Thompson Turning Tools Up for Review

Over the years of exploring wood turning forums, a name began appearing, Thompson Lathe Tools.  

You know how it goes, you see a reference of a new tool and think "Huh, wonder if its any good?"  After seeing this brand pop up more and more, I visited his website and took a look around.  I realized that Id been missing out.  Id read others rave about the extreme edge holding ability of these tools, but I didnt realize that a lot of the professionals that make a living by turning more and sharpening less were using these tools too.  Thats when I told myself that when I could, I was going to check out these tools for myself.

I still had a few questions before my decision to purchase was set.  

Such as: 
Do I have to have a CBN wheel for sharpening these tools? 
Which 3/8" spindle gouge with a fingernail grind is used for small finial work?
Whats the advantage of the U shaped or V shaped bowl gouge?
Ill be turning some large platters.  What scraper would you recommend for cleaning up the inside?

I called the company owner, Doug, on a Friday at a quarter to five and had to leave a message.  I figured he was doing the same thing I was and had called it an early day.  To my surprise he called back that evening around 6 and answered all of my questions and then some.  He said that sure, some people use CBN, but you dont have to.  Youll get a finer edge with a CBN wheel, but that the edge created by a 80 or 120 grit aluminum oxide wheel will serve you just fine.  Doug recommended his regular spindle gouge with a sharp fingernail grind for creating delicate finials.  He also recommended the V shaped bowl gouge for the large pieces I was planning to make.  The V shaped bowl gouge is a bit more stout than the U shaped and has proven to be an excellent choice.  I also have a fingernail grind on this tool and have enjoyed every minute of it.  We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the three larger sized scrapers that Doug offers for some time and decided on the 1 1/4" scraper. This size is large enough to reach a fair amount over the tool rest and flatten a big platter, but not so big that I cant use it for 5" plates or bowls.  

After mulling it over for a while, I purchased the 5/8 V shaped bowl gouge, the 3/8 spindle gouge, and the 1 1/4" scraper.  Upon the arrival of these tools, I was quickly impressed.  I feel that packaging says a lot about a person, and while this has nothing to do with edge holding ability, it does enforce the message that Thompson Lathe Tools sends.  These tools are of utmost quality and pride is reflected by each item being shipped in sturdy plastic tubes or sleeves.  Of all the tools Ive purchased, these are the most sturdy.  Even before placing these tools in handles, they just have more presence than any other gouge or scraper Ive handled.  The bowl gouge and spindle gouge both have a heavier cross section than my other gouges, which makes them incredibly sturdy and resistant to chatter.  I cant say enough about the 1 1/4" scraper though.  Wow, just wow.  Its made from 5/16" thick stock and doesnt even attempt to fuss when youre cleaning up the bottom of a big platter or bowl.  It should be noted that this isnt the heaviest scraper that Doug carries.  The two larger scrapers are made of 3/8" and 5/8" steel.  WHAT?!  

Doug Thompson sells his tools unhandled, which keeps costs down.  If youre a do it yourself kinda guy like I am, you can make your own handles and save some cash.  However, what if youre too excited about trying out your new toys?  Cough cough.  Sorry, tools.  You can purchase interchangeable handles from Doug as well.

So, I quickly made some metal handles to try out my new gouge.  The first victim that fell prey to this awesome 5/8" gouge was a piece of hickory that was 21" X 4".  I was absolutely amazed with the results.  I had to sharpen my gouge once after starting this piece and had never had so much fun burying myself with shavings.  I was floored with the edge holding ability of this tool and knew that the other tools were sure to be just as amazing.

About a month later, it was time to get started making ornaments.  I pulled out my new 3/8" spindle gouge and went to town making finials.  This tool has great control and quickly felt like an extension of my body to shape wood with ease.  Again, I was impressed with this tools ability to retain a sharp cutting edge.  Making small finials requires a lot of repeated cuts with the 1/8" tip of a fingernail ground spindle gouge.  I could complete numerous finials per sharpening before performance was even noticeably compromised.

Like most scrapers, these are equipped with a rectangular tang.  For this tool, I made a wooden handle and enlisted the tool for active duty.  Anyone who has used a scraper knows that the heart and soul of a scrapers viability is the burr that creates the cutting edge.  With my standard M2 HSS scraper, I was constantly going back and forth to the grinder or burnishing the edge to bring the burr back to life.  Ill never go back!  You cant make me use an M2 scraper.  Maybe Im over reacting, but geez, this thing just keeps going.  Now, youre not going to see that same time interval as you would with a gouge, but its a scraper, people, and the Thompson scrapers are the ones you want next to your lathe.

Thompson Lathe Tools doesnt just provide tools, they provide satisfaction and excitement.  These tools are just fun to use.  They respond as expected and seem to become an extension of your body that acts and responds instinctively.  Doug is a great person to do business with and I will happily continue to support him with future business and reviews.

Also, I was not compensated in any way by Doug or Thompson Lathe Tools for writing this review.

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Unveiling The Shop!

How many tools can you fit in half of a two car garage?  The shop page is finally up!

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Chip N Dip On The Way!

Its been quite a while since Ive turned a chip-n-dip platter, so its good to be making one again.  This is a beautiful piece of ambrosia maple with some lovely birdseye and lots of character.  Ive rough turned the piece and its now soaking in a denatured alcohol bath.  Ill be fitting it with a little glass bowl so that your favorite salsa or dip of choice wont stain the wood.  Only four weeks till its dry enough to finish.  I cant wait!

