What tools are used for woodturning?
There are three main categories of turning tools, although the distinctions get fairly blurred with some of the latest offerings from the tool manufacturers. These are the gouges, the chisels and the scrapers. These are described below. In general, tools should be made of either high carbon steel or High Speed Steel (HSS); the latter is preferred, although more expensive to buy, as it holds a sharp cutting edge for longer, and is also almost impossible to blue or destroy the temper of the metal when sharpening on a grinder – something that can be a problem with carbon steel. Some manufacturers are now selling tools made of more advanced steels, which cost more but apparently hold an edge even longer. Gouges have a flute or channel running along the tool up to the cutting edge; they are often divided into bowl gouges and spindle gouges, where the former have deeper and often U-shaped flutes, but there is no particular reason why a bowl gouge can’t be used on spindle work, and vice versa
