With all this interest in turning wood seat lately, I'm curious as to what brand of tools everyone uses. Also, what is the bare minimum for turning a seat - a chisel, gouge, parting tool?? What sizes?? I have read a couple of books, but they were for turning wood in general - specifically what is needed for seats?

Is it neccesary to have a bench grinder in order to sharpen tools? Can it be done another way? I would probably only turn a couple of seats anyway, but it does interest me - love teh way you guys get them to look - sweeeet!!

Billy

Yes, a skew chisel, gouge, and parting tool are probably just right for turning seats. Iin a practiced hand, the skew will give the best surface; ready for sanding at maybe 150 grit. Be prepared to put in some practice time on inexpensive wood tho!

Some guys have good results sharpening on a belt sander. Even a handheld 3x24 or 3x18 will do, fix it down to a bench somehow, you won't need too much in the way of guides/toolrest. Be sure the belt is spinning AWAY from the cutting edge, the opposite of how a common bench grinder goes. Since you're cutting steel, quality belts would probably be worth the expense. Another option is to take them to a local friendly pro for initial sharpening, and you can then touch up with bench stones i.e. India or Arkansas. And to a purist who sharpens on Japanese waterstones, using a belt sander is gauche kind of like chumming when fly fishing, so don't repeat where you heard this advice!

Billy,

I was involved in wood turning before I became involved in rod making, so a good background had already been formed. For turning inserts, a gouge, and a wide parting or bedan tool are really all that are needed. But you are correct,they need to be sharpened often. A sharp tool is not only safer, but does the job in seconds compared to dull tool which only serves to frustrate the builders.

The very best tool for sharpening is the Tormek Wet Wheel grinder. It is also very expensive at about $400 less attachments. But it is the cream of the crop. The Delta Wet Wheel grinder is not bad and runs about $170. The miter is not very good though. Delta also makes a flat stone wet wheel grinder which is quite good and does not create a "hollow" grind on the tool edge. Although to be honest, the "hollow" ground edges do not seem to create any real disadvantage and most experienced wood turners are fine with them.

Yes, you can also use a regular grinder combined with one of the excellent gringing jigs that are made just for sharpening lathe tools. The down side is that these standard grinders turn too fast, have poor wheels (you need a "friable" AL or SIC wheel) and thus overheat the tool edge, making it brittle and unable to hold an edge for any decent period of time.

Machine lathe cutting bits are no different - they need to be sharpened often as well. The same grinders mentioned above along with some specialty jigs allow them to be easily sharpened.

I am pretty sure most good woodturners will tell you they often sharpen a tool several times during the turning of a single piece! Sounds like a lot of hassle, but once you learn to do it correctly, it becomes second nature and allows you to turn your work quickly and easily. A reel seat insert is no more than a 3 minute job with sharp tools and a little experience.

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