Woodturning Tools – the Core Set you will Use

If you have been bitten by the woodturning bug, you will know the world of crafting opportunities available to you once you have a lathe and a set of turning tools. Before you know it, you will be turning out beautiful platters, bowls, spindles and table legs.

But good quality turning chisels aren’t cheap tools. If you are just starting out and you’re on a budget here is a list of the core chisels you will use.

Chisels are classified and named by the basic operation they perform.

Parting Tool

A diamond-shaped tool used for notching and grooving a project. The cutting tool is also used for removing or parting off the project when it’s finished.

Roughing Gouge

With a deep U shaped gouge that has a 45 degree outside bevel, its ideal for rapidly removing waste such as turning a square block into a round piece.

Domed Scraper

Use the curved profile and flat end to finish off the insides of bowls and goblets.

Skew Chisel

The angled V-section blade is for smoothing and shaping. It’s a versatile tool that will be well used in your kit.

Spindle Gouge

With a shallower bevel than a roughing gouge, the rounded end of the spindle gouge is used to turn beads and other profiles.

Square-end Chisel

This chisel is for finishing off with an extremely smooth surface on cylindrical and conical surfaces.

Individual Chisels or Kits

It’s up to you whether you want to buy your chisels separately or as a kit. When you are starting out a kit makes it easy particularly if you aren’t sure of the most useful sizes of each woodturning tool. You don’t want to buy your tools and then find out they are a miniature size or too big for what you need.

You can buy toolkits with one of each of the most versatile tools. But if you know that you will be spending most of your time on one particular type of woodturning, you may want to invest in a set of the same tools in different sizes.

6 Essential Router Bits for your Woodworking Projects

So you’ve bought yourself a router, now all you need are the bits to take your projects to a professional looking level. But it’s hard to know where to start. The range can be a little bit bewildering really to a newbie woodworker. Below is a list of some of the basic bits that will allow you to cut joinery, shape profiles and router patterns.

Straight Bits

Nothing is boring about a straight bit. Use it to cut grooves and dadoes, mortises, tenons and rabbets as well as clean up edges. Straight bits can have straight or spiral flutes.

Dovetail Bit

For woodworkers making drawers or carcases, a dovetail bit can help with construction. Most dovetail bits have angles from 7 to 14 degrees depending on the hardness of the wood. Dovetail bits are designed to cut full depth. A straight bit may be used to clean out most of the waste when cutting a sliding dovetail slot to extend the life of a dovetail bit and gain a cleaner cut.

Roundover Bit

A roundover bit can soften the look of a piece of wood by taking off the sharp corners. Depending on the size of the bit, some bits will cut roundovers with or without a step also known as a fillet.

To reduce the chance of tearout, take light passes and gradually raise the bit until you are cutting at full depth. The end grain can blowout because the fibres of the wood are unsupported. To stop this happening, round over the end grain edges before routing the long grain.

Cove Bit

The cove bit is designed to make a decorative concave edge such as a hidden pull on a drawer. You can choose to use a cove in conjunction with another bit to router a more complex profile. The roundover and cove bits can be used to create a decorative table edge when both bits are the same radius.

Chamfer Bit

A chamfer bit is used for beveling the edge of wood. It can be used to make a top look thinner by chamfering the bottom edge and a thin top can be made to look thicker by chamfering the top. Chamfers are commonly used on legs, tabletops and aprons.

Rabbeting Bit

A bearing guided rabbeting bit allows you to cut rabbets of various sizes. Frames that have already been glued together can have perfectly aligned rabbets cut. The rabbet on the inside edge is cut by moving the router clockwise while the profile on the outside edge is cut moving the router counterclockwise.

Caring for Router Bits

It’s important not to leave bits loose in a drawer or toolbox. If the bits bump each other, their cutting edges can be chipped rendering the bit worthless. Look after bits by returning them to their original packaging after use or stand them in a piece of scrap wood that has had holes drilled or a moulded plastic tidy.

Even when a bit is well maintained, cheap bits don’t last as long as the more expensive ones because they usually aren’t as well made. Buy quality bits that won’t break, chip or dull prematurely. Solid carbide or carbide-tipped is a better choice than high-speed steel bits.