Well, lets see... On bowls, I use mostly scrapers for shaping (round
nose, inside, and Raffen skew, but use them all in the same way, and
an outside scraper to even up the top of the bowl before reversing and
turning the outside). I use 2 styles of bowl gouges; the swept back/
Ellsworth grind a lot (5 that are 1/2 or 5/8 inch which I use all the
time, and some other smaller ones that I almost never use, like the
1/4 inch one), and now I am experimenting with the Batty/Mahoney 40
degree nose and 40 degree sweep gouge. I also have 2 bottom of the
bowl gouges, for the deep bowls where you can't get the swept back
grind in. They are ground to about an 80 degree angle, with the edges
only slightly ground back (imagine a bowl roughing gouge ground to 80
degrees, but with a slightly rounded profile rather than straight
across). I also use a dovetail scraper to make a recess. I also am
experimenting with one of the negative rake scrapers for cleaning up
the inside of the bowl. Very promicing, as I can never seem to get the
inside as clean as I do the outside. Oh yes, in the interests of
research, I own all 3 bowl coring systems. Also several curved tool
rests. I have never used an Oland tool. From what I have seen, it is a
small scraper, up to about 3/8 inch. Too small for me, I just like
bigger heavier tools.

For the Calabash type of bowls, I like a shear scraper to clean up
under the rim.

I do turn a few spindles and hollow forms. I have 2 skews that I use
(1 and 1/2 inch) 2 spindle gouges (1/2 and 1/4), the sorby spindle
masters which worked better when I first got them than they do now,
and 4 different parting tools which all seem to have specific uses. I
also have some smaller scrapers for box turning, along with some of
the cup tools for end grain cutting. I don't have any hook tools yet,
but they do seem interesting. I have a number of hollowform cutters,
mostly the Mcnaughton ones, for roughing, and some of the sorby tear
drop ones for clean up. There have to be others also.

No, I do not have a tool buying problem. This is all in the interests
of research.

robo hippy

On Nov 29, 3:12 pm, mac davis wrote:
On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:42:08 -0800 (PST), Kevin wrote:

I have at least 2 sets of chisels, the ones that I use daily and the ones that
have become reserved for friends and family when they turn something..

Most of my daily tools include duplicates, especially things that I sharpen
often, such as bowl gouges and scrapers..
My sharpening stuff is outside and sometimes I'd rather just switch to a
duplicate tool that's already sharp instead of going out..

The 2nd set, which are hanging on the back side of my chisel "A frame" are
mostly cheaper versions of the ones on "my" side... or duplicates because as an
example, I like the skew in the cheap mini-turning tool set that harbor freight
has and as I use them up I collect the gouge and parting tool on the non-use
side.. IMHO, the skew is worth more than the $10 that the set goes on sale for..

I have 3 shop-made Oland handles and they get a lot of use... each has a
different grind on the tip and I know which to reach for when nothing else seems
to work.. *g*

I use a lot of scrapers, and if I understand what you're saying about bowl rims,
I really like "undercut" scrapers for that..

I have a thin parting tool which gets a lot of use and use a modified version of
a standard parting tool for beads and like a small skew...



I was reading over the last couple topics on tool making. One was
posted prior to the MI5 deluge on 21 Nov and the latest on 26 Nov. and
they got me to thinking last night whilst I was happily turning away
about the number of tools I own vs the number that I actually use.
Now I am speaking of things like gouges, scrapers, parting tools and
the like. I thought and realized that I use perhaps 3 tools on all
the bowls I make - a bowl gouge, a scraper, and a parting tool. I
use the latter for making a tenon as well as to mark out the top edge
of the bowl so I have some idea of where the curve will begin and end.
Very rarely do I use a spindle gouge on a bowl but occasionally it
does come into play when I want to get at a bit of roughness near the
outer edge of the tenon. That I use around three tools is not really
news. I recall reading on this group several years in the past that a
lot of folks here are about the same.
It's not that I am cheap or anything (I believe the better description
is frugal) but that up to now I haven't really had any need for more
tools. More tools are always welcome. They stand (or lay) in a row
and greet you when you enter the workshop and can be likened to old
friends. And if you only have a few, well they are really good
friends.
Lately however I am starting to think that perhaps one or two more
would not be an unwelcome thing. I would like to experiment with the
Oland tool along the lines of Darrell's design. I've heard it is a
nifty little item for bowl making.
Another I would like to experiment with is one that will allow me to
get under the rim. This would be handy for those bowl designs where
the opening in the top is less than the maximum width of the bowl.
(Not gonna go to the 'is it a hollow form or a bowl' discussion).
Having one would certainly be easier than contorting myself over the
ways of my Jet 1236 to get at the inside sides of the object.
I think I can rather easily handle the building of an Oland as in a
past life was a tool and dye maker. My idea on an 'under the rim'
tool would probably be based on a similar design in that instead of
putting the tool steel straight in parallel to the shaft, to just
crank it over 30 or so degrees.
I suppose that if my turning develops any further and I branch out
into more esoteric designs (esoteric for me anyways) I may start
building my collection up as perhaps some of you have done. I could
see having three or four tools just for cutting a groove for inlays,
several more for different tenon or mortise designs, perhaps a few
more for finishing up rims. The possibilities are really endless.

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing