# Suggestions needed



## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

I plan on setting up the lathe I bought the other day right after the first of the year, and I need some suggestions from the experianced folks on here.

The last time I used a wood lathe was in shop class in high school, so I might be just a little rusty. 


Could you suggest a good book or two to read on turning. 

Also I'm looking at this set of tools from HF to start with, Lathe tools what are your thoughts on this set.

Figured I would go down and get some popular at the local big box store to start playing with, if there is a better choice to use please advise.


You got any ideas on first projects to start on.

Thanks in Advance.
Danny


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

" thoughts on this set." = Great tent stakes 

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jd99 said:


> I plan on setting up the lathe I bought the other day right after the first of the year, and I need some suggestions from the experianced folks on here.
> 
> The last time I used a wood lathe was in shop class in high school, so I might be just a little rusty.
> 
> ...


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## The Warthog (Nov 29, 2010)

Those are probably the same set I have, which came with my Harbor Freight lathe. They may or may not be High Speed Steel. You can do much better for not much more money by going to Lathe Chisel Sets at Penn State Industries . That is going to be my next stop for lathe tools, as the ones I have wear out.

Actually, this is also the page Bernie W recommended to me, which I have been visiting on and off for a month or so. I had the pleasure of going into the MLCS shop in Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago and buying some Penn State parts for my headstock. I'd have gone into the Penn State shop, but MLCS is in the same strip mall, and I walked in there by accident, and also bought a router jig I couldn't have got from Penn State. God moves in wondrous ways...


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

bobj3 said:


> Hi
> 
> " thoughts on this set." = Great tent stakes
> 
> =======


Great helpful reply.

Ya know sometimes what you say makes me wonder about you.


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

The Warthog said:


> Those are probably the same set I have, which came with my Harbor Freight lathe. They may or may not be High Speed Steel. You can do much better for not much more money by going to Lathe Chisel Sets at Penn State Industries . That is going to be my next stop for lathe tools, as the ones I have wear out.


 thanks for the link I'll check it out.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI

hahahahahhahaha,,,,,,I could call them down with many words but just one or two will do the job I think 
At one time I was into wood turning but I found out it was not for me, the best ones I had where long handle type, the longer the handle the better for control..for me..I was just trying to recall how long, I thinking about 18" to 24" long...Tree are round and than I cut it up and made it sq. and than put it on the lathe and made it round aging hummmm...to hold some flowers or pens hummmm...or to put tons of wood chips on the floor  that I must pickup and put in the trash can..  hummm..

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jd99 said:


> Great helpful reply.
> 
> Ya know sometimes what you say makes me wonder about you.


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

The Warthog said:


> Those are probably the same set I have, which came with my Harbor Freight lathe. They may or may not be High Speed Steel. You can do much better for not much more money by going to Lathe Chisel Sets at Penn State Industries . That is going to be my next stop for lathe tools, as the ones I have wear out.


I was looking at this link, and the HF link, and it sure looks like these are the same sets. What do you think? HF (I know the picture only shows 5 but it is the same 8 tools as penstate, I went to HF and looked at them)








Penstate


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## The Warthog (Nov 29, 2010)

Now that you show them side by side...


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Danny I have seen both sets and have the PSI set. I have a lot of expensive tools I have bought since then but still use all of the PSI tools today. Once the basics are down you will no doubt go with better tools as time goes on. 

On the topic of woodturning DVD's or books here are a few that are excellent. I find that I learn more from a DVD especially if I can see it done but I also have lots of books that I have read most at least 3 times if not more. I always go back and reference something.

Woodturning: A Foundation Course by Keith Rowley (Book)

Woodturning: A Foundation Course by Keith Rowley - DVD 

These are excellent for starters. This book was recommended to me by a pro turner. 

Turned Bowls Made Easy by Bill Grumbine - DVD 

He is a excellent teacher and takes from cutting the log to turning a bowl to finishing.

Bowl Basics by Mike Mahoney - DVD 

Excellent teacher. Also takes you thru the whole process from turning the bowl to drying to returning it to the lathe to finish. Have seen several of his demo's and does a excellent job. 

Pen Turning with Barry Gross - DVD 

Here is a great one for penturning. I started out turning pens as my first projects. Pen turning is a great way to start. Make great gifts and I sold a ton of them when I was working to co-workers. Then you can branch out from there. 

PSI also has a free DVD on penturning that is pretty good. 

