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simonmags
9th February 2012, 11:47 AM
Hi All, I just got my first lathe the other day. It's an oldie and the price was right. It's an old 5 speed dinamix, one of the chinese made lathes with the round bed.

I've had to disasseble the home made bed that it came with as it was too short for me, so I'm looking for info on determing the best height to build the new lathe bed at (i'm 6 foot 7), so I don't want to make it too small.

I was contemplating making a 450mm wide by 1350mm long bench to mount the lathe too, but wondered how often I'd need to sweep the swarf off the bench. The old stand had a piece of 70 x 130 wood running under the lathe bed, with an extra piece for the motor mount, which is behind the head of the lathe.

The second thing I've started investigating is getting a a set of chisels to get me started, I'm happy to buy some HSS ones but would appreciate any advice.

the set's all seem to come with something along the lines of the folowing:

3/8" spindle gouge,
3/16" diamond parting,
3/4" round nose scraper,
1" roughing gouge,
1" oval skew and
3/8" bowl gouge (1/2" overall).

So far i've only really looked at the set's from Carbatech, Sorby, and GPW, I did have a quick look at some from Crown, but I'm just not sure how much difference there is between them all. I don't want to buy too cheap but I also don't want to buy the bee's knees tools just yet as I have to learn to sharpen them too, no doubt I'll make mistakes with them :)


So in summary:
Best height for a lathe
wood turning tool sets - where to start and why

RETIRED
9th February 2012, 11:59 AM
Just above elbow height with your hand across and slightly raised on your chest. You can go about an inch above if you like.

For bowls i like about 2" above.

The Sorby set has most of the tools you need and are good quality at the right price at the moment..http://www.cws.au.com/shop/item/robert-sorby-67hs-starter-set

simonmags
9th February 2012, 02:49 PM
Thanks , yeah I can't fault any of the tools that i've looked at so far, still working out why some are so expensive and others way too cheap though.

This website has quite a selection

Wood Turning Tools Sets (http://ptreeusa.com/wood_turning_tools_sets.htm)

Cliff Rogers
9th February 2012, 06:06 PM
... why some are so expensive and others way too cheap though.....

Quality of the steel & manufacturing.

vk4
9th February 2012, 08:08 PM
Simon, As cliff said quality of steel and quality of manufacturing. The set of 8 in the link are carbon steel , fine to play with if you don't mind sharpening them every 2 minuets,. the other sets appear to be short handled which will mean the steel will not be as long , due to leverage. You are better-off to buy a set from Carba-Tech , Hare&Forbes or specialist wood turning outlet, . Sets are a good starting point, I have 1 and I have added a 3mm bowl gouge and a 1/2" bowl gouge , I am also going to buy 1 3/4" roughing gouge, 2 3mm parting tool 3 6mm bowl gouge 4 6mm detail gouge These will depend on the set you buy of course, mine from H&F the bowl gouges are the shallow radiused tools and not a standard type of gouge,. Use your set as a base and expand your tool range as you gain experience. AND IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE HOBBY , JOIN A CLUB . There you can gain knowledge from experienced wood turners. Jeff

Sawdust Maker
9th February 2012, 09:00 PM
Nice of to provide a link to a product 'out of stock'

PS buy unhandled and make your own - can save money and is good practice

RETIRED
9th February 2012, 10:20 PM
Nice of to provide a link to a product 'out of stock' PS buy unhandled and make your own - can save money and is good practiceMore on the way I have been informed.:p:D

Christos
9th February 2012, 10:28 PM
Nice of to provide a link to a product 'out of stock' PS buy unhandled and make your own - can save money and is good practice


You will need one tool handled so you can turn the rest. I used a spindle gouge to do most of the turning for a handle. It is not a tool recommended for bowls. So far I am only turning between centers and that's giving me something to do. :U

issatree
9th February 2012, 11:03 PM
Hi Simonmags,
Everybody with a few years Turning Experience have their own ideas on what Tools & which Make to get, so here is what I think. I'm mainly a P&N Chisel Man.
10 or 12 mm. P&N Spindle Gouge.
Make your own Parting Tool from an Industrial Hacksaw Blade, money saved there.
25mm. P&N Roughing Gouge. The only one as far as I'm concerned. Not Cheap, but worth it, as it has a bit of Weight & Guts behind it, Much better than a bent piece of Steel.
Forget the oval skew, buy 2 x 25 x 8mm.Scrapers & turn one into a Skew, the other to a Round Nose Scraper. Either P&N or have a look at the Chinese HSS from John McJing. There is quite a saving by buying 2 Scrapers.
10 or 12mm. P&N Bowl Gouge will do you very nicely.
All these Tool can be bought without Handles.
In the back of Richard Raffan's Book " Turning Wood " has a very nice shaped Handle in it.
The Round pieces of an Aluminum Chair make very good Ferrel's?
Cypress, Gum, Apple, Pear, Lemon, Apricot, Ti Tree, Photinia, Cotoneaster, all these woods are fairly easy to obtain, & make Excellent 13in.- 330mm Handles.
So that is my 2 cents worth.

dr4g0nfly
9th February 2012, 11:22 PM
Now I don't know for sure but the site identified by Simon has as a first set these 'Steelex D2228 Lathe Chisel Set, 8-Piece'.

