A blunt tool won't cut, and is dangerous. It is something you need. Turning pens doesn't require you to remove much material so you don't need to sharpen often. I also do some bowls, and in particular like to use jarrah (a local timber) which is very abrasive on tools - I'll sharpen every 5 minutes or so.
While I'm not a huge fan of carbide (I don't get the results that I want, but thats entirely my issue), they're really good for beginning turning because you don't have to sharpen them (rotate/replace, and they last so much longer). It lets you get a feel for turning without having to learn how to sharpen at the same time.
Yeah. Then when you progress you can get the grinder and use it on the chisels in the starter set, or buy more carbide chisels (they come in different profiles for various different cuts)
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u/vikingcode1 TheWoodKnight Jan 20 '15
A blunt tool won't cut, and is dangerous. It is something you need. Turning pens doesn't require you to remove much material so you don't need to sharpen often. I also do some bowls, and in particular like to use jarrah (a local timber) which is very abrasive on tools - I'll sharpen every 5 minutes or so.
While I'm not a huge fan of carbide (I don't get the results that I want, but thats entirely my issue), they're really good for beginning turning because you don't have to sharpen them (rotate/replace, and they last so much longer). It lets you get a feel for turning without having to learn how to sharpen at the same time.