Hi Barry,

Congratulations on your new lathe. Here's what I recommend for your
first tools. This list isn't cast in stone, it's just a place to
start.
1. 3/8" Spindle Gouge ($25)
2. 3/8" Bowl Gouge ($30)
3. 1/2" square end scraper ($23)
4. 1/2" round nose scraper ($23)
5. Thin Parting Tool ($24)

Woodturners are a generous and open group. Find a local chapter of the
American Association of Woodturners. Check out their website
www.woodturner.org. Although I am a diehard do-it-yourselfer and had
been a woodworker for 20 years, I took a class when I started turning.
After almost ten years of turning, I look back at the initial lessons
as one of the best decisions I made. It opened a whole new world and
deepened the enjoyment a whole bunch.

A good source for tools is Packard Woodworking
(www.packardwoodworks.com). This is a smallish family-run business,
but big enough so they have a nice catalog, good inventory and prices,
great customer service, and an insider's knowledge about the selection
of tools (the owner is a turner).

By the way, the least expensive tools are carbon steel - don't waste
your money as carbon tools become dull very quickly. Start with basic
HHS (high speed steel), or maybe one of the offshoots, such as M2
steel. Stay with the cheaper tools made from these materials. There
are wonderful advances in metallurgy that produces tools that are
wonderful (Glaser tools, Oneway, 2060) but expensive. As a newbie, you
will spend a while getting the hang of putting a good cutting edge on
the tool. This means you will be grinding away on your learning curve.
No sense having expensive metal filings from a fancy tool under your
grinding wheel. Reward yourself with tool upgrades as your skills
develop.

There are many great books and videos (VHS and DVDs). Pace yourself.
Spend time at the lathe just making shavings. Observe how the cutting
edge separates the shavings from the block. Try different positions
and angles. Find a teacher--it's a lot more fun than trial and error.
Many techniques are not intuitive or obvious. Allow the bevel to
lightly rub against the wood.

Protect yourself. Please please do not skimp or be casual about
safety. Get a good face shield and use it 100% of the time (Face
shield goes ON before lathe goes ON). When sanding, wear a respirator
too--it makes a noticable difference even if you just spend a few
minutes sanding.

All the best, John H.