On Fri, 08 Oct 2004 22:12:03 -0400, Greg G. wrote:

I have a completely different view of HF.. I love it...
IMHO, you get what you pay for, and a lot of the stuff I buy doesn't
need to be 1st class...
Though I agree that I wouldn't buy lathe chisels, precision tools, or
things like that there, I'm often online ordering their sanding disks
and belts, bench clamps, etc.....
If you are looking for supplies of seldom used stuff, and expect to
get what you pay for (there ARE no free lunches *g*) it's a great
place to shop and they ship free if you spend $50... and it's hard NOT
to spend $50 there.. YMMV (and probably will)


Now, before you scoff, allow me to elaborate. I don't buy HF stuff,
and generally consider it one step below worthless. With that said,
however, I was pleasantly surprised by this set of tools. This is NOT
the Pittsburgh or the Windsor tool sets listed in the HF catalog.

I was in need of a 1/2" round nose scraper, and ran across an 8 piece
set of tools at a local Harbor Freight store. I went there purely out
of desperation after finding the only other tools available locally
were carbon steel / alloy AND vastly overpriced for their quality.

This set does not appear in the HF catalog, and appears to be the same
set sold by The Woodworkers Choice as Item 3494.
The handles are well contoured, and dyed a dark rosewood color.
(Presumably to emulate a Crown or Sorby handle.)
They blades are marked HSS and are, of course, made in China.
The blades are securely mounted, and there is a tight fitting, thick
brass ring around the shank/handle junction.
The 8 individual tools are sold in a lined, finger jointed wooden box.
The set includes 3 gouges, 1 round scraper, 2 skews, 1 flat parting
tool and 1 half-diamond parting tool.
The business end of the tools were well shaped and smoothly ground.

I took these things home, expecting the worst, but after using them
for a few hours, found that they held their edge well, the handles
were comfortable, and they were sufficiently well ground that they
required no sharpening before use. Out of the box, I could shave a
nice ribbon of green cherry from a mounted blank.

Whether they are truly HSS remains to be seen, but they are
considerably higher quality than the Buck Brothers tools I picked up
on closeout at the BORG for $10.

I can find no mention of a brand name, or another source for these
tools. Only a similarity to the aforementioned TWC tools.

The box is labeled:
HSS Chisel Set Wood Turning 8PC
High-Grade Quality
Professional Quality Lathe Chisels

SKU P35444
Wood Turning Set-HSS 8PC
Made in China
UPC 7 92363 35444 8

The set sold for $39.95.
A winner in my book - and I'm a skeptic!

FWIW,

Greg G.