where to buy chisels

I've seen a number of turning demos. One thing that strikes me is the number of turners that have a huge selection of chisels. Each has a different grind or a different use.

At the prices I've seen anywhere I could easily spend as much on chisels as a really good lathe.

Some of those that have lots of chisels claim to make their own. How? Are they buying just steel rods and cutting a flute?

All I know is that at the typical $70-$90 that even mailorder stores want I'll never own more than just a couple.

Reply to
william kossack
Loading thread data ...

Try Packardwoodworks.com I really like the Packard bowl gouges they have and they are very well priced...I have or have turned with every big name gouge out there and Packard is what I use for most of my turning tools. Any of the packard tool are a good deal in my opinion.

Reply to
James

Neat thing about owning a number of tools is that the wear and tear is spread among them, so they really don't have to be the latest and greatest alloy. I still have some really stubby carbon steel tools that came with Ol' Blue twenty five years ago. They make the last and finest cuts for me, within their capability, and then go back on the rack. The big roughing gouge gets used on every turning, so he gets a bunch of sharpening. Might be worth spending a bit more to get a good one of them, as well as a good interior-hogging bowl gouge. For the rest, let the gift-giving occasions take care of you. I have a "dad shopping" folder of URLs myself, don't know how it works at your house.

Don't be afraid to practice with the factory grind. Just make sure it's not what you want before you start altering it. After you're convinced you've got what suits you in Harbor Freight quality, it's time to consider if you'd be better served by Sorby, Crown or Taylor.

Reply to
George

And they are nice people to deal with. I have nothing but good to say about my experiences with Packard.

Reply to
Harry Pye

William,

Being new to turning myself and not sure if it was something I would love and do for a long time, I told the advice from other guys in this NG and started with a set of spindle turning tools from Harbor Freight,

formatting link
or this set from Penn State Ind.,
formatting link
. I soon wanted to try my hand at bowl turning and got this set from Penn State,
formatting link
They are not the top of the line but have done the job for me while I'm learning and I was not afraid to learn how to sharpen on them because of the cost. I hope this helps.

John

Reply to
John (NC)

All the tools in the world will not make you a turner, let alone a goo

turner. I have seen superb work done with the minimum number o chisels (ie one) and rubbish work done by a "turner" who had so man tools they could not easily be counted.

For what it's worth, my advice is to start with a very basic set, ge advice from whoever is teaching you to turn and try the tools he/sh advises before you buy. Buying a well-known brand may seem expensiv but then there are lots of people who know the price of everything an the value of nothing

Reply to
Tony the Turner

Hum, looked at the site. In fact had the link.

Their prices are about the same as other sources. I've purchased a few items from them > James wrote:

Reply to
william kossack

Reply to
william kossack

Bill, try

formatting link
They have first class tools. For example, the 5/8" bowl gouge is $45. You will have to turn a handle for them, but that is no chore. And the flutes on their gouges are all 9" long, meaning the tools will last a very long time. However, if you get 1/4" diameter tools, cut the flute down to about half length, otherwise it will be too flexible. No need for a 9" flute on a 1/4" gouge!!

Regards, James Johnson

Reply to
JRJohnson

: Neat thing about owning a number of tools is that the wear and tear is : spread among them, so they really don't have to be the latest and greatest : alloy. I still have some really stubby carbon steel tools that came with : Ol' Blue twenty five years ago. They make the last and finest cuts for me, : within their capability, and then go back on the rack.

Second the motion on carbon steel, non-HSS tools for finish cutting. I like

formatting link
for inexpensive but good ones.

-- Andy Barss

Reply to
Andrew Barss

I will second the Serious brand tools - keep in mind though, that these are A-2 steel. not high speed M-2 steel. What this means is that you can alter the hardness if you overheat the metal while grinding.

Secondly, and a peeve of mine with the new owners of Serious, is that the prices on the web site are NOT the current prices. I emailed Serious in April of this year:

"Was looking over your tooling section and noticed that the prices indicated in a few of the pictures - specifically, the camlock handles and the deep-fluted gouges - don't match the price list I rec'd at the Northwest Woodturners meeting when Scott Trumbo visited. Since there is no other pricing information on your website I believe you may be scaring off some with prices more than actual (3/4" handle: web - $125;

2006 price sheet - $89.95) or misleading others with gouges that have increased from the prices pictured."

Unfortunately I can't locate Scott's reply but it was on the order of, "we just have too many things to do at the moment to revamp and update the website" (since the prices are part of the image file). A lame excuse as I believe Bernie Mares sold Serious about a year or so ago. Too bad, because the site is certainly jumbled and doesn't help to sell any of the tools or their lathe. At the very least they could make the

2006 price list available for download.

Anyway... here are the '06 prices for the deep-fluted gouges:

1/4" - $25.00 5/16" - $28.75 3/8" - 31.25 1/2" - $47.50 5/8" - $56.25 3/4" - 62.50 7/8" - $68.75 1" - $75.00

I recently picked up a 5/8" to go in the "Serious Camlock Handle" ($89.95) and I like both very much. I've also got their 3/8" and 7/8" gouges plus about 3 or 4 HD scrapers.

I'd be happy to cite a few other prices as long as it doesn't become a full time job - or Serious starts sending me tools for my efforts. ;)

Reply to
Owen Lowe

Yeah, a lot of folks have a lot of chisels. Seems like too much stuff to keep track of to me, but that's just an opinion. I've got these ones, and they're fine for my goofing around

formatting link
No, they're not the best- but they're not the worst, either. But the best thing about them is that you get eight tools for the price of one really spiffy one. Good for a guy on a budget, or for starting out- they'll all take a beating pretty well, with the possible exception of the 1/4" spindle gouge I managed to bend when using it as a hollowing tool. Then again, I doubt it was intended for deep hollowing... and it still works after I straightened it out.

Reply to
Prometheus

I'd just bore a longer hole in the handle, personally.

Serious is still in business? The A2 monster I got from them has proven an excellent tool, though at 1", he was meant for hogging only. Very difficult to maneuver a 1" gouge in a 3" gap.

As to sharpening, no reason in the world to press so hard you'd heat even a carbon gouge to freshen an edge. Maybe that's why I still have steel after

25 years on the freebies....
Reply to
George

Yep. Bought out by a couple fellows in central OR.

Reply to
Owen Lowe

Those are some nasty pictures.

Owen Lowe wrote:

warning you to remove any and all rings from your fingers. Called degloving, extended hardware can grab your ring and rip it off your finger. A pic for the strong of stomach:

finished smoothness.

Reply to
kylebowers

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.