Thread: Turning tools with replaceable carbide tips - who uses them?

I bought an EasyRougher and an EasyFinisher for my son to use. He has autism, and sometimes things like remembering what angles to hold tools at can be a struggle at the same time as concentrating on the profile and everything else, so I thought I'd try him on the Easy tools rather than gouges*. For his HSC major work he needed to turn 8 "identical" NG Rosewood plates, each about 275mm across, to form the tops and bottoms of some turned bed posts. With the Easy tools all he needed to remember (from a tool viewpoint) was to keep the tool level or "nose down" to the work. From flat stock he turned his 8 plates without issue, roughing with the rougher (fancy that!) and then making what I guess is an ogee with the finisher. He doesn't have much turning experience, but he produced a reasonable finish off the tool, had no catches or disasters, and only caused me a couple of missed heartbeats. The finish, as I said, is OK - not super-great but easily sanded. He managed to make both deep "roughing" cuts and quite delicate finishing cuts with both tools (for flat or rounded sections of the work) with no problems. He turned all 8 and the carbide inserts don't need rotating yet.

Overall I'd say they're great for beginners EXCEPT that you don't learn "correct" tool techniques for traditional tools, and I'm not sure you'd ever get a "sandpaper free" finish. Perhaps if you want to eventually progress your skills they might not be ideal because they make it too easy to hit the 80/20 rule and maybe therefore not bother chasing that last 20%, but for an occasional turner I'd say they were fine.**

*And, I have to say, I didn't want to be pulling my gouges out of the shed roof!

** Whilst I watched my son through this process, I haven't used these tools myself.

I have a couple of turning tools with inserts but I rarely use them - maybe because Mostly these days I'm making small stuff like handles so there's not a lot of hogging out required.

RE: sandpaper free finish - Wha-sat?

Originally Posted by BobL

RE: sandpaper free finish - Wha-sat?

Something I've never achieved!!!!!

I watched a demo at an exhibition some years ago, by some turning-god whose name I don't recall, and he went from tool to wax with no sandpaper. I saw (and handled) the piece after his demo had ended, I was impressed! Mind you I have no doubt he picked his timber very carefully, and he was spindle turning so had no end grain to deal with. Or maybe that's me finding excuses as to why I can't do that.......

I bought a set of carbide tip tools from Pop's Shed - I've found them very useful and handy when I'm knocking something up quickly.

Mostly though I'm using them where I'd normally use a scraper - the finish is better than I get off a conventional scraper and they hold the edge forever (though I keep a couple of spares of each tip, and resharpen on a diamond stone rather than discarding).

For critical work, I still obviously prefer the skew and gouge - but sometimes I get lazy! Also, I need to keep using them to make sure I don't lose the skill it took me so long to acquire, plus a bit guilty about "cheating" with scrapers!

McJing have these at reasonable prices. Here is the four chisel set. I've just bought a set, but not yet tried them. Quality looks fine, and way cheaper than the name brand ones.

Carbide Replaceable Woodturning Set

I've inherited a few from a pair of mates who used to do quite a bit of pen-turning. They swore by them, using them almost exclusively.

Me, I don't us 'em at all, often forgetting they're even an option. Then again, I don't often turn pens and when I do they're almost always timber.

Perhaps if I turned more epoxies & synthetics I'd find a use for 'em?

Originally Posted by Warb

Mind you I have no doubt he picked his timber very carefully, and he was spindle turning so had no end grain to deal with.

NO doubt! When doing a demo, timber selection is vital. Embarrassingly, I did a relatively recent demo interstate where I grabbed the wrong pre-prepared blanks as I left home.

Instead of some nice soft, straight grained timbers that would give me a finished product in my 1-hour time slot I took some Ironbark. Didn't realise until I was standing in front of the crowd and went to mount it up. An hour later and I'd barely managed to finish the outside and make a token effort at starting to hollow.

(To add insult to injury, 'twas a winged bowl and when I pointed out "watch out for these bits, they bite " got my thumb bit and promptly bled all over the place. A great look under the cameras! )


Yes.. there is no doubt that blanks for a demo are carefully selected.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Instead of some nice soft, straight grained timbers that would give me a finished product in my 1-hour time slot I took some Ironbark. Didn't realise until I was standing in front of the crowd and went to mount it up. An hour later and I'd barely managed to finish the outside and make a token effort at starting to hollow.

We pulled down some old sheep yards some time ago, which we then used as firewood - ironbark is the best firewood in the world, somehow it manages to make almost no ash and you can go for weeks without cleaning out the stove! These yards were put up many years ago, and the wood was hard. I thought I'd have a go at turning it.......... I rough cut a 6" circle on my bandsaw, and that pretty much destroyed the blade. On the lathe, I think the edge on a gouge would last perhaps 30 seconds before having to be sharpened - it probably needed sharpening after the first revolution in contact with the work. Honestly, you could sharpen this timber to a knife edge and cut leather with it! I abandoned my attempt at turning it..........

I think the partly turned bowl is still in the shed somewhere. Maybe I should have a go at it with the "Easy" tools and see what happens?!!

Originally Posted by RSD

I've been looking at the range of turning tools with replaceable carbide tips and am wondering how many on here are using them? If you do use them what % of your turning is done with replaceable tip tools? How well do you find that they work?

RSD

I too wondered this. You can view my effort to produce a budget set here to see the investigation into the possibilities. I would particularly draw your attention to post #12 where Pat advises the use of a face shield when using TC cutters.

I have only just finished them off and not tried them out yet. If they are no good they cost less than $50, but quite a bit of time.

Regards
Paul

I bought a used Easy finisher with the round cutter. I use it for roughing as the carbide is not as sharp as steel. I resharpen the flat top on a wet diamond plate. I like the way I can start at the middle bottom of a bowl and sweep all the way up to the rim. It is, and is used as a scraper. Scrapers were used to make bowls for centuries before there were bowl gouges.

I can rough with the carbide, finish with a freshly sharpened HSS scraper, sand with 220 or 320 grit, wet sand with 320 and diluted tung oil, then cloth while rotating, and first coat is done.

Other than for dry Locust timber, carbide is not really needed here. With all the Aussie thinly disguised concrete timbers, carbide is very useful.

I am a tool slut, so have a large selection of bowl gouges, which I mostly use for bowls, and did also use as a spindle roughing gouge until I got a screaming deal on a used Czech 1 1/4 inch roughing gouge. Roughing Gouge HSS | NAREX BYSTŘICE s.r.o. I am quite pleased with it.