recently purchased a PENN STATE lathe, and want to get a set of chisels (may even turn bowels later on). lets say i make 25 handles a year. how good/expensive a set do i need? some of those sets are worth more than my old jeep! also, in andy dears dvd, the chuck he uses to hold the squared blanks to make reel seats-is that really necessary? will the 3 jawed set up that came w/the lathe work ok? THANKS

For your turning tools, I would suggest getting something that is made from high speed steel. You will also want to make sure you get a grinder and tool holders so you can sharpen your tools. Even the best tools will do you no good if they are not sharp. Just make sure you get grinding wheels that are of a finer grit. The 3-jaw chuck will be fine if you are starting out with round stock. But if you are starting out with square stock, a 4-jaw chuck will hold the blank better.

I have a Penn State lathe, and I use the 3-jaw chuck. What I have to to is use the spur center and live center to turn the end section of my square stock down until it is round and will fit in the 3-jaw. Then I drill out the piece before I turn it down anymore. Itransfer it to a mandrel, ala Andy Dear, and finish turning from there.

There is no substitute for good lathe tools. But I wouldn't buy a set - you'll get tools you'll never use. I suspect you'll want to gouges - a roughing gouge and a spindle gougle (for bowl work) a scraper and a skew (maybe). A thin parting or bedan tool rounds off the selection.

I've used a good many types and find that the Crown tools offer a pretty good value for the money.


..........

THANKS EVERYONE !!

Hi there John,
Hope it won't be too messy.
Turning those BOWELS on your PENN STATE lathe.
I nearly had a coronary when I read it.
I just had to reply and thank you, haven't laughed so much in years. Not since hooking a bullock with a back cast and playing the damn thing all round the fields, first bit of catch and release I ever practised.
Many thanks,
Martin E.

If you're just doing cork grips then you don't need any lathe tools. You could use a scraper for truing the cork rings I guess, but a metal file sharpened on one end will do exactly the same thing. Cork is shaped with abrasives, not lathe cutting tools.

William Colby wrote:

> If you're just doing cork grips then you don't need any lathe
> tools. You could use a scraper for truing the cork rings I
> guess, but a metal file sharpened on one end will do exactly
> the same thing. Cork is shaped with abrasives, not lathe
> cutting tools.
true, but i hope to do wood items too. i do cork w/a file and sandpapr.

Bigger bowls, lots of turning, the high priced tools are wonderful. but for most small turning and between centers the tools are not totally critical. I bought a 4 piece Crown set for the students in the lab to turn pens and fool with the lathe and it seems to be very good.

For bowl turning, you probably do want to invest in one of the $50 and up gouges and learn how to grind a thumbnail tip.