Why More Tools Didn’t Make Me a Better Woodturner

If you’re new to woodturning, it won’t take long before you feel like you’re already behind.

Open YouTube, scroll social media, or read a few articles and you’ll quickly be told that you need this gouge, that jig, this sharpening system, and a growing rack of tools just to be taken seriously as a woodturner.

The message is subtle but constant, better tools mean better turning.

I don’t buy that, and experience has taught me otherwise.

Woodturning tools stored on a wall rack, some used daily, others less so

The Noise New Woodturners Are Up Against

Beginners today are bombarded in a way that simply didn’t exist years ago. Ads follow you around. “Top 10 tools you must own” lists appear everywhere. Every problem seems to have a product attached to it and when you buy that tool it will get you out of the hole you're in.

It creates a quiet anxiety that if you don’t buy the right tools early, you’ll struggle, fall behind, or develop bad habits.

It’s the same kind of messaging you see everywhere now, the promise that one inexpensive purchase will magically solve a deeper problem. Most of us recognise it for what it is, but it’s far more persuasive when you’re new and still unsure of yourself. You’ll have seen it play out in short-form videos online, where a single tool is presented as the solution to everything.

The uncomfortable truth is this, none of those extra tools will make you a better woodturner if the fundamentals aren’t there.

What Actually Improved My Turning

Looking back, my turning didn’t improve because I owned more tools. It improved when I learned how to control the ones I already had, and when I added tools deliberately, based on sound professional advice rather than impulse.

Tool control, stance, speed, listening to the cut, understanding when a tool is working properly and when it isn’t, those things came from repetition, not purchases. In fact, having too many tools early on often slowed progress because it distracted from learning what each one was really doing.

A small number of core tools forces you to learn properly. They expose bad habits quickly and teach you muscle memory. They don’t give you anywhere to hide.

A Few Core Tools Are Enough to Start

For spindle turning and bowl turning, you genuinely only need a handful of well-chosen tools to make real progress. With those, you can learn the cuts, understand grain direction, and develop confidence at the lathe. That foundation matters far more than the size of your tool rack.

Once you have it, something interesting happens. You can buy additional tools for the right reasons, not because you’re chasing improvement, but because you’re curious, experimenting, or refining how you like to work. Or simply because you enjoy buying tools. Most woodturners do, myself included.

Buying Tools Isn’t the Problem, Buying Them Too Early Is

This isn’t an argument against buying tools. Tools are part of the enjoyment of woodturning. Most of us end up with more than we strictly need, and that’s fine.

The mistake is believing that buying them early will shortcut the learning process. It won’t. In some cases, it makes things harder.

Skill comes first. Tools follow naturally.

Where to Go If You Want the Detail

This post is intentionally about mindset rather than specific recommendations. The most common mistake I see beginners make happens before any individual purchase matters.

That said, once you’re ready to think more practically, it helps to look at each decision on its own rather than trying to solve everything at once.

If you’re unsure whether buying individual tools or boxed sets makes sense when starting out, I break that down in Woodturning Chisel Sets, are they worth buying?, and explain why quality, suitability, and learning progression matter more than quantity.

For a broader look at what actually earns its place in a workshop over time, including core tools, finishes, and consumables, Essential Tools & Finishes for a Woodturner’s Workshop goes into more detail based on what I use daily and what I see other woodturners using.

And if you’re right at the beginning and still deciding on a lathe, Buying Your First Woodturning Lathe is a practical guide to the features that matter most before you spend any money.

Taken together, those posts provide the specifics. This one is about removing the pressure to buy everything at once.

Focus on Learning, Not Accumulating

If you’re starting out, give yourself permission to slow down. Learn a small number of tools properly. Let your hands, ears, and eyes do the teaching.

The tools will still be there when you’re ready, and when that time comes, you’ll know exactly why you’re buying them.

That’s when tools start adding enjoyment, not frustration.

If you’d like to see this approach in practice, I offer woodturning lessons in Tralee where I guide beginners through the fundamentals, safely, calmly, and without the early confusion that often slows progress.

Thanks for Reading,

David

About the Author

I’m David Condon, a woodturner and small business owner based in Tralee, Co. Kerry. I’ve been working with wood for most of my life at this stage — 11 years as a carpenter and over a decade running my own woodturning business.

Over the years, I’ve learned that woodturning is as much about patience and problem-solving as it is about tools and technique. I work mainly with Irish hardwoods, teach woodturning full-time, and spend most days learning something new in the workshop myself. On this site, I share the same practical knowledge I pass on to my students, shaped by experience, mistakes, and time spent at the lathe.

© David Condon Woodcraft – All Rights Reserved.

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More Woodturning Pages to Explore​

● Hampshire Sheen - Fine Finishing products that will highlight your project pieces

● Hamlet Tools - Fantastic Woodturning Tools from a well trusted brand

● Woodcraft Hub - View my woodcraft creations for inspiration of gift buying.

● Sanding Essentials - Essential sanding products for Woodturners & Woodworkers.

● Woodturning Blanks - A fine range of Hardwood Spindle Blanks & a few Bowl Blanks too!

● Woodturning Pen Blanks - A huge assortment of Acrylic & Irish Hardwood Pen Blanks.

● Crafter's Haven – A vast range of craft supplies for crafters and gift givers!

Original content © David Condon Woodcraft — Written by David Condon. Please credit and link if shared.