All of the above will give you a good foundation to start. There are others as you progress such as Richard Raffan, David Ellsworth, John Jordon, Cindy Drozda, Jimmy Clewes, etc. 

Some suppliers that will help with tools, books, DVD's, supplies, etc are Packard Woodworks, Craft Supply USA, Penn State Industries, Woodcraft and there are a lot of others. 

If you have a woodcraft or Rocklers near you I would suggest taking a class or two and joining a club if they have one. Nothing is better than being able to bounce questions off experienced turners. I am a self taught turner and have been turning 6 yrs. I wish I would have had a club near me to help. 

Hope this info helps.


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Hi Danny,

The china tools are the same from both vendors and will get you started out on a budget, but as Bernie stated, you will own better tools as time goes by. I went with the HF tools and learned to turn and sharpen using the cheaper tools before putting my more costly ones at risk in the learning curve 

Bernie listed some awesome sources to learn from and I would like to add one more if I may.

Woodturning DVD & Wood Turning Videos - Woodturning Pens & Woodturning Books: Learning Turning

These two guys are great at what they do and easy to learn from. I have all of their DVDs and watch them often.

Welcome to the dizzy side of woodworking.


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

I have one more question, (won't be the last :no

I relize when I start my path down the wood turning road, I will need a set of tools, and the since the penstate and HF ones look like they come from the same places in China I might go for the lesser price at HF.

I know the angle, and cutting edge's won't be right or sharp, what I would like to know is where and what (whithout breaking the bank) should I get in the way of sharpening jig or jigs. (Grinders and grinding wheels are't an issue I have them)

Or can I make my own; keep in mind I have full metal machining/manufacturing capabilities in my shop. (retired Tool and Die Maker) unless the cost is down where it's better/easier to buy.

Thanks Guys


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Danny,

This is the most popular one and the one I own and recommend as well.

Wolverine Grinding Jig & Accessories


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## The Warthog (Nov 29, 2010)

That was a bit of an eye-opener, as I had assumed the tools I bought from Penn State were American-made. I would have preferred that they were. (Or Canadian  )


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

The Warthog said:


> That was a bit of an eye-opener, as I had assumed the tools I bought from Penn State were American-made. I would have preferred that they were. (Or Canadian  )


That's a real rare thing now days, to get something made here.... maybe assembled here but made here not easy. I can remember when it use to be the other way around made here and assembled somewhere else.

One thing you can do to be sure is do a spark test to make sure your tools are HSS. 

If you get an orange ball when you touch it to the grinder it's HSS ; if it's a white starburst it's not.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Danny I would recommend as Bob N. said the wolverine jig with a grinder like Woodcraft has. It is a slow speed grinder and the good thing is it already has the grinding wheels on that you need. I have bee using mine since I started and haven't even come close to thinking about changing wheels yet. Like I said good grinder and slow speed. Here is the site.

Buy 8in Slow Speed Grinder at Woodcraft.com

Here is the jig. It makes it so much easier to sharpen especially when starting out. You get a consistant grind every time. Notice there is a short video on this site to give you a idea. 

2001998

Here is the oneway site videos complete for your pleasure and download.

Multi-Media Downloads

Oh and Danny I was going to ask you just that. Did you touch the tools you showed and got with the lathe to see if it was a white spark or orange???? Also why don't you post a picture of your lathe. That will help sometimes in determining which tools and accessories will work best. 

Hope this helps.


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## crquack (Oct 10, 2008)

"Turning wood" by Richard Raffan. Buy the book and the DVD that goes with it. They are complementnary. Personally I would not be without them.


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

Below is the lathe I bought the other day at rockler.

Bernie:
I don't think it came with any tools, (havent opened the box yet); but I went by HF on the way home yesterday, and bought the set that looks like its the same as what penstate sells. I sparked check a couple of the tools and they are HSS.

also does the basic wolverine jig come with the hardware for both sides the platform on the left side, or is that extra? trying to get a feel for exactly what I will need to start with.









Nothing fancy, but it was in a price range I could afford to get my feet wet. :dirol:

I'm thinking about getting the bed extension after I get it set up to give me the ability to turn table legs and such; but I got to get started first.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Danny the basic system which is what you would need comes with everything you need. V-arm, platform and base sets for $88 to $90. The base set consist of two bases which is one for each side. The platform is used for sharpening like scrapers, etc. and the V arm uses the vari-grind for like your bowl gouges, spindle gouges, etc. The Oneway mutli media video's will explain what each is for. The complete system if I recall is $150 but comes with a diamond wheel dresser which you will need but can buy a cheap one that works pretty well and is what I have been using. The picture you have is the system you need. 

