Hi all i'm just about to buy my first set of tools and wondered if anyone
could give there opinion on the ASP range of tools via the M2 range and is
the extra price worth it?.

Many Thanks
Dave

For what it is worth, here is my thinking, inspired by some better
turners than I...

Regardless of how sharp your tool is, you SHOULD regrind before taking a
finishing cut on a piece. It is worth it since it will save you lots of
sanding. So, with most work, you will be grinding more often to make
that last cut than because your tool is dull. That is the case for
either M2 or ASP tools, so why pay the extra money?

Granted, you will occasionally grind an M2 tool where the ASP may
continue to be sharp enough. That will not happen very often, though.

The exception -- I use the Oneway mastercut bowl gouges and these are M4
I think. I feel no need to convert to ASP here -- these cost enough as
it is and the service I get from them is just fine.

Bill

Dave Walker wrote:
Hi all i'm just about to buy my first set of tools and wondered if anyone
could give there opinion on the ASP range of tools via the M2 range and is
the extra price worth it?.

Many Thanks
Dave

Dave Walker wrote:
Hi all i'm just about to buy my first set of tools and wondered if anyone
could give there opinion on the ASP range of tools via the M2 range and is
the extra price worth it?.

In my opinion ASP is not the right way to go for beginners. Here is my
thinking on this:

1 - as a beginner it is going to take you a while to learn to sharpen
them correctly. You are going to waste quite a bit of steel doing this,
so I think it is better to waste the cheaper stuff.
2 - the more frequently you have to sharpen the faster you will learn.
3 - if you think that ASP will stay sharp until your buddy comes over
next week to sharpen them for you, you are wrong!
4 - unless you have bottomless pockets you can afford more of the M2
tools. I would rather have two M2 bowl gouges with different grinds than
one ASP.
5 - unless you are a prolific turner, some M2 tools may out live you, so
there is no real monetary saving.

--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com
http://chipshop.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toolrest/

Dave,
When I got my first lathe, the guy who sold it to me recomended that I
get a generic set of high speed steel tools which I did. They served me
quite well for a while. I was always curioys about the other tools. I
got one of the 'stays sharp 3 times longer' gouges to see if it was
true. It seemed to be, and it soon became my tool of choice. One day,
on a whim, I switched back to my high speed steel gouge, and noticed
that it had a noticably keener edge. I then would use the hard steel
one for the major stock removal, and the M2 for the finish cuts. I
noticed that the 'fresh off the grinder edge' would last the about the
same amount of time on either tool, but the 'I can still make a few
more passes before sharpening'edge lasts a lot longer with the harder
steel. I have an Elsworth signature gouge, a One Way master cut, a 2030
gouge, and a Glaser V-15 gouge. They all work well, but I like the feel
and cutting action of the Glaser the best. I prefer my tools on the
heavy side (I did concrete work for 30 years), and this tool has
weight. There is also something about the way that it cuts, that may
have more to do with the shape; it has a high narrow flute,which may
give it more of a shear cutting action than the others, but I am still
trying to figure out exactly what it is. I reserve the right to change
my mind in the future, as I will continue to experiment.
robo hippy

Dave, I'm probably an intermediate or average turner, but I sure agree
with Bill and Derek. I don't know when a sharp turning tool becomes less
sharp than it could be. So when the time comes that I want to be sure
that a tool is as sharp as I can make it (and that's often), I need to
resharpen it regardless of the steel.

M2 seems satisfactory for me. For that matter if not for the poor heat
resistance and that otherwise top of the line tools are not available in
high carbon steel these days, I'd probably be using them along with my
old Sheffield steel Sorbys.
Probably as important as the steel is what tools are in the set.

Welcome and good luck.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Thanks for the feedback I think i'll stick with the M2 range and buy a load
of wood with the extra money i've saved.

Looking forward to participating in the group.

Happy Turning
Dave


"Dave Walker" wrote in message
...
Hi all i'm just about to buy my first set of tools and wondered if anyone
could give there opinion on the ASP range of tools via the M2 range and is
the extra price worth it?.

Many Thanks
Dave