We can get these in the UK as well, as they were explained to me,

They are poor quality steel and don't hold an edge - so you'll get loads of good practice sharpening.

Please, the old adage applies, buy the best you can afford, they will last you a lifetime.

And the other one I've only reciently learnt, Your not rich enough to buy cheap tools!

Cliff Rogers
10th February 2012, 09:16 AM
Also worth going back to this old thread & follow the links to the even older ones.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/lathe-tool-questions-46236/

Jim Carroll
10th February 2012, 01:48 PM
Nice of to provide a link to a product 'out of stock'

PS buy unhandled and make your own - can save money and is good practice

In stock and waiting for orders :D

skot
10th February 2012, 02:11 PM
In stock and waiting for orders

As Bob Hudson sang in "The Newcastle Song"......Don't you ever let a chance go by, Oh No...don't you ever let a chance go by.....:):):D

NeilS
11th February 2012, 12:57 PM
Just above elbow height with your hand across and slightly raised on your chest. You can go about an inch above if you like.

For bowls i like about 2" above.

The Sorby set has most of the tools you need and are good quality at the right price at the moment..CWS Store - Robert Sorby 67HS Starter Set | Carroll's Woodcraft Supplies (http://www.cws.au.com/shop/item/robert-sorby-67hs-starter-set)

+1 on the height, and definitely a bit higher for bowl turning and hollowing; more like hand on shoulder for that.

I wouldn't buy anything less than the quality of that Sorby set. You will get to use all of those tools to a greater or lesser extent, but expect you will eventually add some other tools to the set as you become a more experienced turner.

Should you decide to go down the unhandled route (eg P&N (http://www.cws.au.com/shop/category/7729)*) you would be welcome to borrow some handled tools from me to get you under way with making your own handles. Skew, detail gouge and parting tool would get you going for that.

*An issue with the P&N is the milling marks in the gouge flutes that have to be ground/polished out before use, but a quality tool once that is done.

issatree
11th February 2012, 09:12 PM
Hi Simonmags,
Directed to NeilS, & I'm wondering about, how old your P&N's are, as when I read your Report, I went & had a look at mine, but could see nothing like you said were on Some P&N's. I have 10 & 12mm Spindle Gouges & 8, 10 & 12 Bowl Gouges, but still nothing there. My 12mm SG would be the oldest as there is only 75mm of Flute left, it's fine. The 10mm BG is the youngest, approx 3yr. old.

Just my thoughts.

NeilS
11th February 2012, 10:26 PM
Issatree - all of my P&Ns are at least 15 years old, some maybe a bit older.

Have also heard others say the flutes on their P&Ns needed honing, but have no idea of the vintage of their gouges.

Maybe they have improved in recent years.

Paul39
13th February 2012, 12:30 PM
Simonmags,


I was contemplating making a 450mm wide by 1350mm long bench to mount the lathe too, but wondered how often I'd need to sweep the swarf off the bench. The old stand had a piece of 70 x 130 wood running under the lathe bed, with an extra piece for the motor mount, which is behind the head of the lathe.I favor a lathe bench much like a saw horse so that the shavings fall to the floor. I will gather three five gallon buckets of shavings from turning one 12 inch bowl.

If one has a bench under the lathe, it is easy to stick the tool you are using there and grab the next one. In a few minutes all are buried.

If you have money available and are sure you will be turning a long time buy the best you can afford.

You NEED a good grinder if you don't have one. I would buy that before the first tool. See: http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/my-thoughts-grinders-long-post-147077/

I did my first turnings on a Chinese 7 X 12 metal lathe, using screw drivers and old files sharpened on a belt sander.

Carbon steel tools work just fine, they just need sharpening more often.

A very good parting tool can be made from a ham slicer or bread knife, obtainable from a Goodwill, Salvation Army or yard sale for a dollar or less.

My favorite scraper is a 3/8 X 1 1/2 X 12 inch high speed steel planer blade. I got 4 for $15 at an auction.

I have a big scraper made from a 30 inch rotary lawn mower blade that I use for taking the surface off stumps and dirty wood. Once I get the rocks, dirt and barbed wire out I use a Crown or Thompson 5/8 inch bowl gouge.

Welcome to the addiction.