Carbide Tool enquiry - **NEWBIE**

[Millertime81]

Has anyone had any experience with these tools?

I am shocking at sharpening my standard chisels, and I think this could be a very good alternative.

$66 + postage for the lot?

Appreciate your input.

cheers




https://mcjing.com.au/categorybrowse...WOODTURNINGSET

One 12" handle and 6" round bar flat both side with grab locking screw. Also have a clear safety glass. Set included four piece carbide tipped tips, (10mm curve, round, flat and point ) .

[Xanthorrhoeas]

I have no experience with these carbide tools. My experience with all tools is that the cheapies are often not good value. For example not all Tungsten Carbide is the same quality - some is quite poor/coarse/grainy and will not take or hold a sharp edge. A friend uses the Robert Sorby tct tools and likes them but I haven't seen them in action so do not really know.

Woodturning really needs sharp tools and it is best to learn how to sharpen your tools properly yourself. It is not really that difficult to learn.

I see that you live in Tarragindi. Brisbane local Rob McKee runs sharpening and other woodwork and woodturning courses from the woodturners society hut at Pine St Greenslopes and has a sharpening course coming up in May 2017. RM SCHOOL OF WOODWORKING PTY LTD. – Educating Adults to Work & Create With Wood (I have no financial or other connection except that I have taken some of Rob's courses and find them good). Rob uses a Vicmarc dry grinder with the fancy CBN wheels. I use a Tormek wet grinder and jigs. Both get good sharp edges, the CBN is faster (at least in Rob's use).

[old1955]

Welcome to the forum Millertime81.

[hughie]

The simple answer to this problem is tuition as mentioned. Also buy a good sharpening jig as free hand sharpening is for the few.

[Paul39]

The best surface on the piece is obtained by slicing off timber, as with a skew or bowl gouge. Carbide tools can not be sharpened to a thin edge to slice, so they are scraping tools.

I have carbon steel tools, high speed steel tools, and carbide tools. I sharpen the steel tools on a dry 120 grit aluminum oxide wheel running at 1725 rpm. I use a jig on bowl gouges, a platform on scrapers and skews, free hand on roughing gouge and spindle gouges. I use a credit card size 600 grit diamond sharpener for sharpening the round flat top carbide bits on the EZ Finisher which I use for roughing out the insides of hard abrasive bowls.

It is well worth the effort to learn to sharpen your tools. You will do better work, faster.. Sharpening is much like riding a bicycle, once you learn, it is zip, zip, sharp tool. Two minutes or less with a jig on a bowl gouge, 15 to 30 seconds on everything else.

[Millertime81]

Appreciate all the advice..
Looks like I need to be a bit more patient with the sharpening �� and possibly take a class or two!

Many thanks..
This wont be the last your hear from me ��

[woodPixel]

I'd agree with what everyone here says. I'm terrible in that I'll always look for a shortcut for anything, but the reality of turning is that sharp tools do a much better job.

There is a Sorby carbide tool here for when turning some ultra hard man made materials. HSS simply wouldn't even scratch it. With carbide it was like butter. Since then it's done nothing.

Sharpening isnt really that a hard skill to learn. Jigs help, but you soon start free handing it.

I will say that CBN wheels make the job so much nicer

[woodPixel]

I had a thought for one last piece of wisdom - everyone I've seen begin turning starts with 5 or 6 basic chisels.

They get the hang of these, then immediately start buying up every exotic shape and specific-purpose chisel under the sun.

This is a mistake. My experience now says you need exactly 3. A skew, a bowl gouge and spindle gouge.

Im guilty and have a wall of chisels. I sold about 30 of them and since doing so my skills have really accelerated. I am not a pro, but I do production work and client orders, so I'm commercial.

To see how much can be achieved with only a skew and spindle gouge, see the YouTube channel for WoodTurner21. Watch them all and you will be convinced.

[Mobyturns]

My experience now says you need exactly 3. A skew, a bowl gouge and spindle gouge.

I would change that to "you need four basic styles of tool - skew, bowl gouge, spindle gouge and parting tool."

Once you get into turning and get a bit of experience under your belt you should start to realize that a keen edge, consistently shaped grind, and good tool presentation with these three cutting tool shapes will accomplish 95% of your turning tasks. The parting tool is a basic necessity to safely "divide" or separate blanks for projects. As your skills further improve then you will start to see the benefits of various grind profiles / shapes, why an Irish grind on a bowl gouge is better in some situations than a "traditional" grind, or why it is better to radius the edge of skews etc.

I thoroughly recommend getting some tuition as its much easier to learn from a very competent teacher and wood turner such as rob McKee in the beginning rather than go to them later to "unlearn" bad habits.

[NeilS]

The best surface on the piece is obtained by slicing off timber, as with a skew or bowl gouge. Carbide tools can not be sharpened to a thin edge to slice, so they are scraping tools.

I agree with Paul and the good advice provided by the other forum members.

My carbides only get used on dirty blanks full of grit and stones and the occasional very hard bit of desert Acacia. My carbides get very little use.

It is possible to do a slicing cut with them (bevel rubbing) on spindles and the outside of bowls, but until they come out with a flute they are limited on the inside of bowls and on coves. I recollect Brendan was running a trial on a carbide 'gouge'?

Carbide edges are durable, but in my experience I cannot get them as sharp as HSS for doing final cuts.





Stay sharp!

Neil