On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 13:13:36 GMT, in rec.crafts.woodturning you wrote:
Went to a flea-mkt and picked up a set of old Craftsman Turning tools
cheaply. I was wondering if anybody knew anything about these tools, I

Hi Alan,

It sounds like you have found a nice set of older tools.

A few years ago, on the advice of people in this newgroup I picked up
a used set of Craftsman HSS tools. The price was right and I've been
very pleased with them. They stay sharp and work well but are shorter
than other tools, which presents some challenges at times. I
especilly like the width and shape of the stock the gouges are made
from.

Like others here have said, I don't hesitate to rework them into
other useful shapes or specialty tools. I made a 1/4 wide parting
tool from one that I use on many projects to turn a tenon the width of
the tool in one pass that will fit in my chuck. It also functions as a
skew and is great for rolling small beads also.

I've seen some of the older Craftsman tools that were longer and I
wouldn't hesitate to buy and use an older set of carbon steel tools
either if they were priced reasonably. I have some older high carbon
steel tools by another company that I use and prefer in some
situations. Most of the older tools were of excellent quality and
construction.. much better than the run of the mill tools made today,
IMO.

You can tell if they are carbon steel or HSS when you grind them.
Carbon steel produces lots of bright sparks that break up when they
hit something hard, like the tool rest. They look kinda kinda like a
celebration sparkler the kids like to play with. HSS give off far
less sparks and and are sometimes hard to see. They are an orange
colored ball like spark that doesn't break up when it hits a surface.

Bertie