Just got back from AWFS in Las Vegas. It was a good show as usual,
but the attendance was down considerably. I heard 40%. You could
shoot a cannon on Wednesday and Saturday afternoon down some of the
aisles and not hit anyone. The North Hall had materials (paints, hand
tools, woods, etc). The Central Hall (not completely taken) had all
the machinery. Most of the big names were there. I was focused on
Delta/Porter Cable/Dewalt.

I finally caved in and bought the new Delta 46-460 lathe. I talked to
just about everyone I could and got no negatives in any area I would
be using it (mostly spindles and disks less than 12 inches). Everyone
seemed to be quite positive about it. The torque at speeds in the 250
RPM area were very good--better than any of the competition I am
told. I could not stop it. The lathe was extremely quiet and
vibration free. I am going to add the extension to get it to 42
inches. I was trying to get a 46-715, but they are no longer made and
shipping costs in areas where I could still get it put it in the same
cost area as the new Delta 46-460 with assessories (show prices).
This lathe seems like a good choice for doing small intricate items
which interested me also.

I have a couple of good chisels (two high end gouges), but need a set
of mid-range chisels. Does anyone have a suggestion for a low to mid-
range set of turning chisels? I looked at two sets at Harbor Freight
($45 and about $65 sets). I also see PSI Woodworking and Grizzly have
some in the less than $100 per set. Any suggestions from someone that
has experience with a chisel set?

You might already have a good start if you have picked up a couple of
good chisels. In my experience, a lot of "sets" include chisels you
might not need. Figure out what kind of turning you want to do,
choose a few more good chisels and grow from there.

RonB

I have too many turning chisels. They are too addicting....

Like most that have been turning for a while, I have a real assortment
of tools. I have Ashley Isles, Crown, Sorby, and a few others.
However, I have purchased a few of the Benjamin's best from PSI and
like them a lot. They don't break the bank, and they seem to be a
good quality steel.

In fact they are cheap enough for me to grind them exactly the way I
want without shedding tears if I want to grind off the profile and
start again. Their bigger chisels need to be rehandled (the 5/8" bowl
gouge has the same handle as their 3/8" bowl gouge, spindle gouge and
a host of others), but the smaller ones are just right for my use.

I am with Ron all the way too, on his idea of not buying a big set,
and certainly not an expensive one. If you are starting out or just
getting serious, you will probably fall into the same hole most of us
have. You will buy a lot of chisels over the years, but then in the
end only use just a very few.

But finding those few....

Go PSI. They stand behind their products.

Robert

On Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:49:41 -0700 (PDT), eganders wrote:

You might want to post this to rec.crafts.woodturning

I use a lot of PSI "Benjamin's best" chisels... Good value, in my opinion..

I can buy 5/8" bowl gouges from them for $20 - $25 each and get 3 or 4 of the
same chisel for what a "name brand" gouge costs... Lets me custom grind whatever
I need without worrying about using up a $150 gouge..

Just got back from AWFS in Las Vegas. It was a good show as usual,
but the attendance was down considerably. I heard 40%. You could
shoot a cannon on Wednesday and Saturday afternoon down some of the
aisles and not hit anyone. The North Hall had materials (paints, hand
tools, woods, etc). The Central Hall (not completely taken) had all
the machinery. Most of the big names were there. I was focused on
Delta/Porter Cable/Dewalt.

I finally caved in and bought the new Delta 46-460 lathe. I talked to
just about everyone I could and got no negatives in any area I would
be using it (mostly spindles and disks less than 12 inches). Everyone
seemed to be quite positive about it. The torque at speeds in the 250
RPM area were very good--better than any of the competition I am
told. I could not stop it. The lathe was extremely quiet and
vibration free. I am going to add the extension to get it to 42
inches. I was trying to get a 46-715, but they are no longer made and
shipping costs in areas where I could still get it put it in the same
cost area as the new Delta 46-460 with assessories (show prices).
This lathe seems like a good choice for doing small intricate items
which interested me also.

I have a couple of good chisels (two high end gouges), but need a set
of mid-range chisels. Does anyone have a suggestion for a low to mid-
range set of turning chisels? I looked at two sets at Harbor Freight
($45 and about $65 sets). I also see PSI Woodworking and Grizzly have
some in the less than $100 per set. Any suggestions from someone that
has experience with a chisel set?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing