I have been lurking for some time now and absorbing as much knowledge as my small brain will allow. I have not made one turning as of yet but will be, hopefully within the next couple of weeks. I have been doing a lot of reading and listening. My questions to you experts are...... When I make my first spindle turning consisting of just taking a 2" square x 18" block into a long perfect cyclinder which will be 1 1/2 inches in diameter, what would be the best tool for me to use to get the feel of the lathe? A gouge, skew, other, etc.... My second question is that I will be using some new but probably cheap high carbon cutting tools. Can I sort of constantly resharpen them as I go along on some arkansas stones that I have to keep them sharp or will this be a losing battle and I will need to use a bench grinder right away. And lastly, if I turn the 2" x 2" x 18" (maple, cherry, walnut, etc) block down to a 1 1/2 inch cylinder will my tool be totally dull or should it still be good for a few more.... I know it's hard to tell because you don't know anything about the tool other than it's a high carbon, but can you give me some idea as to how long carbon tools stay sharp when using hardwoods like maple, ash, hickory, etc.
Any thoughts are appreciated,
TIA