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Turning a Platter

I cut some hickory from the crotch of a tree about 3 weeks prior to rough turning it.  I knew I’d get around to turning it relatively soon, so I just put it in a plastic bag instead of messing with painting or waxing the blank.  This blank was very shamefully cut, so it was terribly out of balance while I was roughing the piece in.  This platter is destined to live above our china cabinet in the dining room.  I promised my wife the first piece off the lathe would be hers.

She lucked up and is getting the first two pieces!  I wanted to do a smaller turning to begin with.  I figure just in case something goes wrong  a 5 pound piece of wood flying through the shop is less dangerous than a 30 pound piece.   The first two platters are both from the same section of hickory.  
My wife has affectionately named them lil’ hick and big hick.

I was concerned about finishing the platter without having the worm screw hole from the screw chuck going through it.  On a side note I finally found a spur drive from axminster for the #3 morse taper my headstock has.  Hopefully I won’t be making anymore platters with holes in the center. 

Having not worked with hickory before, I had my concerns that it would be too hard and wear my tools quickly.  I’m happy to report that first, this wood is beautiful, and that secondly, my tools have adequately withstood the abuse this piece has offered.  For roughing both of the platters, I’ve used my 5/8” P&N bowl gouge almost exclusively. 

Step by Step:

Cut it up!

Chainsaws have a vendetta against whatever gets in their way.  Be careful and don’t cut your leg off while cutting your blanks!  Be sure to wear adequate PPE and use common sense.  

Heres a tip, don’t cut your logs through the end grain.  That will take forever and be tiring.  Instead, lay the log on its side and cut along the grain or length of the log.  This will make long streaming shavings which can later be used for mulch!  How’s that for being green?

On the Lathe:

Using a worm screw in my scroll chuck is my only option for mounting to the lathe at this point.  So I drill an appropriately sized hole (not too deep) to accept the worm screw.  Now this is where a variable speed lathe comes in real handy.  I turn on the lathe and slow it way down.  Line up the drilled hole in the blank with the slowly spinning worm screw and let the machine do the work.  Don’t forget to let go once it gets tight.  I like to then put my lathe in back gear and snug the piece on a bit more.  If your lathe doesnt have back gearing, then hold the hand wheel on the outboard side.  

A Bumpy Ride:

Now start roughing in your blank.  I do this by turning my lathe as fast as it will go without excessive vibration.  This is a judgment call, but the long and short of this theory is that the faster the blank is spinning, the less time your tool isn’t in contact with the wood.  This in turn gives a smoother, more uniform cut.

Once I’ve found an appropriate speed, I begin at the tailstock end of the blank and take short cuts, working my way towards the headstock.  Using a side grind bowl gouge, I hold the tool horizontally with the flutes facing the work at 45°.  I work on short sections at a time until that portion is round.  Repeat this procedure until the blank is round. 

To check roundness of your blank without constantly turning off the lathe, gently rest the back edge of your gouge on the top of the piece.  If your gouge bounces like a baby in a Johnny Jump Up, you still have work to do.

Check out the teardrop!

Initial Shaping:

Let me first state that since the wood is green (wet) it will move and warp as it dries.  There are many approaches to turning green wood, this is just one of them.  This first session of turning is not intended to be your final shape; one should “rough turn,” let the piece dry, and then do finish turning. 

At this point, I turn the tool rest to be perpendicular with the ways.  I will now shape the bottom of my piece.  Once I get done with any roughing of this face, I turn a tennon to grab with the scroll chuck and flip the piece around to clean up what will be the front of the platter.  Normally I would go ahead and shape the back, but the other side of this blank was so out of balance that I could not run the lathe very fast.  I repeat my process and make a recess that the tennon is formed inside of. 

Flattening the Face

Future Mulch

Tennon Formed

Now I flip the piece again and shape the back.  I use a shaping cut with my bowl gouge for this process.  This requires the handle of the gouge to be dropped 20°-30° and the flutes to the rolled about 45° in the direction of cut.

Tennon on Back

I proceed to flip my piece once more to grab the tennon on the back of the platter.  Now that I’ve created a meaningful shape on the outside of my blank, I am careful to center the piece in the chuck as I evenly press the piece against the jaws.  This is required so that your platter will run true as you shape the inside.  I turn on the lathe just to verify that my piece is running true.  If not, I go back and adjust.

I begin roughing out material until the tailstock gets in the way.  Leaving support from the tailstock as long as possible just keeps the piece pushed into the chuck a bit more securely.  Once this becomes an impediment, I take the tailstock off the lathe.  Umph, that thing is heavy.  Now I have complete access to the platter.  I am still using the roughing cut.  This piece is rather shallow, but the habit to form is to use a roughing cut while working the inside of a bowl or platter.  The reasoning is that if you have your gouge elevated on a concave surface, the wings of the gouge will eventually dig in and catch on the piece.  This can be frightfully spectacular and ruin your turning or pants.

Heres "lil hick" rough turned and ready to dry.

Drying:

Now comes the fun part.  Wait for your piece to stop loosing moisture.  Once this happens you can finish turn your work.  There are many methods to drying green turnings.  I currently use a paper bag with a handful of shavings against the bottom of the bowl.  Having the shaving on the bottom instead of the inside allows the inside to dry slightly faster than the outside of the piece.  Big deal right?  It actually is.  This makes any cracks that may form be from compression instead of expansion.  A compression crack on the inside of a piece will be self-closing, where an expansion crack on the outside will continue to widen as the piece dries.

Heres "big hick" off the lathe.

That’s all for now.  I’ll have to make a special work holding chuck for these platters while they are drying.  Check back soon for my post on making a Longworth Chuck!

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