Newbie questions

[Workman]

Due to his failing eye sight, some time ago my father gave me an old Harbor Freight 42816 12"X37" lathe (with round steel tube bed). I had heard some negatives, and never set up the lathe in my shop. Then I built an oak workbench (not for the lathe-but European style and nice) and needed some handles for the two vises. I decided to try to turn the handles myself, set up the lathe, and grabbed a hunk of oak and a roughing gouge (cheap). Managed to get the corners off, and grabbed a skew (HSS Craftsman - 1"). It started peeling off those layers and I could work the wood! Nice handles shortly developed. But now, I am fascinated. Wood is not a concern for me, as I have oak (red and white), walnut, cherry, poplar and maple in ample quantity for my needs. But what tools to get, without going overboard? And what sharpening is recommended - method, frequency, etc.? Any help would be appreciated.

[bigsteel15]

But now, I am fascinated. Wood is not a concern for me, as I have oak (red and white), walnut, cherry, poplar and maple in ample quantity for my needs. But what tools to get, without going overboard? And what sharpening is recommended - method, frequency, etc.? Any help would be appreciated.

You're going down a very slippery slope, FAST!!!
I'm getting the bug also.

[Ken Weaver]

I bought a beginner's set from Woodcraft. They were reasonable - not the best but good enough to really get the experience. I think they were under $60 for 5 chisels. My big splurge was the Wolverine sharpening system. The slope is really slippery.

[Ken Massingale]

A real good starting set is this 8 piece set from HF:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=47066

They are surprisingly good for the price, too bad there's not a bowl gouge included. Then add Robert Sorby or Crown as the need arises and you learn what you are comfortable with. One tool I recommend is a good hollowing tool such as the Sorby Hollow Master.
My condolences on your new addiction, there's no going back!

[Tom Hintz]

I bought a 5-piece set of Crown turning tools when I bought my first lathe and still use all of them today. My lathe came with a cheap set of tools that I began with but after getting frustrated with them and trying my fancy Crown tools, I put the cheapies in the drawer to be reground later into other specialized tools. The Crowns were easier to learn with, stayed sharp longer and helped me learn good habits.
I have a review of the Crown set at the link below that describes the tools included.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/crnsetrvu.html

As for sharpening, I'd say get the best you can afford as keeping the tools sharp is crucial to turning wood. Sharp tools also makes learning easier as you are not trying to compensate for a bad cutting edge.
I use the Wolverine and Tormek systems. While the Tormek is the Cadillac of sharpening, it is also priced accordingly. The Wolverine is much cheaper and does a very good job with a little (very little) practice.See the Woodturning section of my Tool Reviews directory for reviews of those systems also to get a better idea of what each is all about.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/index.html

[Workman]

Thanks for your help. I think I'll start with the Harbor Freight HSS chisels, supplement with Crown, and go with the Wolverine to see how it goes. Down the slippery slope, I suppose.

[DonHo]

FWIW- I'm new to turning also and I started with the HF set and think it's pretty good but if you run into any trouble using the skew, I'd suggest the versa chisels from PSI. They are fairly cheap at $24.95 for a set of 2 and they are much easier to use than a skew(at least for me).
DonHo

[guycox]

Learn to use the skew. You'll be glad you did...If it has a convex curve I clean is up with the skew and I can start sanding at 220.