Lee Valley’s nine-piece set of turning chisels will get any turner off to a good start in the hobby—for a reasonable price.
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The set features a 3/4" roughing gouge; 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" spindle gouges; a 1/2" bowl gouge; a 1" oval skew chisel; a 3/16" diamond parting tool; a 1" square scraper; and a 1" roundnose scraper. There’s also a polyester tool roll for storing or carrying the chisels. I turned several projects with these tools—big and small bowls, furniture spindles, and drawer pulls—and they performed well after I sharpened each to my satisfaction. I was able to grind the high-speed-steel chisels to create precise cutting edges, and they held those edges throughout prolonged turning better than I expected. The oval-shaped skew proved trickier to sharpen than the flat skews I normally use, but it cuts well once sharp. I appreciate the 15"-long ash handles, but would prefer handles about 3" shorter on the spindle gouges. I find shorter handles better fit my technique when making tight coves and beads.
—Tested by Brian Simmons