"charlie b" wrote in message
...
Going through the Airgas - Rutland Tool catalogue looking for
end mills for cutting mortises, I come upon page after page
after page of "Insert Tooling" "Inserts". There are carbide
cutters in more shapes than you can shake a stick at and tool
holders for all kinds of uses. To top it off, much of this stuff
is relatively inexpensive - I mean relative to the price of
some of the "signature" gouges in the wood turning catalogues.

Now I understand that many turning tools are very versatile
-because they can be rolled and angled while making a cut
to create a range of shapes. But for roughing to round or
boring to hollow something out carbide would stay sharp
a LOT longer than HSS and with an isocoles triangle "insert",
chaning to a new sharp edge takes only a minute or so and
you're back at the wood creating chips and curlies.

They work just dandy - as scrapers. I used old ones from the machinist up
the way on my Sorby. The tool steel pieces are easily sharpened and pretty
tough, the carbide has to be a fairly thick section to work without
breaking. Pretty brittle. I have had edges chip from knots in maple.

Since it's so much easier on the turner and the turning to cut, they're
relegated to those angles and places where cutting's impossible.