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View Full Version : Confessions from a tool junky



jefferson
3rd June 2009, 10:21 PM
About 7 years ago I went to the WW show in Melbourne. I spent plenty on "proper" woodworking gear, vices, dovetail jigs etc.

At the time, my son was in Year 11 doing woodwork, so I bought him a Delta midi-lathe and a set of Chinese HSS chisels.

The Delta sat there unused for quite a while. I kept woodworking, but not turning. My son by that stage had lost interest. Still has.

Later, I got a little unwell and thought I might get into turning. You know, an hour or less commitment instead of a whole week/end making a table.

I checked around with the Carbatec franchises and eventually bought a VL300 long bed. Didn't know then what a Stubby was, let alone any of the other brands. It arrived home when I was hospitalised for the first time. Apparently, it took the truckies some time to get the beast into the shed. All 400+kgs of it.

That machine sat there for two years without use. I turned it on a couple of times, had some catches, sucked in dust and said "to hell with it".

But something "turned" me around.

I moved the lathe into the warm part of the shed. Then I started buying chisels. Every time I went to Melbourne (once a month) I called in at Carbatec and bought more and more chisels. And I got onto the forum, which was a real step forward.

Then I bought a baby VL100 and became a good client for Jim Carroll.

Now, 40 chisels + tools and seven chucks later, I wonder where does it all end.

I don't have any deep hollowing tools, nor bowl savers. I have no pen mandrils etc etc.

I have some Oland tools that Ern made for me (thanks) that still don't work well for me.

Some (mostly ) say that you only need a few tools to do the job well. Thanks mate, last time you were up cost me some with three new chisels imported from the UK!

I see quite a few posts from beginners like me, asking about which lathe and which tools.... They might give me a ring before they invest $$$ like I have.

Those Chinese chisels will be down at 's place for the Sharpening Turn-on. If any new turners out there attend, they are yours. Plus some other Hamlets looking for a good home.

I think some of the wiser heads should start a list of "must haves" and "desired, but not essential.

Geez... Ern's talk of a swivel head lathe has got me thinking.....

Be kind with me.

Jeff

Sawdust Maker
3rd June 2009, 10:34 PM
Wot :o
you're giving away chisels :o:o
and giving advice to newbees :doh:
and want to teach people how to sharpen properly :~
and you suggest that you only need a few chisels to turn proper:doh:
and ...



commendable effort :2tsup:

but didn't you know that he who dies with the most chisels, wins :roll:

dai sensei
3rd June 2009, 10:42 PM
I don't think you can call yourself an addict yet :U.

Wait till you buy a new tool, then arrive home to put it on the rack and find you already have one :doh: Or walk into your favourite tool store, but cannot leave until you have bought something :B Your credit card is full of tool purchases, but you cant find them in the workshop and cant find where you put them :club:

:U:U

jefferson
3rd June 2009, 10:45 PM
Nick,

if I die tomorrow, I would probably win. But win what?

There are certainly a lot of chisels here.... Enough to last me a lifetime. I'm almost 50 and reckon that I can do a fair bit of grinding between now and D day and still have plenty of steel. But too many double-ups.

And I just hate wasting good steel on the grinder.

As I said, go easy. I've some personal insights for beginners that you old hands probably would have forgotten. Well, maybe.

Just how many bowl gouges does one need?

Jeff

RETIRED
3rd June 2009, 10:52 PM
2 . :d

tea lady
4th June 2009, 12:00 AM
2 . :dI reckon 4. 2 middle sized and 2 big so you can have differant grinds for different depth bowls and not have to regrind the bevel all the time. :cool: (Which means I "NEED" 3 more. :D )

thefixer
4th June 2009, 12:51 AM
Sheesh! 40 + chisels, wow. :oo: I do everything I need to do from largish bowls to goblets to pens and finials with a roughing gouge, 2 bowl gouges (different grinds), a skew, a parting tool, a couple of home made oland tools, a detail gouge, a scraper and a wicked little hook tool that I made. Bugger! thats 10 already, adds up quickly when you start counting them. I made a beading tool once but never use it coz I can do the same with a skew or gouge and get a better finish. I also made a tool for doing captive rings. Never use that either now that the novelty has worn off:rolleyes: Can't see where I would need another 30 chisels. Would be nice to have the rack though.

Cheers
Shorty

Skew ChiDAMN!!
4th June 2009, 01:38 AM
Need? :think: None. Bowl gouges aren't the only way to hollow... and not every-one turns bowls! :p

I'll go along with though, and say 2. One at 1/4" and one at 1/2"(ish) does me very nicely, thank you.

My bane is oland style tools. I've collected quite a few, but I only need *1*. Mine are all made by individuals (eg. Hughie) and not companies, so as such are more a collection of my fellow fanati^H^H^Hfriend's work, rather than "just more tools."

Well... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. :-

Frank&Earnest
4th June 2009, 02:19 AM
None. Since I made my own carbide insert tool, I only use a "conventional" tool for parting. But I am happy to accept that a very sophisticated turner might attempt feats that require special tools. Like 's shovel.

rsser
4th June 2009, 07:49 AM
A 3/8" bowl gouge would do most of what we need. For the odd big job you could borrow a mate's 1/2 or 5/8 ;-}

Other than that:

Parting tool
Roughing gouge
Spindle gouge
Skew
Round nose scraper if into boxes or maybe a square end,
and a half round scraper

And G'day Frank&Ernest. Welcome back.

texx
4th June 2009, 10:04 AM
i seem to do almost everthing with one and thats my super flute ,
i use a little parting tool and 2 skew chisels a bit but the super flute is the one that gets 90% of the work done .

artme
4th June 2009, 10:28 AM
Can I come and live at your place when I get back from Brasil????:B:B:B

Christos
4th June 2009, 10:41 AM
This has turned into a very heated discussion.

More tools, More tools, I need more tools. Where are my tools.

As yet I am not into turning as the last time that I did that it was well over 23 years ago. Might be in the furture but only time will tell. I do like spending time in the shed and that gets split from other things that I do.

Yes I do other things other then wood working (I will go and wash my mouth out with soap now.)

Thank you Jeff for your shared thoughts.

rsser
4th June 2009, 11:16 AM
Need and like are of course different things. There are a heap of tools I've played with just to see how they worked but now rarely touch.

A wonderful thing about amateur turning is how many ways there are of skinning a cat, without the discipline that a production turner has with time and cost.

NeilS
4th June 2009, 11:28 AM
And G'day Frank&Ernest. Welcome back.




Ditto!

Neil

Frank&Earnest
4th June 2009, 12:15 PM
Thanks Ern and Neil.




A wonderful thing about amateur turning is how many ways there are of skinning a cat, without the discipline that a production turner has with time and cost.

That's it, especially if one is more interested in experimentation than efficiency.

Has anybody experimented with inserts in the past few months?