Apprentice Diamond Wheel Dresser - Woodturners Catalog - Woodworking tools and supplies specializing in woodturning.

Or you could get this one as it is a little cheaper from Woodcraft. 

Buy Wheel Dresser, Diamond Tip at Woodcraft.com

Both are pretty good and it is important that you keep your wheels dressed and square. Really important not to let them get cupped or your sharpening is for naught.

By the way that is a nice little lathe and should serve you well. 

Hope this helps.


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

Well the better half asked me what I wanted for Xmas, and I told her a slow speed grinder and sharpening jig. So I'm getting the basic jig, and I found this grinder online at Sears; it is variable speed so I can replace my existing grinder and have both slow and normal speed, in one unit.

Grinder


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Be cautious and read the reviews on that grinder Danny. It appears to have a history of vibration and that is not something you want to deal with.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

I agree with Bob that the unit what looks like a vibration issue. Also the base of it I think will interfer with the mounting of the wolverine jig. Here is the slow speed grinder from woodcraft that I have and the wolverine mounts great with it. You might have the check out some other grinders to make sure the bases will work. Here is the one most woodturners get. Check out the narrow base. The center of your V on the base has to be centered on the wheel. I don't think you can do that with the Sears grinder. 
Hope that helps. 


Buy 8in Slow Speed Grinder at Woodcraft.com


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

I worked around grinders for 18+ years both precision and shop, the vibration issues with 99.9999% of the bench grinders are the crap wheels they put on them. If you use good wheels, and keep them true, then there is no vibration. tthe only way the grinder itself would cause vibration would be if the shaft was bent.

I've had bench grinders given to me cause folks think they are no good, change the wheels, and never have a problem after that. Also it comes with a wire wheel, there is no way to get a grinder with a wire wheel to not vibrate.

I don't plan on running the wire wheel either.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Danny you are absolutely right. The C-man grinder I have in the metal shop did vibrate but changed the wheels to Norton and that took care that especially after being trued up. I would still watch the base to make sure it doesn't interfer with wolverine base setup.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

I once used the wheel type grinder but I now use the 2HP 2" x 48" belt sander for most of the jobs the grinder once did. I can get belts from 400 grit to 40 grit.
The grinders I now have all have the wire wheels and the buffing wheels on them..and they always vibrate just no way around it..

====


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

BernieW said:


> Danny you are absolutely right. The C-man grinder I have in the metal shop did vibrate but changed the wheels to Norton and that took care that especially after being trued up. I would still watch the base to make sure it doesn't interfer with wolverine base setup.


 Correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't the wolverine setup mount directly below the centerline of the wheel? If so then there should be no problem, the picture is an optical illusion the base looks like it comes under the wheel but it doesn't, or al least the one they have on display at the store it doesn't.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Yes the wolverine does mount directly under the center of the wheel. I was saying to watch out because the base of my C-man grinder does come out far enough that the jig would not work. Just bringing it up to be aware of the base. Looked like from the picture it came out under the wheels.


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

BernieW said:


> Yes the wolverine does mount directly under the center of the wheel. I was saying to watch out because the base of my C-man grinder does come out far enough that the jig would not work. Just bringing it up to be aware of the base. Looked like from the picture it came out under the wheels.


 I picked up the grinder on Sunday, and my Wolverine stuff came yesterday. I also got the Skew and Vari-Grind jigs with the basic unit.

If you put good wheels on the grinder there is no vibration. I checked the mounting of the Wolverine jig and it will work just fine, so I have both a low speed and high speed grinder in the same unit.

Note on the grinder though if anyone is looking at it for the same purpose I am using it for you have to buy the 8" grinder, they have an 8" and a 6" version of the variable speed grinder, they both use the same base, so the base on the 6" comes under the wheels, and you won't be able to mount the wolverine system with the 6".

Just a heads up.

I got a lot of stuff to set up after the holidays. :moil:

Oh and I also ordered the pen starter kit from rockler.

Be ready for a lot of questions. :blink:


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Congrats on your setup. Sounds like a fine system and should work for years to come. Ask away as I told Deb in her post. You might check the last page of her post for the penturning forum I told her about. There is a ton of info, accessories, etc. on that site. I read that site more than I care to admit but I learned a lot in my first year of turning pens. Any problems with pen kits most have been seen by those guys and can bail you out for sure.


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