New to Shopsmith turning

[Matanuska]

After turning a walnut salad bowl and red oak pedestal dining table in high school shop I purchased a Mark 505 in Anchorage 10 years later in 1984 at a mall demo. No serious turning since then, all flatwork. I’ve since upgraded to a 520 and PowerPro, want to get into turning, and have a universal tool rest on order. Having discovered Richard Raffan online I’ve decided I want to go with traditional tools vs carbide, shearing vs scraping using my 80’s vintage Shopsmith Buck Brothers chisels (1” gouge, 1/2” gouge, 1” skew, parting tool, and 1/2” scraper) as a starter set. Can anyone else who’s gone down this path offer any advice for next tool purchases & learnings?

[edflorence]

One of the things I discovered early on in my turning learning was that scraping is most definitely not a technique employed only by people who don't know how to "really" turn. Properly sharpened scrapers are fun to use and are indispensable in certain situations. Your Buck brothers 1/2 inch scraper is a good start, but I would recommend a proper set of heavy, long-handled scrapers if you plan on doing bowl turning. Scraper blades should be thick in section, with a handle long enough to brace against your hip when in use. Get a round nose to start and then if the Buck Brothers 1/2 inch scraper isn't heavy enough, get a stouter straight edge scraper. With a good thick scraper, you can be more comfortable when extending the tool way out over the tool rest, and not worry about the blade snapping if you get a catch.

The other tool I would recommend is a proper roughing gouge. You might be able to sharpen your 1" gouge to a roughing gouge shape, but I think a true roughing gouge will be heavier and thicker and less prone to chatter.

Final thought...I was talking to a turner at a craft fair last year and asked him how he sharpens his tools. He said CBN grinding wheels were game changers. I bit the bullet and got one and discovered he was 100% correct.

[Matanuska]

As part of my re-introduction to lathe turning I recently took a three evening beginners turning class at my local Woodcraft store that covered some of the basics of spindle turning, face grain bowl turning, end grain bowl turning, and friction finishes. We had a chance to use a traditional roughing gouge, spindle gouges, bowl gouges, parting tools, and scrapers but no skew work on the spindles (evidently too scary for beginners). We used a traditional heavy duty scraper to finish the inside of the bowls and I agree it's the way to go. We also got a chance to try out carbide tools - definitely easier to use for beginners but with a much rougher scraping cut. Since the class I've been practicing skew work on spindles after watching Richard Raffan's excellent YouTube tutorials. I've still got a lot to learn but have found the skew relatively easy to use for smoothing, beads, and vee's after learning a few basic principles. Raffan even shows how with the proper grind it can be used very effectively for spindle roughing using a peeling cut.

I've been curious about CBN wheels - what do you find to be their main advantages? I'm currently using a slow speed grinder with 60 and 120 grit white oxide wheels and Wolverine grinding jigs for sharpening.

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[RobertTaylor]

Great start on your journey. Typical beginner bowls, a little thick but I remember being scared. I also turned my first bowl at Woodcraft in Clevelland. After joining the Buckeye Woodturners I learned just how Poor of an instructor that they had as to shape. I now do mentoring through the club and I tell students to look in your kitch cupboard to see what a bowl looks like.your 1" Buck Bros spindle gouge will be just fine as a roughing gouge as that is what Richard Raffan and Tomaslav Tomasic use. It is probably carbon steel so it will need sharpened often. Bowl gouges go against your body/hip, scrapers go under your forearm. Keep watching Richard Raffan and start watching Tomislav Tomasic who studied under Richard and you won't go wrong. Tomaslav just completed an order of his signature tools and will soon open his site for the next batch and the best advice that I can give you is to find a "Woodturning Club" near you. You can attend a couple meetings for free before you decide if you want to join. Most clubs are a great source of information and mentoring programs and even good deals on equipment when members upgrade or even sadly pass away.