What each tool shape does, and how high-speed steel and carbide tools are presented to the work, is explained in woodturning tools. This guide is about choosing among them.
Match the tools to the work
| Work | High-speed steel shapes | Carbide shapes (Easy Wood Tools) |
|---|---|---|
| First spindles: handles, pins | Roughing gouge, spindle gouge or skew, parting tool | Rougher, with a detailer for beads |
| Beads, coves and detail | Spindle gouge, skew | Detailer |
| Bowls and platters | Bowl gouge, round-nose scraper | Finisher for inside curves, rougher outside |
| Pens and very small work | Small spindle gouge, skew | A small (Micro) tool |
From WEN's and Grizzly's tool descriptions and Easy Wood Tools' cutter roles. Not a ranking.
High-speed steel or carbide
| Point | High-speed steel | Carbide |
|---|---|---|
| Edge upkeep | Resharpened on a grinder set up for each shape | No sharpening; the insert is changed |
| Technique | Bevel rubbing for a shearing cut, as WEN describes | Flat on the rest, level, handle never low |
| Rest height | Grizzly: about 1/8 in above centre | Cutter's top at spindle centre |
| Overhang | Not stated by WEN or Grizzly | 2, 3 or 4 in by tool size |
| Shapes | Many profiles and sizes | Three cutter shapes per size |
| Spares | None: the tool is resharpened | Inserts made for that bar only |
Each maker's instructions for its own tools. Neither family is recommended over the other. Not a ranking.
The upkeep differs most. A high-speed steel kit needs a way to sharpen it — a grinder and a jig set up for each profile, to the tool maker's instructions — which this site does not cover. Carbide tools avoid that, at the cost of buying inserts made for each bar.
Checking a set
| Specification | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Shapes included | A set should cover roughing, detail, parting and smoothing | Grizzly's listed 8-piece HSS set: roughing gouge, two spindle gouges, bowl gouge, skew, diamond parting tool, two scrapers |
| Steel | WEN prefers high-speed steel to carbon steel | The steel named on the set |
| Length | Leverage over the rest, and fit to the lathe's size | 16–19 in (Grizzly's set); 9-1/4 in Micro and 16 in Mini (Easy Wood Tools) |
| Size of each tool | Small lathes take small work | A 1/4 in spindle gouge for detail, a 3/4 in roughing gouge for blanks |
| Carbide cutters | Each bar takes only its own insert | The cutter type engraved on the bar |
What each specification decides, with examples from the makers cited. Not a ranking.
What each kind cannot do
| Kind | Cannot | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| High-speed steel | Stay sharp without a grinder and the skill to use it | Allow time for sharpening, or add carbide tools |
| Carbide | Exceed its maker's overhang safely | A larger tool for deeper reach |
| Carbide | Take another bar's insert | Buy the insert named on the bar |
| Any set | Cover every job | Add single tools as projects need them |
General limits, from the makers' instructions. Not a ranking.
Safety— Sharp tools, on the rest
WEN and Grizzly both warn against dull or damaged tools; Grizzly links them to grabbing and kickback. Keep every tool on the rest whenever it touches the work, and keep carbide tools within their overhang. See how to use a lathe and woodworking safety rules.
Before buying turning tools
- The work you will turn first: spindles, bowls or small pieces
- High-speed steel with a way to sharpen, or carbide with spare inserts
- Shapes that cover roughing, detail, parting and smoothing
- Tool sizes that suit your lathe and work
- For carbide, inserts for each bar
Choosing the lathe is covered in how to choose a lathe and how to choose a benchtop lathe; every woodturning page is mapped in the lathe guide.
Sources
Specification-based: tool descriptions are WEN's and Grizzly's for high-speed steel tools and Easy Wood Tools' for its own carbide tools; the eight-piece set is the one Grizzly lists for its lathes. Sharpening equipment is each maker's subject and is not compared. Nothing was tested and none is ranked.
- 1.
Model 34034 14" x 20" Variable Speed Wood Lathe, Instruction Manual. WEN Products (store-hosted copy), 2019.
Used for: High-speed steel preferred over carbon steel; the roughing gouge, round-nose scraper, spindle gouge, parting tool, skew chisel and bowl gouge as the basics for most projects; tools sharp and undamaged.
- 2.
Model G0844 14" x 20" Benchtop Wood Lathe, Owner's Manual. Grizzly Industrial, 2019.
Used for: An 8-piece HSS set listed for Grizzly's lathes — 3/4 in roughing gouge, 1/4 and 1/2 in spindle gouges, 3/8 in bowl gouge, 3/4 in skew, 3/16 in diamond parting tool, 1 in square scraper and 1/2 in round scraper, 16 to 19 in long; dull tools increasing the risk of kickback or grabbing.
- 3.
Easy Turning Tools — product information and safety. Easy Wood Tools.
Used for: Carbide tools in three cutter shapes — rougher, finisher, detailer — with no sharpening; held flat and level on the rest; overhang limits of 2, 3 and 4 in for mini, mid-size and full-size and Pro tools.
- 4.
Easy Parting Tool — product information and safety. Easy Wood Tools.
Used for: A carbide parting tool with a replaceable negative-rake blade.
- 5.
FAQs. Easy Wood Tools.
Used for: A 9-1/4 in Micro tool for pens and small work and a 16 in Mini; cutters made for one bar only; turners using one, two or three tool shapes as they choose.
About this buying guide
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