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Lathe tools

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Stuart

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I’m looking at new tools having just purchased a new lathe and was wondering about these replaceable tip tools versus ‘normal’ ones.

In my mind they’re just scrapers but it can’t be that simple, can it?

What are the pros and cons of the tipped ones?

And in passing what on earth happened to turning tool costs! Turn your back for 15 years and wooosh, - away they go to the stratosphere.
 
You are so right about the price of turning gear @Stuart I go to shows & look at the prices & am so glad I’m not setting up now.
I’ve a couple of carbide tipped tools but I do prefer the standard chisels, a lot of mine I bought unhandled, well I am a turner after all, so that’s a good saving & mainly from Ashley Iles.
If you’re close enough then the Harrogate woodworking show is on in November, Iles usually have a stand so might be worth a trip to stock up not only with chisels but from the huge selection of gear that will be on display at the show.
 
I made my own shafts and handles and then acquired a selection of tips marketed for engineers. .
They work fine but I still tend to reach for the traditional ones, fortunately I have a decent selection bought years ago.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, keep a lookout on Facebook marketplace there’s always some and quite local. Obviously you need to know the difference between good and bad.
 
In truth I’m no woodturner, I bought my first lathe in the late 1990’s it’s a Nutool jobby, still got it, at the same time I also picked a set of 5 Record turning tools, which IIRC cost more than the lathe, but the lathe wasn’t much use without them… at the time I was restoring furniture and one job in particular was to restore a Chaise lounge, and I needed to make some 4” tall spindles to go along under the arm rest, and 4 new bun legs.

Any way forward to now, I have since acquired a little Clarke lathe, FOC, which for my needs is perfect, and in a recent state of being retired, I found an interest in making pens, off I go down the rabbit hole, need one of these and one of those, including the set of 3 Record carbide tipped tools for £120.00 EACH, or a bargain if I bought them as a set of 3 at £299.99 so reality sets in, I check the finances and the prospect of ever making any money from pens, so the upshot is, I’m still using the 5 basic tools I bought all those years ago, and working on my abilities and skills to overcome the want/need for another tool/s, that look nicer than what I already have, but still do the same job at the end of day.

To date I’ve made 10 pens, 2 pencils, a couple of wine bottle stoppers, and a cork screw, all of which have found new homes and been very well received (+ a back scratcher, for me.)
 
If you keep a eye on eBay you can sometimes find good makes of turning tools second hand. I have quite a collection using that technique.
Of course you will need some way sharpening then so a grinder is required.
 
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