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.

[RobertTaylor]

If anyone is interested Tomasic opened his shop for preorders this morning. Be aware though that it will be several months before receiving any tools from Croatia. They will be made by Crown and then sent to Tomasic for finishing.
https://www.tomasicwoodturning.com/orde ... ture-tools

[RFGuy]

If anyone is interested Tomasic opened his shop for preorders this morning. Be aware though that it will be several months before receiving any tools from Croatia. They will be made by Crown and then sent to Tomasic for finishing.
https://www.tomasicwoodturning.com/orde ... ture-tools

Never heard of this guy, but it looks like he has produced some beautiful woodturnings. Any idea what kind of tool steel he is using for these? Not trying to be a tool snob here, but I think everyone should pay attention to and know what they are getting...especially for tools that need a lot of sharpening/repetitive sharpening like chisels, hand planes, etc. For example, I am a fan of Veritas's PM-V11 tool steel for my low angle jack plane and standard woodworking chisels. I am also a fan of the professional woodturner Ashley Harwood. I guess all of them have their own line of woodturning chisels nowadays that they sell to fund their craft. Robert Sorby probably started that trend decades ago. Ashley's website is below and she promotes CPM-10V tool steel for her gouges, but her scrapers are 10V tool steel. I know the benefits of PM-V11, but I am less familiar with CPM-10V tool steel other than the fact that I know CPM-10V is superior to HSS tool steel. My original Shopsmith woodturning chisels, for comparison, are HSS, I believe, and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. JMO.

https://www.ashleyharwood.com/shop/tools

Regarding CBN wheels, they are machined, NOT molded. So, they hold their shape and don't have to be re-dressed. Also run much cooler than grindstones during sharpening so less likely to overheat/damage your chisels you are sharpening. Since you will do A LOT of repetitive sharpening in woodturning, having/knowing that your sharpening guides will always be in the same place relative to the wheel, as the CBN wheel doesn't change, means easier sharpening as muscle memory kicks in. Below is an article discussing them:

https://www.finewoodworking.com/2025/05 ... bDZhndy1g0

[RobertTaylor]

Tomasic is selling Crown tools with M42 high speed steel which is very similar to Thompsons V10 with his own "grinds" for only slightly more than the same Crown tools from other suppliers such as Woodcraft, Craft Supply, Hartville Tools and The Woodturning Store. Tools do NOT come properly sharpened and ready to use from the factory in most cases, An exception is indeed Ashley Harwood who by the way is doing the same thing with reselling Thompson tools with her features. Also just before Covid Ashley came to The Northcoast Woodturner Club for a live demo and two days of "hands on" classes. Ashley studied under Stuart Batty just as Tomasic studied under Richard Raffan and let me tell you that they have completely different styles/method of turning. I learned the Ashley/Batty style through the club but in the past five years I have moved to the Raffan/Tomasic style. Your mileage may vary. FYI Johannes Michaelson is also reselling Thompson Tools. Stuart was selling Thompson Tools but moved that line on to Ashley and now has a completely different style of tools.

[RFGuy]

Tomasic is selling Crown tools with M42 high speed steel which is very similar to Thompsons V10 with his own "grinds" for only slightly more than the same Crown tools from other suppliers such as Woodcraft, Craft Supply, Hartville Tools and The Woodturning Store. Tools do NOT come properly sharpened and ready to use from the factory in most cases, An exception is indeed Ashley Harwood who by the way is doing the same thing with reselling Thompson tools with her features. Also just before Covid Ashley came to The Northcoast Woodturner Club for a live demo and two days of "hands on" classes. Ashley studied under Stuart Batty just as Tomasic studied under Richard Raffan and let me tell you that they have completely different styles/method of turning. I learned the Ashley/Batty style through the club but in the past five years I have moved to the Raffan/Tomasic style. Your mileage may vary. FYI Johannes Michaelson is also reselling Thompson Tools. Stuart was selling Thompson Tools but moved that line on to Ashley and now has a completely different style of tools.

Robert,

Thanks. Great info and much appreciated. I still consider myself a newbie at woodturning having done it only a few years despite being a woodworker for three decades. Hope to get a hands on class someday from someone like Ashley or Tomasic. I was intrigued by this so I dug deeper. It looks like CPM-10V has much higher vanadium content than M42, but then M42 has much higher molybdenum content than CPM-10V (see charts below). I know both are supposed to make for tool steels that have greater wear resistance, i.e. an edge should last longer. Beyond that I don't know how they compare in practice. My assumption is that each tries a different metallurgy to achieve the same effect. IF both wear about the same, I wonder if one is easier to sharpen than the other? Just curious. Thanks for sending me down this rabbit hole and for sharing.

https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/mode ... -grinders/

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CPM_10V.jpg (13.15 KiB) Viewed 62 times