Woodturning tools and honest reviews. For hobbyists past the pen-blank phase who are turning bowls and platters on a mid-priced lathe.
Woodturning is a hobby of tradeoffs that most online content glosses over. The expensive carbide tool versus the cheap traditional gouge. The 12-inch swing lathe versus the 16-inch. The bowl gouge bevel angle that fits your style. The math behind those choices is often the difference between catching the bowl and chucking it into the wall.
These tools give the numbers. Bowl blank dimensions to finished diameter. Lathe RPM safe limits by diameter. Tool sharpening angles by application.
Tools
Bowl Blank Sizing Calculator
From target finished diameter, calculate blank dimensions accounting for tenon, wall thickness, and drying shrinkage. By wood species.
Safe Lathe RPM Calculator soon
Maximum safe rotation speed by workpiece diameter and out-of-balance estimate. The "don't lose teeth" math.
Tool Sharpening Angle Selector soon
Bevel angle recommendations for bowl gouges, spindle gouges, scrapers, and parting tools by application.
Plain note about money: Some product links are affiliate (eBay Partner Network). Small commission on purchases. Doesn't change your price. The tool reviews come from actual chip-flying time. The expensive Glaser bowl gouges are excellent but the Robert Sorby budget line is what 90% of hobbyists actually need.