Russ Fairfield wrote:

But,
it sure can cost the new woodturner a lot of money if they try to keep
up with the many different tool recommendations they are getting.

A typical wood turner is exposed to at least 3 demonstrations of
turning techniques in a years time. Each of them will be using
different tools, and may even be selling them right there at the
demonstration. It is possible to spend several hundred dollars on the
newest "best" tools, and still not have a clue on how to turn wood.

This goes right back to what Arch was saying, and one of the biggest
things that I see in our club.

The newer guys (and the more experienced ones for that matter) need to
get together with the better turners and see what tools they use for
the operations involved in making projects they like.

I went in WoodCraft the other day and was stunned, just stunned at
their newest round of price increases. How can a Sorby roughing gouge
cost $75? How can a spindle gouge average about $55 to $60?

With that in mind, how does a beginning turner feel comfortable buying
ANY tool for a hobby?

I am doing the demo at my club next month (and it ain't bowls!) on easy
Christmas gifts. I am skipping ornaments as we have someone that does
that every year and he does a great job. So I am going to make lamp
pulls, mushrooms with hollowed caps, fan fulls, weed pots, clock bases
for fit ups and oil candle bases for glass fit ups from log to finish.

Out of my 70 odd turning tools, I will take only the ones I use:

- 3/4 roughing gouge
- 3/8 bowl gouge
- 1/2 in shallow spindle gouge
- 3/16 diamond parting tool
- 3/4 straight scraper (for fit up bottoms)

As I learned, each tool should be explored and used to see how it
works. The reason we have all the new tools out is someone that was
experimenting in his shop found out how to make a tool that worked well
for them, and then that became "the way". With ten billion turners out
there, there are probably ten billion ways to do just about anything on
spinning wood.

I can see a time when one making some of their own tools will be as
much a part of this craft as the turning. More experienced turners
will want to make the perfect tool for their turning style, and less
experienced turners will have to make some of their own in order to
have tools to turn with.

Robert