make a small bedan.

 

[Paul Hannaby]

The next AWGB international seminar will be on October 9th - 11th 2020. See you there!

You only need one tool - at a time I do 90% of my turning with a 1/2" spindle gouge. The other 10% needs another 50 tools!

I always seem to have far more tools than I have racks but as all my walls are full of shelves, cupboards etc. I can't really fit more racks in unless they are suspended from the ceiling!

I have a few least essential tools. One of which is a shear scraper. It's job can be done with a fingernail grind gouge. I have plans to regrind that to something more useful.

I remember reading that shiny fishing lures were designed to catch fishermen and not fish. I think the same applies to tools...

 

[treeturner123]

Yes, Honest John, Guilty as charged with having too many tools. However, I do find that if one doesn't work well, then a change to another usually means that I can carry on with the piece I'm turning.

One of my favourite tools is a 1/2in CARBON steel skew chisel, it takes a really good edge. My other 'Go To' especially for roughing out is an Ashley Iles 'U' shaped roughing gouge.

Phil

 

[woodbloke66]

Having just come back from a long tour of NZ, I had the privilege of watching Rick Taylor turn bowls from swamp or ancient Kauri, some of the timber being thousands of years old. He only uses TWO tools, a set of which are merrily on their way to me as well as a bowl in green and yellow ancient kauri with 'whitebait' streaks which is was in the swamp for 3850 years - Rob

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Did you see the Kauri museum at Matakohe and the kauri place at Kaitaia?

 

[woodbloke66]

Did you see the Kauri museum at Matakohe and the kauri place at Kaitaia?

Spent a lot of time in the museum (fantastic btw) on our way to Dargaville to spend some time with Rick - Rob

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Ahhh ...... the kumara capital of the world.

 

[doctor Bob]

I feel I have been deceived, I thought this thread was about Jacob!!!

 

[lurker]

I feel I have been deceived, I thought this thread was about Jacob!!!

What tool do you normally use to $#!T stir?