Just another 2 cents...

Either making a sharpening jig or investing in one along with a decent
grinder will make turning a lot more enjoyable. Dull tools aren't any fun!
And as has been often preached, dull tools can be dangerous. There are
numerous jig on the market (I have the Wolverine jig) and even more plans
for building jigs that work quite well. When I'm turning a small bowl (8"
dia or so), I sharpen my gouge at the beginning and half way through, maybe
even toward the end of the turning, especially with dry wood. It doesn't
take much grinding. With a little practice, you can touch up the edge with a
very light single pass. Sharp tools leave a much nicer finish. Dull tools
tend to tear the wood, not cut it.

On another note, the Harbor Freight distribution center is not very far from
my office; so, I occasionally stop by on the way home. The $40 set that was
mentioned is probably OK for a starter set for pen turning and such, even
shallow bowls or platters. I thought the handles were really short and
wouldn't provide leverage needed for turning bowls. By comparison, I have
only 2 bowl gouges: a 13 mm Sorby with a side grind that is 23" long and a
little 6 mm Sorby Midi with a conventional grind that is 13" long. The 13 mm
is my "work horse." It's strong and with the long handle I have plenty of
leverage when extended off the tool rest into a bowl. I use the 6 mm for
finishing the bottom of the bowl while working around the tailstock. These
two gouges cost significantly more than the Harbor Freight set. But I had a
specific purpose in mind when I bought them. The Harbor Freight set reminds
me of the set that came with my Shopsmith over 20 years ago. Guess what? I
still use it!

I would highly recommend spending some time at Darrell Feltmate's website:
http://www.aroundthewoods.com/
He had a tremendous amount of helpful information and has created a number
of videos that really help show how turning is done.

Just my opinion based on the fantasy that I know what I'm doing...

Dave



"SAM" wrote in message
...
I just got a lathe for Christmas and I have never used one before but
I'm very excited to finally have the opportunity to begin creating all
kinds of cool things with it.

I'd like to know if anyone can suggest a set of tools and accessories
that would be good to start with.

My lathe can handle a 40" blank.

thanks.