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.

On Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:20:10 -0800 (PST), SAM wrote:

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.

40" long, or in diameter?

Just kidding, Sam..
You'll get as many different answers to your questions as you would if you asked
what brand your next truck should be..

I buy a lot of these at PSI and like them, others don't care for them:
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lcsixw.html

I think it's a pretty good value for a mid-range starter set that should last
for several years..

Of course, that's just the beginning of the addiction..
You're gonna want a chuck, more & different chisels, power sanding setup, dust
collection, etc., etc., etc.


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

"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.

Harbor Freight has a starter set for $40. HSS. Great to learn grinding

Welcome to the addiction. Some would argue, and likely wll, but most
beginner sets will start you off well. Get high speed steel, abreviated HSS,
and look for a parting tool, skew, spindle gouge or gouges, scraper and
roughing gouge. These should be named on the box. A bowl gouge will likely
not be in the set but an Oland tool is easily made and just as handy. Come
on over to my site and look around. I hope to get the beginnings of a
beginner's site up shortly but there is a lot of good beginner stuff here.
O, make or buy a sharpening jig. Trust me, save some grief here. Make or buy
the jig and get a good face protector. You are going to get hooked fast.


--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com
"Rick Samuel" wrote in message
...

"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.

Harbor Freight has a starter set for $40. HSS. Great to learn grinding

On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:58:38 GMT, "Darrell Feltmate"
wrote:

Welcome to the addiction. Some would argue, and likely wll, but most
beginner sets will start you off well. Get high speed steel, abreviated HSS,
and look for a parting tool, skew, spindle gouge or gouges, scraper and
roughing gouge. These should be named on the box. A bowl gouge will likely
not be in the set but an Oland tool is easily made and just as handy. Come
on over to my site and look around. I hope to get the beginnings of a
beginner's site up shortly but there is a lot of good beginner stuff here.
O, make or buy a sharpening jig. Trust me, save some grief here. Make or buy
the jig and get a good face protector. You are going to get hooked fast.

Good point about the face protection, Mr. Feltmate...

I like the way Bill Grumbine puts it in his bowl turning video.. something like:
"If you don't want to wear face protection, your first project better be a white
cane"..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Darrell Feltmate wrote:
Welcome to the addiction. Some would argue, and likely wll, but most
beginner sets will start you off well. Get high speed steel, abreviated HSS,
and look for a parting tool, skew, spindle gouge or gouges, scraper and
roughing gouge. These should be named on the box. A bowl gouge will likely
not be in the set but an Oland tool is easily made and just as handy. Come
on over to my site and look around. I hope to get the beginnings of a
beginner's site up shortly but there is a lot of good beginner stuff here.
O, make or buy a sharpening jig. Trust me, save some grief here. Make or buy
the jig and get a good face protector. You are going to get hooked fast.



I'll second what Darrell said. Go over
to his site aroundthewoods.com There
are bunch of knowledgable and helpful
people on this NG, and Darrell is among
the best.

Not only for what he says on the group,
but that site is nothing short of
fantastic in the wealth of information
he's put up. You could literally spend
hours there, and still not get all he says.

I started with his sharpening jig, which
is possible the best thing there for a
newbie.

--
Tanus

This is not really a sig.

http://www.home.mycybernet.net/~waugh/shop/

"mac davis" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:58:38 GMT, "Darrell Feltmate"
Good point about the face protection, Mr. Feltmate...

I like the way Bill Grumbine puts it in his bowl turning video.. something
like:
"If you don't want to wear face protection, your first project better be a
white
cane"..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I'll second the face protection. I am a beginner and I am teaching myself.
I don't highly recommend that. One of the first things I taught myself was
the value of a face shield. My nose didn't get broken fortunately but I had
quite a cut on it for several weeks. I was wearing the safety glasses which
protected my eyes. And I still wear the safety glasses under the face
shield. Every once in a while something bounces of that shield and I'm
really happy it's there although nothing since the first thing that would
have caused any damage to me.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

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.

On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:15:56 GMT, "Dave Bovey" wrote:

snip
The Harbor Freight set reminds me of the set that came with my Shopsmith over 20 years ago. Guess what? I still use it!

Me too, Dave, but my shopsmith (1980) must have come with better chisels..
I have a couple of the "better" HF sets ($40 on sale) and the SS tools are MUCH
better.. much more steel, better handles, etc.. Just overall better..

I buy the HF mini set a couple of times a year, when it goes on sale for $10..
The bowl gouge *choke* and parting tool are garbage, but I love the skew and
like to have 2 or 3 of them sharp and handy when I'm doing pens..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing