I recently placed my first order from Harbor Freight. I
ordered three items. The first two arrived after 3 weeks, and the last
should be sent in a week.

I ordered the 8-piece HHS chisel set (47066-0VGA). The price
is typically $29.99, but when I placed my order, it was $32.99. I
sighed about the price increase, but figured for that price how could
I go wrong?

Well, after placing the order, I noticed the item was again placed on
sale, for $29.99. I sent them e-mail, and they said they would credit
my account for the difference. T'was nice that this was painless.


As for the chisels - I had a cheapo AMT for years, and bought
the Jet JWL-1236 last year. I have a few nice tools, augmenting the
"free" set that came with the Jet. I am a amateur, and don't have a
lot of experience. But I can describe the Harbor Freight set for those
who are interested. I haven't used them yet.

What did I get?

Eight chisels in a wooden box. Labeled "Windsor Designs" and
marked "Made in China." Each is about 16 inches long, and the blade is
6 1/2 inches long. The blades are about 2 inches longer than the
cheapo set I have. The shape of the handle is a little like my Robert
Sorby oval skew, with the tang tip rounder, which means my hand can't
fit around it as comfortably as it does the Sorby. Because of the 10"
handle and the weight of the metal, some feel "top heavy."

The eight chisels a

1" Roughing Gouge
Heavy steel, about 1/4" thick. This one just has a slightly
greater curve than a spindle gouge. I have a non-HSS roughing
gouge that has a taller cut/deeper gouge. This one is shallow
by comparison.

3/4" Roughing Gouge

Like the above. Same thick steel. The curve is slightly less
that the one above. It has the same curvature as the spindle
gouges I have.

1/2" Parting Tool
This tool is a little strange to me. I don't see it mentioned
in my books. The point is V shaped, and it's flat on top, and
the two edges are beveled. Most of my scrapers have a steeper
bevel. Still, the metal is 1/4" thick, and I can regrind it easily.
It's 5/8" wide.

But I'm not sure if I should use it as a scraper, or as a skew.

1/8" Parting Tool
This is a beading/parting tool. A V point, but no bevel on the
edge. But the steel is 1/4" thick by 5/8" wide. It's only
1/8" when 8 equals 4.

1/2" Skew
1/4" by 5/8" - same stock as the last two tools. Just reground.
The corners have a square edge.

1" Skew
1/4" by 1" - like above, but wider.

1/2" Round Nose Scraper
1/4" by 5/8" - so this is a 5/8" roundnose scraper.

1/4" spindle gouge

1/4" round stock, with a 1/16" shallow cut. It's not a deep
cut in the gouge. The groove has a nice edge halfway, then the
edges are slightly "damaged" for the second half, as if the
grinding wasn't crisp..

In general, the steel is very heavy. Four of the tools have the
same 1/4" by 5/8" stock, and can be reground to make other shapes.

The roughing gouges can't be reground as easily. I don't do
spindle work much. I'll compare them to my other roughing gouge and
report later. I wish the 1/4" spindle gouge was more recessed, so I
could use it as a small bowl gouge. However, because of the
shallowness of the grove, I can make it a scraper. It's thick enough
to handle this.

In summary, the measurements describing the tools are often
inaccurate. But the thickness of the metal is substantial. I can use
them as is, or regrind 6 of the 8 tools if I need other shapes. I can
always make a longer handle.

For $29.99, it's hard to go wrong, even if you have a basic
set. I can make a Raffan spear-shaped scraper, a radius skew, oval
skew, flat-end scraper, dovetail scraper, or whatrever othger odd shap
I need. And as Gene, Mike and others have said, it's a great set to
practice sharpening on.


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