Advise on Turning Tools

[Bill Bolen]

Ditto what Joyce said. Once you try Thompson you will never go back! Buy them as you need or want them. A "set" will give you duplicates or something you will never use..Bill..

[Glenn Hodges]

I turn only bowls. I learned the hard way, I was to dumb to take the easy road so I bought a set the first time. I have gone through a lot of tools. I do 80-90% of my turning using a 1.25 in. skew, 5/8 in. gouge, and parting tool. My skew is a P & N and my gouge is by Thompson. They cut good and I do not have to sharpen them very often. This is the best tool advise I can give you.

[Curt Fuller]

I'm going to second what Glenn just said. Once you settle into turning you have a couple "go to" tools and the rest start collecting dust. Also, while at the Lacer class, pay close attention to the way he grinds his tools. Much of the magic in turning involves getting the tool ground so it works the same way the demonstrator is using it.

[Hilel Salomon]

Hi,

I have Sorby, Taylor, Crown and Hamlet chisels (mostly bowl gouges) and I would rate them in reverse order of my list. I have found the Hamlet 2060 tools to be superb, the Crown pro-PM and high speed steel to be excellent, Taylor's to be quite good and Sorby's tools to be overpriced. I too have heard great things about Thompson tools but I'm too lazy to make my own handles. My advice is that cheap tools, if you are going to be using them frequently and working them hard, are close to useless. Ask yourself if , in the non-turning, area, you would rather be using Bosch or the higher end Milwaukee, Hitachi and Makita tools or Ryobi and Black and Decker. I'm pretty sure that there are those who have had great luck with Ryobi and BandD, but for most woodworkers these are cheaply made and don't last.
Good Luck, Hilel.

[John Sheets]

Another consideration with the Thompson unhandled tools is that when you are in Mr. Lacer's class, he will likely urge you to make your own handles. He states that selling lathe tools with wooden handles to turners is like selling ice cubes to Eskimos.

[marty purselley]

I am new also, but my mentor suggested Thompson tools. I only have 3 of them (well another bowl gouge is on the way) but the quality and "edge holding ability" can't be beat. His customer service is truly outstanding. And yes, build your own handles, or get someone to help you. You will find that once you do this, your comfort level with the tool goes way up. No one has mentioned it, but if you don't already have a sharpening system, you need to get one or build one. I confess that I too have some cheap "best" tools and there is absolutely no comparison in quality.

[Brendan Zimmermann]

Hey Ron I asked the same question in another thread I must have skipped over yours while searching.

Jon Replied to the other thread advocating the Thomsons.

See ya in School

Brendan