Cheap/Homemade tools

Lathe chisels. Although not cheap (range from $70 to $90 each) I thought I would add them here. At the top is a Sorby chisel with two tips. The offset design lets me cut the inside of a curved-top bowl.

Second down is a bowl scraper. The blade is heavy and has just a slightly beveled edge. It's heavier weight helps to dampen vibration while it cleans up tool marks from the other chisels.

Third down is a bowl gouge with a 1/2" fingernail shaped tip. This is used for initial cutting and shaping. It will remove wood quickly, but will leave tool marks that will need to be cleaned up.

On the bottom is a 3/4" parting tool. This is used for cutting the bowl away from the waste wood that mounts the bowl to the lathe's chuck. I usually only cut part way through and then take the bowl off the lathe and finish the cut with a flush saw. I had one bowl that came off before I was ready and it bounced happily across the shop floor.
When I priced Thickness Sanders ($400 - $500) I decided I had better build my own. I made a simple box to fit over my Mini lathe and put an adjustable platen in it that I can raise up or down. Simple hinges on the back side and a turnbuckle in front allow the adjustment. Another board is used to carry the wood through the sander. The sanding drum was made from Peg's rolling pin. I cut the handles off and ran it across the table saw to put a 1/8th" groove in it.

The sandpaper is cut to fit, wrapped around the rolling pin and folded into the groove. A small rubber tube (used to put screening in windows) is pressed into the groove to hold the paper.
This is the rear view of my disk sander, showing the mounting block and lathe chuck. The disk is (this one anyway) is made from MDF. I have two, one with 80 grit paper and one with 120 grit. I use the 120 grit for sharpening my lathe chisels.

Front view of the disk sander. The work table is simply a piece of MDF glued/screwed to a 2x6. There are a couple of strips down the sides to keep it stable. For sanding bowl rings, the table is removed to give full access to the disk.