Thread: Help needed on Wood Turning Chisels

Are they HSS or carbon steel?

If you want a starter set in HSS, have a look at something like this.
http://www.garypye.com/Turning-Tools...-Set-p438.html

If you want to start with a name brand starter set that you can add to later, have a look at these.
http://www.cwsonline.com.au/shop/category/-starter-kits

Marples turning chisels were generally carbon steel.

They can get a good sharp edge but it does not last very long.

Your best bet is to get the Robert Sorby Starter set @ $240.00.

It has the six basic tools to get you started in spindle turning or bowl turning and are a good quality High Speed Steel.

From there you add tools as needed

Thankyou Cliff & Jim.

I think maybe the Robert Sorby starter set might be the way to go.

Good advice from you both & very much appreciated.

Thanks

Steve

Steve,
I would advise you start with the first set Cliff pointed out. Half the cost but will work almost as well as the others. When you have mastered sharpening and worn a good bit of them down in the process then start building up a set of good brand tools.
Regards
John

In regards to turning chisels we all have to start somewhere. Normally you would get the lathe first and then the chisels. But in my case I started with the chisels. I managed to pick four from The Traditional Tool Group Sale. These were carbon steel and of course lots of sharpening.

The chisels were roughing gouge, skew, parting tool and a diamond shaped scraper.

The first turnings were between centers using a drive center and live center. It was just a matter of making shavings and simple shapes. Snowman, tool handle, round stick to a smaller round stick.

As these were carbon steel I started to replace the chisels one at a time. At the time I was not sure if I wanted to take up turning so it was a matter to try turning before committing too much funds.

For me I find the handled tools are too small as my hands are a little bigger then others, so I look for un-handled tools or except that I will be replacing the handles.

I have taken everyones opinions into consideration, & I thank you all.

Rightly or wrongly, I decided to go ahead & order the Robert Sorby 67HS Starter Set from Jim Carroll.

I still dont have a chuck, but I have a turning center & a Live center so at least I can have a play.

I also want to grab a pen turning kit at some stage, but...

When your Outgoes exceeds your Income, your Upkeep is bound to be a Downfall.


Thank you all

Steve

Ticky,

The Sorby set will serve you well. You need some way to sharpen the tools. The skew is easy, as little as a piece of 180 - 220 grit sandpaper on a flat surface. I use my lathe bed. and also have a chunk of granite that was cut out of a counter top for a sink hole. A piece of plywood and sand paper or a flat bench stone will work.

A diamond plate will work but is over kill. Save that for your carbide tools later.

Sharpen the parting tool as above, likewise the spindle gouge, but that will be more complicated.

If you do not have a grinder or a belt sander, a grinder needs to be your next purchase. With a flat rest you can easily sharpen your roughing gouge, spindle gouge, and scrapers.

My preference is a slow speed, which I think is about 1400 rpm down there, 1725 here, 8 inch aluminum oxide wheel of around 120 grit. The gray wheels that will come with the grinder will work but will tend to heat the tool. High speed steel will take much more heat than carbon steel before softening.

When sharpening bowl gouges a jig makes life much easier. There are some who claim that they can do a swept back grind on a bowl gouge free hand and scoff at those of us who use a jig. I am happy for them. I do not want to grind off 100 mm of expensive bowl gouge to learn.

If done carefully, using a jig will get you a repeatable grind removing the minimum of steel. When learning it makes life easier to have the gouge act the same way after each sharpening.

There are fancy grinding options available, Tormek, Sorby belt system, and others. I have a Tormek but mostly use an pair of 120 grit 8 inch aluminum oxide wheels on a 1725 rpm dry grinder. I have the Oneway Wolverine system with the flat plate on one side and the pocket for the bowl gouges on the other.

The Tormek is wonderful when sharpening to take the final tissue paper thin cuts on a piece of spalted timber or a burl that wants to tear out. When you are roughing, tearing out 5 to 10 mm per pass the dry grinder if fine.

You will find raging discussions about grinding systems on this site. Do a search.

I am a tool slut and buy seconds or thirds of things I have if the price is ridiculously low. A set of 4 thick heavy Craftsman high speed steel scrapers for $40, a set of 8 Chinese spindle gouges, skews, & scrapers for $20, etc. These "junk" tools are used to make special purpose tools for making the recess or spigot on bowl bottoms or on dirty wood and roots and stumps where there is danger of rocks, nails, etc.

I have found the skew from the Chinese set to be as good as my Henry Taylor skew, for a shorter time.
I use it when I'm working down close to a drive or tail center and might slip into either. The biggest drawback to cheap tools is the too small, too short handles. This is of little consequence for a parting tool or for making a spigot, but my big arthritic hands tend to cramp when using them a long time.

I have made big fat longer handles that I can hold for 4 to 6 hours at a time.

It would be good to have a little instruction or at least watch a demonstrator about the skew and sharpening. You can find posts about my adventures with the skew on this site.

Get and keep the skew sharp, attempt make something useful, such as tool handles, and do it for about 50 hours. Start with sessions of 15 to 30 minutes, then work longer. Do not throw the skew at anything hard, it makes it harder to sharpen.

At around 50 hours, hopefully sooner, you will walk into the shed, put a piece of timber in the lathe, and have a turned, sanded, and finished spindle in less than 30 minutes.

As paul said sharpening comes next so some kind of grinder is required. I mostly use a cheep $50 job but I did change to an aly oxide wheel. The jigs can range from home made to very expensive but all will get the job done. The following link has some info on home made jigs as well as a lot of other good turning stuff.
http://aroundthewoods.com/contents.html

Regards
John

Hey Paul,
What a great & informative post, thank you.

I have a 8" grinder, & a linishing belt, belt sander etc. I also have a Scheppach which is a copy of the Tormek, even takes the tormek accessories.

I am a Boilermaker by trade, Cabinet maker by hobbie & soon to be a turner, so I have a fair range of tools. I have given some consideration to tool sharpening but not a lot at this stage, having not yet started my lathe up.

I think Tormek do a wheel for gouges & I'm betting a jig as well, so that might come in handy, but I might have to get some new wheels for my grinder as well.

This is starting to become an expensive hobby, I hope I can muster some skills after my outlay.

Steve

Thanks John, I had a quick look at that site, but Ill have a hetter look later.


Steve

Originally Posted by Ticky

.....

This is starting to become an expensive hobby, .........

This is going to be one thing that the majority of us will agree on.

Also keep an eye out in the market place etc as the odd stray tool turns up. I picked up an old black teknatool Chuck posted to me for $83 and it had never been assembled/used! And the chisels I have picked up have lots of Life in them!

Originally Posted by chuck1

Also keep an eye out in the market place etc as the odd stray tool turns up. I picked up an old black teknatool Chuck posted to me for $83 and it had never been assembled/used! And the chisels I have picked up have lots of Life in them!

How come I never see these bargains
Hi ticky,
Warning !!!!!!!!! WOODTURNING IS ADDICTIVE!!!!,,
Plenty of great advice right here all you have to do
Is ask

Originally Posted by chuck1

Also keep an eye out in the market place etc as the odd stray tool turns up. I picked up an old black teknatool Chuck posted to me for $83 and it had never been assembled/used! And the chisels I have picked up have lots of Life in them!

Yeah, I found some chisels on ebay last night, & was in negotiations with the guy up until this morn. I was just about to seal

the deal when I decided to start this thread. Glad I did or I would have spent over $100 on a set of Carbon Chisels. These

may have been ok, but it appears the ones I have ordered are better.




steve