Replies

1. 
   woodshaver | Apr 23, 2003 06:41am | #1

   HI milti1 , sorbys are great, been turning with mine for years.

           has for crown tools I have no clue.  good luck

                                                                                mark

1. 
   miti1 | Apr 23, 2003 07:39am | #2

   thanx mark , priced the 2 in www. sorby is 2x the money , and probably better steel, does anyone make a carbide edge tool, been looking but no finds yet.  mike

1. 
   steves | Apr 25, 2003 10:22pm | #14

   I have a few very old Craftsman carbide tipped turning tools. They do alright and don't need sharpening as much but I think you'll do fine with M2, ASP 2030 or 2060 tools if you can afford them. I have not seen anyone produce crabide tools currently.

1. 
   miti1 | Apr 26, 2003 07:08am | #15

   thanx for your time  and thoughts, keepin touch mt

2. 
   gpwest | Apr 23, 2003 07:55am | #3

   miti1,

    I have several brands of turning tools; Crown and Sorby are both great brands, Sorby seems a little more expensive.

     Crown has introduced a new line of tools fairly recently called Pro PM (pm meaning powdered metal). They were advertised to hold an edge longer.  From my experience, they do seem to need sharpening quite a bit less frequently; I have had 2 of these Pro PM gouges since last year.    GP

1. 
   miti1 | Apr 23, 2003 09:16pm | #7

   thanx for reply, probably will go with crown, just have to keep up edge maintanece more, money saved i can invest in nice sharpening system,any ideas there ? 

1. 
   DennisS | Apr 24, 2003 11:18am | #10

   Hey Miti -

   RE: sharpening systems -

   If you've got the budget, get the Tormek for sharpening your turning gouges and stuff. It's certainly not the cheapest approach to sharpening but I think it's one of the best. You'll never burn your edge with it. The jigs end up being costly, too, but considering that you maintain the same bevel consistently each time you sharpen, which seems to be every 10 minutes (grin), you don't grind away material as fast.

   Another option is the Wolverine system. It's a jig thing that can be installed on a regular bench grinder. Get a proper wheel for the grinder, though - one of those white alum. oxide things.

   At the last meeting I attended of our local turning group, the program was on sharpening. Several people demonstrated everything from freehand to using different commercial jigs. Check the Rockler and Woodcraft web sites and/or catalogs for some options. They all work but I maintain that the Tormek machine is one of the best on the market.

   ...........

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   miti1 | Apr 24, 2003 10:19pm | #11

   thanx denn , i will check it out , what kind of tools do you use ,? seen crown at www , looks like nice set hss. sorby to much.

1. 
   DennisS | Apr 25, 2003 02:37am | #12

   I don't have a very large selection of turning tools at this point, Miti - just the basics. They're all Sorby thus far. I don't notice such a price differential at my local outlets (Rockler and Woodcraft). Maybe a couple bux but not a huge difference.

   My brother's a machinist and often has old files and stuff that I intend to grab if he ever gets around to cleaning up his shop. I hear they make OK tools for more or less custom profiles and such.

   ...........

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

2. 
   jako17 | Apr 25, 2003 06:43am | #13

   Sorry if I am butting in but don't forget to re temper the files when you get your hands on them as they are rather brittle and tend to snap in the small x-sections.Retempered I have ground off the teeth and made several excellant small scrapers from files.

3. 
   mw | Apr 23, 2003 08:32am | #4

   I have a complete set of Sorby tools, and have been very happy with them.  Based on my use, they are worth the price premium over other less expensive tools.  No experience with Crown.  Good luck.

1. 
   BDW13 | Apr 23, 2003 05:11pm | #5

   I don't want to hijack the thread, but it's sort of along the same lines.

     Does anyone have a good source for buying either of these companies tools? All the tool cataloges that I get (and it's a bunch!) seem to give short shift to turning supplies.  Thanks

1. 
   DavidLee | Apr 23, 2003 06:14pm | #6

   http://www.packardwoodworks.com

   http://woodturnerscatalog.com/

   Call the toll free numbers and ask for catalogs.

2. 
   miti1 | Apr 23, 2003 09:19pm | #8

   do you hone your tools, whats your setup? if you dont mind. did turning before but never had own machine & tools .

4. 
   Andrew | Apr 23, 2003 10:18pm | #9

   Most of my turning tools are Henry Taylor. The others are ones I've made myself. I've been very happy with the quality of Henry Taylor, and they were recommended to me by some more experienced turners.

   I was talking to a turner who had both and he showed me two gouges, both were over 10 years old. One still had a lot of steel left, and the other was almost entirely used up. Can you guess which one was almost gone. It was the Sorby. He said that both of them were used about the same amount in a school shop where he taught. I bought Henry Taylors on the assumption that they would last longer and were better steel. So far I haven't been disappointed. IMO the fit and finish on my Henry Taylors is also better than Sorby which is a plus. There are many other makers who apparently make nice tools that I haven't tried yet. If I could find a local supplier who carried the powered metal tools I'd be interested in trying them, as I have used metalworking cutters made with this technology and find they work really well.

   Have you asked this question over on woodcentrals turning board? There are lots of turners who are up on the latest and greatest turning gear who hang out there.

1. 
   miti1 | Apr 26, 2003 07:17am | #16

   thann you[ andrew  for your time  keep in touch ok ?