Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Best turning tools?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    N Illinois
    Posts
    4,602

    Best turning tools?

    As I am now in the process of actual turning, my attention turns to the lathe tools...These work SLOWLY and perhaps, they need a sharpening...They are the basic "no Name" set that came with the used small lathe I recently bought...
    What lathe tool (company or brands) are good dependable ones should I decide to step up?

    I'm also trying to learn free hand sharpening for the current tools with some slight improvement noted.
    Any ideas, recos or suggestions? Thank you,
    Jerry

  2. Thompson, D-Way, Oneway and Serious Toolworks are all great quality tools for turning. Sorby, Crown. Pinnacle [made by Crown for WoodCraft] Hamlet, Henry Taylor and a few others are very good also.
    Last edited by Roger Chandler; 03-20-2017 at 8:21 PM.
    Remember, in a moments time, everything can change!

    Vision - not just seeing what is, but seeing what can be!




  3. #3
    I recently purchased a 'name' brand parabolic fluted tool that was made from standard HSS. After turning for 10 plus years on nothing but Thompson and D Way, my first reaction was 'boy do these go dull fast'. Other than that, flute design is the major consideration. I tend to hold my tools pretty much level when turning so I prefer a more open flute design like the parabolic flutes such as the Lyle Jamieson one that Thompson makes for him, and Oneway are similar, and so is the U flute from Doug. If you are more into the swept back flute designs, then the U from Doug doesn't work that well for it, but the more parabolic and V flute does. I don't use the swept back at all any more since I do all of my bowl roughing with scrapers, and my shear scraping with scrapers.

    I should have my new platform sharpening video up this week. The old one is way past needing to be updated...

    robo hippy

  4. #4
    Thompson and D-Way for me.

    Left click my name for homepage link.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Harvey, Michigan
    Posts
    20,801
    Doug Thompson and D-Way tools for me also.
    Steve

    “You never know what you got til it's gone!”
    Please don’t let that happen!
    Become a financial Contributor today!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Olexa View Post
    ...my attention turns to the lathe tools...These work SLOWLY and perhaps, they need a sharpening...
    What lathe tool (company or brands) are good dependable ones should I decide to step up?
    I'm also trying to learn free hand sharpening for the current tools with some slight improvement noted.
    For the best brands my favorites are Doug Thompson's and Mike Hunter's. The Hunter tools are amazingly sharp carbide that can be used in both scraping and bevel-rubbing modes. Thompsons are made with good steel and should stay sharp longer. Both Doug and Mike are accessible by phone and glad to help decide what might work best for you.

    There are a lot of good tools standard tools besides Thompson's. Sorby, Crown, Henry Taylor, and others. That's not the case for alternatives to the Hunter tools.

    Note that any tool that is not razor sharp to start with will feel a lot worse sooner than one properly sharpened. You can test a freshly sharpened tool on a piece of wood or with the age-old method of shaving a spot on your arm. I always hone and/or strop a tool after grinding.

    Free hand sharpening is and admirable goal. It is easy for a spindle roughing gouge, a scraper, and even a skew chisel. However, it is fairly tricky to sharpen a bowl or spindle gouge with swept back wings. It is far better, at least when beginning, to use a jig of some sort. Many people buy the Oneway Wolverine setup and get the Vari-grind jig for gouges. This works very well (I like the orig Vari-grind, NOT the newer Vari-grind 2)

    It is sometimes difficult when beginning to justify the cost in case woodturning doesn't turn out to be a long-term hobby. For this case, it is very simple to build everything you need for expert sharpening. Josh Bowman and I recently collaborated on a sharpening system that can be built for $10 or maybe nothing, depending whats at hand. A picture:

    sharpA_system_small.jpg

    The document is here: www.tristatewoodturners.com
    Click on Articles then find "Building a Cheap Sharpening System"

    If you already have the Wolverine base and platform, the simple gouge jig would work well with it.

    JKJ

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •