just turned it on. (no pun intended)

40" long, or in diameter?

Just kidding, Sam.. You'll get as many different answers to your questions as you would if you asked what brand your next truck should be..

I buy a lot of these at PSI and like them, others don't care for them:

I think it's a pretty good value for a mid-range starter set that should last for several years.. Of course, that's just the beginning of the addiction.. You're gonna want a chuck, more & different chisels, power sanding setup, dust collection, etc., etc., etc.

mac

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Harbor Freight has a starter set for $40. HSS. Great to learn grinding

Good point about the face protection, Mr. Feltmate...

I like the way Bill Grumbine puts it in his bowl turning video.. something like: "If you don't want to wear face protection, your first project better be a white cane"..

mac

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I'll second what Darrell said. Go over to his site aroundthewoods.com There are bunch of knowledgable and helpful people on this NG, and Darrell is among the best.

Not only for what he says on the group, but that site is nothing short of fantastic in the wealth of information he's put up. You could literally spend hours there, and still not get all he says.

I started with his sharpening jig, which is possible the best thing there for a newbie.

I'll second the face protection. I am a beginner and I am teaching myself. I don't highly recommend that. One of the first things I taught myself was the value of a face shield. My nose didn't get broken fortunately but I had quite a cut on it for several weeks. I was wearing the safety glasses which protected my eyes. And I still wear the safety glasses under the face shield. Every once in a while something bounces of that shield and I'm really happy it's there although nothing since the first thing that would have caused any damage to me.

Just another 2 cents...

Either making a sharpening jig or investing in one along with a decent grinder will make turning a lot more enjoyable. Dull tools aren't any fun! And as has been often preached, dull tools can be dangerous. There are numerous jig on the market (I have the Wolverine jig) and even more plans for building jigs that work quite well. When I'm turning a small bowl (8" dia or so), I sharpen my gouge at the beginning and half way through, maybe even toward the end of the turning, especially with dry wood. It doesn't take much grinding. With a little practice, you can touch up the edge with a very light single pass. Sharp tools leave a much nicer finish. Dull tools tend to tear the wood, not cut it.

On another note, the Harbor Freight distribution center is not very far from my office; so, I occasionally stop by on the way home. The $40 set that was mentioned is probably OK for a starter set for pen turning and such, even shallow bowls or platters. I thought the handles were really short and wouldn't provide leverage needed for turning bowls. By comparison, I have only 2 bowl gouges: a 13 mm Sorby with a side grind that is 23" long and a little 6 mm Sorby Midi with a conventional grind that is 13" long. The 13 mm is my "work horse." It's strong and with the long handle I have plenty of leverage when extended off the tool rest into a bowl. I use the 6 mm for finishing the bottom of the bowl while working around the tailstock. These two gouges cost significantly more than the Harbor Freight set. But I had a specific purpose in mind when I bought them. The Harbor Freight set reminds me of the set that came with my Shopsmith over 20 years ago. Guess what? I still use it!

I would highly recommend spending some time at Darrell Feltmate's website:

He had a tremendous amount of helpful information and has created a number of videos that really help show how turning is done. Just my opinion based on the fantasy that I know what I'm doing... Dave

20 years ago. Guess what? I still use it!

Me too, Dave, but my shopsmith (1980) must have come with better chisels.. I have a couple of the "better" HF sets ($40 on sale) and the SS tools are MUCH better.. much more steel, better handles, etc.. Just overall better..

I buy the HF mini set a couple of times a year, when it goes on sale for $10.. The bowl gouge *choke* and parting tool are garbage, but I love the skew and like to have 2 or 3 of them sharp and handy when I'm doing pens..

mac

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I bought one of those $40 sets one time, and found that for ME, the edge holds up better than on the Sorby gouge I bought..

in fact, IF I can find it where ever its buried I would be happy to sell that Sorby..patience..

but I do agree the handles could for some folks be longer. I had a man give me some 'scrap wood' one time, and when I get back to turning got some very hard white oak about 18-20" long and about

2" square to make some new handles for certain tools

--Shiva--