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   CHAPTER MEMBER

General Q&A for New Turners

Proper Tool Selection
Fred Burke

When you first start turning how do you know which chisels to use for your project?


Roughly speaking your projects will either be one of two kinds, spindle work, like making pens, etc. or bowl work. Generally with spindle work the wood is mounted between the chuck and the tail stock such that the grain runs parallel to the tool rest and so you are cutting with the grain. Whereas with bowl work once you have generally shaped the outside of the bowl you will then start to to hollow out the inside of the bowl. When you do that you are cutting into the end grain of the bowl. There is significantly more force on the tool when cutting end grain so those tools need to be substantially stronger (and more expensive).


As such, one of the most important safety things to remember is that tools meant for spindle work should never be used on bowls because they are simple not strong enough. This is especially true of gouges.


More info to come...


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