yet another vice :-)

[routermaniac]

G'day fellows,

Getting a bit bored playing with my planes and mortice chisels so I went down to Bunnies and got myself an el crapo GMC lathe (the above adjective as per multiple reviews on this board).

I have never touched a lathe before but armed with a few www sites and some online videos I started to tackle some hardwood blanks that I thicknessed to about 2x2 inches.

Now, why the hell did I do that and not go the MC900? The answer is simple, didnt want to spend so much money ($300 can buy a lot of old planes :D ).

BTW, I am actually just using half a lathe at the moment (bed about 500mm), I think this is probably the simplest way to avoid flex as this lathe (if you want to use the full 1000mm) is joined in the middle with bolts. I really dont mind this as I am just concetrating on turning chisel handles and decorations for my timber windows...

Anyway got started on the hardwood and there and behold, lots of fun making coves and beads and a very dodgy attempt at a pummel...

While I was in the middle of some planing cuts, my 1/2 inch el cheapo chisel split in half :D ... didnt phase me much cause I was hiding behind my triton respirator...

So my question is what is a fairly reasonable set of chisels that I can buy for preferable less that $50-60??? I'm starting to warm to this woodturning business so chances are I would keep these chisels a little while...

Also, does anyone know of any good sites that go through sharpening woodturning chisels??? I can sharpen the run of the mill chisels to perfection but I have come to realise I have no idea what I am doing when I have to use a bench grinder and hollow grind...

And one last question... I have heard a lot of you speak about turning green timber... do you first bandsaw the sides flat if you are turning between centres?

regards

marios

[smidsy]

Hei Marios,
I'm not sure you'll get anything decent in way of chisels for $60-$70 for a set.
About the best bang for buck is the generic chinese set sold by Carbatec and others for around $100 - this is a 6 peice set in a carry case which gives you a good range of tools. I have these and have carved rock hard old jarrah no probs - the main difference between these chisels and the good ones (like Hamlett) are that they need sharpening a little more often which means less long term life. But they are good enough to do some great work with.

For sharpening, you really need a jig of some kind for accurate sharpening. Darrel Feltmates site has some info http://www.aroundthewoods.com/index.shtml or pm me a direct e-mail addie and I can send you some pics of the jig set that I use.

Something you should think about doing is finding a turning club, apart from learning you sharpen your chisels you also have access to a wealth of knowledge, plus it's great to see what others are doing.
Cheers
Paul

[Ross]

Hi Marios

Try these sites.

http://www.turningtools.co.uk/wtintro/wtintro.html

http://www.woodworking.co.uk/Technical/technical.html

http://www.fholder.com/Woodturning/woodturn.htm

and with all woodworking spend the money on good right tools.

Ross

[echnidna]

The real cheap chinese chisels can be improved significantly by hardening and tempering.

[routermaniac]

thanks guys, I was looking at those carbatec/timbecon $110 chisel set but I was hoping to buy something a little cheaper, never mind chances are I will end up continuing with turning so I may as well spend the money...

[hooppine]

My suggestion is to plug on till the woodworkingwithwood show(see web site) and look for specials. Know your prices and look for real specials not cheapeis.

I got a good set going cheap last day for $75(eight chisels)

I started similarly to you making kids furniture and had to turn up wheels for full sized racing car, barbie car etc. beds

Happy turning

[Hambone]

Hi All,

In my humble opinion you can get a cheap chisel but not a good cheap chisel .I am afraid if you want good gear you are going to have to pay for it

Ron

[routermaniac]

I think the general consensus here is to spend the money on good chisels...

I just thought there maybe an alternative to spending so much... for example my ordinary wood working chisels are old titans that I have restored... the chisels that come closest to their quality today are sorbys worth more than $70-80 each... I have never paid more than $8 for each these chisels and I have a set of 6 which I use all the time.

I would have done the same with the turning chisels but I am not that confident that I can properly sharpen them on the grinder yet...

I know the basic angles for the skew chisels, what angle are the gouges generally ground at? If I find any vintage ones, I might try to restore them after practising the sharpening on my crappy chisese chisels.

thanks for the responses

marios