Hello John,

I found this under the FAQ from Sorby....

- There is a difference in the way Robert Sorby tools are hardened and
tempered. The steels may be the same specification but are waranteed
Sheffield High Speed Steel. The heat treatment process is vital to the
performance of the tool. If the blade is not heat treated correctly the
blade could shatter during use. If the heat treatment is incorrect then the
cutting edge cannot be sharpened correctly, it will not hold an edge. In
adjunct to this Robert Sorby gouges can be used to the full length of the
flute, without loss of edge retention.

But it is very easy to tell HSS from carbon steel while grinding it. All my
Sorby's seem to be HSS.

Best wishes,
Dave

David Peebles
Lyons, Ohio
Revolutions Woodturning
www.bowlturner.com

"john smith" wrote in message
news:3ob%c.337968$gE.66938@pd7tw3no...
I checked sorby's website and they don't mention their tools being made of
M2 HSS. My guess is packard has it wrong

All the turning tool sellers and manufacturers said there tools were made
of
A2 HSS a couple of years ago but most have removed HSS from their tools
cause it was a mistake...