Turning Tools

[BOX]

Hi there,
Pro's and Cons Henry Taylor versus Woodcut ?

Cheers Box

[issatree]

Hi Box,
Personally I woodn't touch either, but that is me.
So, what is wrong with Australian P&N, still made in Maryborough Vic. as far as I know. Patience & Nicholson .
Not Cheap, but you buy the Tool Unhandled, & do the 13in.- 330mm. Handles yourself, out of almost anything.
Tried the others, but in my opinion they don't come up to scratch.
The only other Tool Steel I buy is from McJing, Chinese Steel & I can't fault it, & oh, so much cheaper.

[Woodturnerjosh]

I prefer different brands for different tools. I always preferred Henry Taylor for their super flute bowl gouges but the new ones from Vicmarc are a similar geometry but a harder steel.
I really like the P&N roughing gouge, skew chisels and spindle gouges but it takes a little bit of work to polish the flutes in the gouges (you only do that once though)
Everyone has their own preferences for tools but I do recommend staying away from V and U shaped bowl gouges as they are harder to sharpen into a fingernail profile (again, personal preference)

I know that doesn't answer your question though.....

[chuck1]

Henry taylor go alright I've got a roughing gouge , 1 inch skew, 3/8 & 1\2 inch detail gouges and I'm happy with them. They grind ok and keep an edge, the ones I have are at least 10 years old.
It is a shame they stopped making the detail gouges but crown make this particular style now.
as far as woodcut go, I have not bought any!

[Mobyturns]

Are you seeking opinions on tool quality or the merits of tool design?

You will get more opinions than turners on the merits of tools, tools steels, tools flute shapes, grind angles etc so good luck wading through the responses.

I have a range of Woodcut double ended replaceable tip bowl and spindle gouges plus their ER25 collet handle & a pro-forme hollowing tool - all very good gear, good quality tools. I use & much prefer their solid shaft replaceable tip bowl gouges on my small linear laminated bowls & goblets as the solid shaft is less prone to causing vibration with the laminated thin wall turnings than other bowl gouge designs. The tips take and hold an edge very well. The ER25 collet handle is very good, best solution on the market imho, plus it is a convenient solution for any one travelling & wanting to reduce bulk & weight. The tool replacement tips are a bit on the pricey side for what they are though.

The Henry Taylor tools are a reliable brand. I also have plenty of Sorby & Hamlet, some P&N's (fantastic spindle roughing gouges - the best!) plus a range of Thompson tools - all have their own merits.

Best to find a mentor to help you with your turning & your purchasing decisions. Of course their preferences will slightly bias your preferences. You will also find tool brand choices are dictated by available vendor stock. Bit like Holden vs Ford stuff. Be careful though as you will purchase more tools than you will wear out in two lifetimes.

[Sawdust Maker]

I've got quite a few P&N and like them good steel and made in Aus - I agree with the 'make your own handles" comment - it will save you money
I've some sorby scrapers - seem to work well but the profile isn't as thick as the P&N

I've also a couple of the Thompson tools - good steel (probably harder than the P&N) and I like to use them

I had heard a rumour that there might be another Thompson group purchase

[Mobyturns]

I had heard a rumour that there might be another Thompson group purchase

SE Qld Woodworking Supplies sell Thompson bowl & spindle gouges.

[Sawdust Maker]

doesn't seem to have the full range

[Mobyturns]

doesn't seem to have the full range

Last time David came up our way he had no skews. Not sure what range he has.

[dougturner]

Box, I agree with Issatree. P&N make great woodturning tools, and are my favourite also. As well as being good steel, the tools are still made in Australia to my knowledge. I also don't buy my tools with handles, for a couple of good (to me) reasons. The HSS blank alone is cheaper, you can make you handles to your preference, and you can make them from different timbers so they don't all look the same, especially when you can only see 100mm or so of handle amongst the shavings. Try picking out you Sorby/Taylor/whatever detail gouge from your Sorby/Taylor/whatever skew, when you can only see the end of the handles and they are all identical. Apart from that, making handles is great skew practice! I also buy McJing HSS, and the price is great too. Whatever way you do it, have fun!!!! Doug

[hughie]

Like most I have a range of tools and makes , Henry Taylor, Sorby, P&N, Woodcut, Thompson,a couple of homemade gouges, a few unknowns, etc. At the end of the day the hardwoods I turn, not many if any will hold up well, that is not to say there's any thing wrong with any of them. But Aussies hardwoods are some of the toughest around and they play merry hell with edged tools.
So to some extent what you want to turn and what you use for timber has a a bearing on the choice. If your starting out don't buy the best till you get handle on sharpening. Otherwise you may find some very expensive dust on the workshop floor prematurely.
Get along side a few experienced turners and borrow/try some of their gear and see how you go with the various makes. Then start to buy good tools, good tools your already familiar with and have some confidence in their quality.

[Paul39]

I'm a tool slut and if something used comes along at at 1/2 of new or less I'll buy one.

I have Crown, Thompson, Henry Taylor, Penn State Industries, no name Sheffield Steel, Sears Craftsman, EZ Finisher, Chinese junk tools, and home made from the scrap pile.

Once one gets better than the skinny handled Chinese set of 8 for $20, it doesn't much matter which you choose.

For whatever reason when I was learning to use a skew, I had better luck using one of the 3/4 inch Chinese junk skews than the Henry Taylor or Craftsman. After about 40 hours of practice it did not much matter what I used. The junk one cut the same, just for a much shorter time.

What really matters is how well you sharpen and hone, and how much practice at turning you have.

I agree with Hughie about abrasive and hard timber, we have only a few on this side of the pond. I'm most used to Locust. A dry Locust log cut at dusk will throw sparks from the chain saw chain.

[DaveTTC]

Love these threads ... Bit of banter thrown around and learn a lot

I have mostly Sorby, they appear to treat me well.
I have a Taylor in the mix and a P&N

There are lots I have no idea what they are

My 'go to' are mostly Sorby. Would love a range of chisels and time to compare them all


Dave the turning cowboy

turning wood into art

[brendan stemp]

The distinct advantage of the Woodcut ProTip bowl and spindle gouges is that the shaft is far more rigid than anything else on the market. It is more rigid because it doesn't have a flute running down the length of the steel. This contributes significantly to less chatter when the tool is hanging over the tool rest a long way which often happens when turning a bowl. It also means that a 10mm Woodcut bowl gouge is comparable in performance to any 13mm traditional bowl gouge given that one of the main reasons we need thicker bowl gouges is to cope with the bigger overhangs on deeper bowls. In my opinion they are far more enjoyable to use than any tool on the market. And I said this before I started selling them. The HSS itself is comparable to any HSS on the good quality tools including Henry Taylor.

Here's a video I made on the subject.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9HbjdymVMA

[Bruce White]

All very useful and sensible comments. BUT! Is not the over riding issue that of "He who dies with the most toys wins"?

See 'em, buy 'em!